(C) Daily Kos
This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
How to appeal to young voters: Cancel Selective Service [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-09-04
So a lot of Monday Morning Quarterbacks are saying things like “If Kamala Harris had only went my way on this one issue that I happen to care about in particular, she would have won the election.” I might as well get off the bench and play the same game. A low cost way to appeal to young voters to talk about eliminating Selective Service.
I’ll be clear, I’m 46 years old and I have no kids. This is NOT a dealbreaker issue for me, but it’s always going to lurk in the back of the minds of men age 18 to 25. And that’s a demographic group that we can stand to improve with.
To be sure, Republican like Rand Paul will bring the issue up from time to time. But when DOGE was gutting government programs, Elon Musk left Selective Service untouched. Which is pretty weird, since Trump accused Kamala Harris of wanting to bring back the draft. And before you say “Trump would NEVER-”, you already know in your heart that it’s a significant possibility.
So Trump by himself is a great argument for getting rid of Selective Service. I refuse to call him a draftdodger because avoiding service in Vietnam is the smartest decision he ever made. But he won’t be President in four years. JD Vance and Ron DeSantis are both veterans, so they might have fewer qualms about dragging out the old bingo cage and start picking out birthdays.
“But Robert, there is zero chance of a draft happening.” If that’s true, the government can save $33.5 million a year by killing the program.
”Okay, but what if there is another war?” Attacking the US is suicide as it already is, at least for foreigners. Right now our big concern is civil unrest, which an active draft would cause even more of. Again, this might be a reason for Trump to consider a draft, because he likes chaos.
”But a draft would DETER a war!” You understand that Barron Trump is never getting drafted, right? A peacetime draft didn’t keep the US out of Vietnam, it just meant more casualties for both sides.
”We should require men, women, and nonbinary people to register for Selective Service.” Life is already unfair to women and nonbinary people as it is. Just get rid of Selective Service.
”There should be a peacetime draft, with civil works projects as an alternative to military service.” No. Just no. If you need something done, hire the best people and pay them a fair wage. Don’t force a bunch of 19 year olds to work on a project because you’re not going to be happy with the results.
”Robert, you are the most civilian guy ever. You know nothing about the military or foreign policy. You are such a wuss, you make Donald Trump look like Dwight Eisenhower.” Let’s say I am wrong and we need a draft. We still don’t need Selective Service because all it does is require men to provide their name and address to their website after their 18 birthday. Most people are still in high school and living with their parents when they turn 18. Most people are planning on living anywhere else before they turn 19. So that information the government demands from young men is going to be useless before the military actually needs it. In this century, morality aside, it’s faster and more effective for the government to buy or steal your private info rather than just asking for it.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2025/9/4/2341744/-How-to-appeal-to-young-voters-Cancel-Selective-Service?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web
Published and (C) by Daily Kos
Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified.
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/
