---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let's think about where things stood in…"
description: "\"Let's think about where things stood in December 2015. By that time, Republicans had already had such epic and long-standing struggles with young peopl..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/kristen-soltis-anderson-6544_democracy_let-s-think-about-where-things-stood-in_894890.jpg"
---

#  Let's think about where things stood in December 2015. By…

![“Let's think about where things stood in December 2015. By that time, Republicans had already had such epic and long-standing struggles with young people that I'd written a whole book about it. Additionally, Republicans had already had a bruising start to their primary season.” quote by Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/kristen-soltis-anderson-6544_democracy_let-s-think-about-where-things-stood-in_894890.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/kristen-soltis-anderson-6544_democracy_let-s-think-about-where-things-stood-in_894890.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/kristen-soltis-anderson-6544_democracy_let-s-think-about-where-things-stood-in_894890.jpg)

> “Let's think about where things stood in December 2015. By that time, Republicans had already had such epic and long-standing struggles with young people that I'd written a whole book about it. Additionally, Republicans had already had a bruising start to their primary season.”

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Republicans faced deep challenges with youth engagement and a rough primary start in 2015, highlighting generational disconnects and campaign setbacks.

**In simple terms:** Republicans struggled with young voters and a tough primary.

Key Takeaway

Address youth concerns early and adapt campaign tactics.

Themes

politics generational divide campaign strategy

Mood

reflective analytical

Type

political strategic

When to use this quote

- campaign planning
- youth outreach
- policy messaging
- public relations
- party branding

Key Concepts

voter engagement media perception party identity

Questions to Reflect On

- How can parties authentically connect with younger voters?
- What structural changes could improve youth political participation?

A Different Perspective

Youth disengagement may stem from broader societal trends beyond party control.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Democracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Republicans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/republicans/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/)

## Related quotes

> [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/)

[Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/)

> [Did you see the 2000 Republican Presidential Convention? The last time the Republicans had that many Black people on a stage, they were selling them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/did-you-see-the-2000-republican-presidential-convention-the-last-time/)

[Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/)

> [Lincoln was right about not fooling all the people all the time. But Republicans haven't given up trying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/lincoln-was-right-about-not-fooling-all-the-people-all-the-time-but/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [The only time Republicans will shake fists and point fingers is over a war delayed, one that isn't led by the US, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilana-mercer/the-only-time-republicans-will-shake-fists-and-point-fingers-is-over/)

[Ilana Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilana-mercer/)

> [ For a long time, many Republicans thought if they just took two aspirin and laid down, \[Donald\] Trump would go away. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mara-liasson/for-a-long-time-many-republicans-thought-if-they-just-took-two/)

[Mara Liasson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mara-liasson/)

> [“I kept that Armey-Archer T-shirt so that I could remember a time when Republicans thought about ideas and enjoyed those good-spirited and consequential debates.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-flake/i-kept-that-armey-archer-t-shirt-so-that-i-could-remember-a-time-when/)

[Jeff Flake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-flake/)

> [Franklin D. Roosevelt was fortunate: He didn't take office until nearly four years after the Wall Street crash, by which time the Republicans' responsibility…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-brown/franklin-d-roosevelt-was-fortunate-he-didn-t-take-office-until-nearly/)

[Tina Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-brown/)

> [In the relatively short time frame of December 2015 to March 2017, nearly half of all young Republicans left their party at some point,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/in-the-relatively-short-time-frame-of-december-2015-to-march-2017/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [Some Republicans gave up on winning the African-American vote, looking the other way or trying to benefit politically from racial polarization. I am here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-mehlman/some-republicans-gave-up-on-winning-the-african-american-vote-looking/)

[Ken Mehlman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-mehlman/)

> [The Democrats and the Republicans are equally corrupt where money is concerned. It's only in the amount where the Republicans excel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/the-democrats-and-the-republicans-are-equally-corrupt-where-money-is/)

[Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/)

> [I can tell you this. It is not going to be evenly constituted and when she was Speaker Pelosi, she certainly showed no interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-gowdy/i-can-tell-you-this-it-is-not-going-to-be-evenly-constituted-and-when/)

[Trey Gowdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-gowdy/)

> [In Congress, Florida Republicans worked with the Trump administration to secure funding for coastal restoration projects following the devastating impacts of Hurricanes Irma and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltz/in-congress-florida-republicans-worked-with-the-trump-administration/)

[Michael Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltz/)

> [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/)

[Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/)

## More by Kristen Soltis Anderson

> [A compelling story requires conflict, friction, an obstacle to be overcome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/a-compelling-story-requires-conflict-friction-an-obstacle-to-be/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [For thousands of years, humans have used the art of storytelling to motivate and persuade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/for-thousands-of-years-humans-have-used-the-art-of-storytelling-to/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [I remember fancying myself a junior 'McCainiac' in 2000, though politics were rarely discussed in our household.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/i-remember-fancying-myself-a-junior-mccainiac-in-2000-though-politics/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [In the 2012 election, the polls that had made Mitt Romney so confident that he was going to win were his own internal polls,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/in-the-2012-election-the-polls-that-had-made-mitt-romney-so-confident/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [Hillary Clinton famously embraced the Trump-originated label 'nasty woman' as yet another way to show just how bad Donald Trump was to women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/hillary-clinton-famously-embraced-the-trump-originated-label-nasty/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [On paper, Emmanuel Macron should be a candidate tailor-made for young voters. He himself is young. He pushes for more entrepreneurship, modernization, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/on-paper-emmanuel-macron-should-be-a-candidate-tailor-made-for-young/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [I think 'Candy Crush' may be fading in popularity, but there's always something new that's popping up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/i-think-candy-crush-may-be-fading-in-popularity-but-there-s-always/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [Conservative women often make the case that 'all issues are women's issues,' and are sometimes derided by those on the Left when they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/conservative-women-often-make-the-case-that-all-issues-are-women-s/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [President Trump rightly points out that law enforcement is mostly made up of good people putting themselves in harm's way to protect us. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/president-trump-rightly-points-out-that-law-enforcement-is-mostly/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [Obamacare itself did not become popular until the middle of 2017, when the risk of repeal was the greatest; for the bulk of 2010…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/obamacare-itself-did-not-become-popular-until-the-middle-of-2017-when/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [It is fair to debate how much either bill - Obamacare in 2010, tax reform in 2018 - had or will have an impact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/it-is-fair-to-debate-how-much-either-bill-obamacare-in-2010-tax/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [The things that frustrate one piece of Trump's coalition often endear him to or embolden another wing of the coalition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/the-things-that-frustrate-one-piece-of-trump-s-coalition-often-endear/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [Federalists, Whigs, Democratic-Republicans; parties are born, parties die, and parties realign themselves to adapt to shifting demographics and attitudes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/federalists-whigs-democratic-republicans-parties-are-born-parties-die/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [President Trump is right about at least one thing: No matter what he does, America cannot stop talking about him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/president-trump-is-right-about-at-least-one-thing-no-matter-what-he/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

> [Tax reform exists, sort of, as an outline - miles away from being actual passed legislation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/tax-reform-exists-sort-of-as-an-outline-miles-away-from-being-actual/)

[Kristen Soltis Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

[Explore all 98 Kristen Soltis Anderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/)

## More Democracy quotes

> [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

> [Philosopher is a dictator who modifies accepted standards with his thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilkin-santak/philosopher-is-a-dictator-who-modifies-accepted-standards-with-his/)

[Ilkin Santak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilkin-santak/)

> [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/)

[Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/)

> [For not only every democracy, but certainly every republic, bears within itself the seeds of its own destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-not-only-every-democracy-but-certainly-every-republic-bears/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [There is plenty of time for Republicans to have a Macaca moment. But right now, as of October 17, 2014, the Republican Senate candidates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-continetti/there-is-plenty-of-time-for-republicans-to-have-a-macaca-moment-but/)

[Matthew Continetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-continetti/)

> [Democracy is based on the conviction that man has the moral and intellectual capacity, as well as the inalienable right, to govern himself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-s-truman/democracy-is-based-on-the-conviction-that-man-has-the-moral-and/)

[Harry S. Truman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-s-truman/)

> [ Vote for Donald Trump. You're going to see something and you'll be so happy, you'll be so thrilled. This \[presidential\] election is about every… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/vote-for-donald-trump-you-re-going-to-see-something-and-you-ll-be-so/)

[Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/)

> [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [The Republicans do not look on the Democrats as the evil empire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-safire/the-republicans-do-not-look-on-the-democrats-as-the-evil-empire/)

[William Safire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-safire/)

> [If you believe in democracy, why shouldn't you know what the government is doing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/if-you-believe-in-democracy-why-shouldn-t-you-know-what-the/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [Failure to find a way to incorporate political Islam in democracy, however uncomfortable its ideology is for secular liberals, will mean we have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/failure-to-find-a-way-to-incorporate-political-islam-in-democracy/)

[Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/)

> [In a democratic nation, power must be linked with responsibility, and obliged to defend and justify itself within the framework of the general good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/in-a-democratic-nation-power-must-be-linked-with-responsibility-and/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

> [“All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or back gammon, with a slight moral tinge to it, a playing with right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/all-voting-is-a-sort-of-gaming-like-checkers-or-back-gammon-with-a/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

[Browse all 11,220 Democracy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/democracy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Let's think about where things stood in December 2015. By that time, Republicans had already had such epic and long-standing struggles with young people that I'd written a whole book about it. Additionally, Republicans had already had a bruising start to their primary season.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Kristen Soltis Anderson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/let-s-think-about-where-things-stood-in-december-2015-by-that-time/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Democracy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/let-s-think-about-where-things-stood-in-december-2015-by-that-time/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/kristen-soltis-anderson-6544_democracy_let-s-think-about-where-things-stood-in_894890.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/kristen-soltis-anderson-6544_democracy_let-s-think-about-where-things-stood-in_894890.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/00c/kristen-soltis-anderson-6544_democracy_let-s-think-about-where-things-stood-in_894890.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Let's think about where things stood in December 2015. By that time, Republicans had already had such epic…” — Kristen Soltis Anderson",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Kristen Soltis Anderson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-soltis-anderson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Let's think about where things stood...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/let-s-think-about-where-things-stood-in-december-2015-by-that-time/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-soltis-anderson/let-s-think-about-where-things-stood-in-december-2015-by-that-time/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
