Generation Opportunity

Last updated
Generation Opportunity
Formation2010
Headquarters Arlington, Virginia
MethodsActivism, policy advocacy
Website generationopportunity.org

Generation Opportunity was a center-right political advocacy organization in the United States focused on economic policy and aimed at young adults. It was a sister organization to the Americans for Prosperity-led political network initially funded by the Koch family. [1] The group had campaigned against the Affordable Care Act.

Contents

History

Founded in 2010, Generation Opportunity initially focused on a variety of issues including taxes, high gas prices, and broader economic issues. [2] [3] [4] Generation Opportunity then began to look at youth unemployment statistics and the Millennial Jobs Report, which gave unemployment statistics for 18- to 29-year-olds on the first day of each month. [5] In September 2013, Generation Opportunity launched a campaign called "Opt Out of Obamacare". [6] Evan Feinberg headed the organization from 2013 through 2015. [7] In 2016, the organization released its "The State of the Millennial Report", which reviews the challenges and opportunities faced by young people in the United States [8]

Issues

Youth unemployment

On the first Friday of every month, Generation Opportunity used the information released from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate unemployment for Americans aged 18–29. [9] [10] [11] [12] Generation Opportunity advocated for removing barriers to youth employment such as occupational licenses and regulations harmful to the sharing economy. [13] [14] Another strategy for reducing youth unemployment that is advocated by the organization is criminal justice reform, since a criminal sentence often traps generations of Americans into cyclical poverty. [15]

Affordable Care Act

Generation Opportunity opposed the Affordable Care Act and had campaigned against it. Generation Opportunity launched its Opt Out of Obamacare campaign in September 2013. [16] Generation Opportunity conducted a college campus tour to 20 campuses to convince college students to sign a petition to opt out of the Affordable Care Act. [17] The organization stated that its goal was to inform millennials of options outside of the Affordable Care Act, [18] and to raise awareness of the cost of the Act for younger generations. [19]

On September 18, 2013 it released a video advertisement named "Opt Out - The Exam - Creepy Uncle Sam". [20] The video received over 600,000 views within its first 36 hours, [21] 3.5 million views within its first week, and drew a response from President Obama during a speech in Maryland. [18] The video featured "Uncle Sam" intruding between the legs of a female patient during a gynecological exam. [17] [22] A third "Creepy Uncle Sam" video was released on October 25, receiving 300,000 views in 3 days. [23]

Reception

When asked to explain the "Uncle Sam" ad, Feinberg compared his ad to the ad Democrats ran against Congressman Paul Ryan on his proposal to restructure Medicare: "They're not suggesting Paul Ryan is literally pushing granny off a cliff but trying to make a policy point," he said. "We're trying to make a policy point that Obamacare is creepy and invasive. It's obvious satire." [24]

Funding

In 2013, Politico reported that Generation Opportunity had received a $5 million grant from Freedom Partners, a group of about 200 donors that is associated with Charles and David Koch. [25] [26] [27]

See also

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References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑ Faraci, Matthew (March 14, 2012). "Gas Prices Are Too Damn High". Generation Opportunity. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
  3. ↑ "Generation Opportunity" . Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  4. ↑ "Top 3 Things to Know About Young Voters and the 2012 Election - Generation Opportunity". Archived from the original on 2014-08-15. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  5. ↑ Pasch, David (July 5, 2013). "Millennial Jobs Report: Youth Unemployment at 16.1% in June". Generation Opportunity. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
  6. ↑ "Millennial Jobs Report: Youth Unemployment Reaches 13.1 Percent as U.S. Economy Shrinks". GlobeNewswire. February 4, 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
  7. ↑ Schleifer, Theodore (September 1, 2015). "First on CNN: Koch operative leaves group amid tumult". CNN. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  8. ↑ "2016 STATE OF THE MILLENNIAL REPORT" (PDF).
  9. ↑ MANJARRES, JAVIER. "Youth Unemployment Rate Hits 16.1%". The Shark Tank. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
  10. ↑ Kingkade, Tyler (February 6, 2013). "Millennial Unemployment In January 2013 Rose Much Faster Than National Rate". Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
  11. ↑ Nielsen, Allison (March 7, 2014). "Youth Unemployment Rate Still High in February". Sunshine State News. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
  12. ↑ Bader, Emily (March 7, 2014). "U.S. youth Unemployment Still High". NJ Biz.
  13. ↑ "NCGA Committee Delays Occupational Licensing Reforms". www.carolinajournal.com. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  14. ↑ "Critics Are Wrong about the Sharing Economy and This Is Why". Generation Opportunity. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  15. ↑ "Many Young People Are Trapped in a Cycle of Poverty, Crime, and Prison". Generation Opportunity. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
  16. ↑ Moody, Chris (September 19, 2013). "Creepy Obamacare ad hits college campuses and your nightmares". Yahoo News. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  17. 1 2 Reston, Maeve (September 20, 2013). "Obama looks to Hollywood to help promote his healthcare law". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
  18. 1 2 Leary, Alex. "Opt out of Obamacare is conservative group's message to young people". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  19. ↑ Goodnough, Abby (September 19, 2013). "'Creepy Uncle Sam' Is Anti-Health Care Law Mascot". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
  20. ↑ "Opt Out - The Exam - Creepy Uncle Sam". Youtube. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  21. ↑ Reston, Maeve (21 September 2013). "Obama looks to Hollywood to help promote his healthcare law". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 27 November 2016.
  22. ↑ Pickert, Kate (Sep 19, 2013). "Spread Your Legs for Uncle Sam". Time US. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
  23. ↑ "Halloween Horror 2013 - Get The Door, Chad - Creepy Uncle Sam". YouTube .
  24. ↑ Leary, Alex (October 12, 2013). "Opt out of Obamacare is conservative group's message to young people". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  25. ↑ Allen, Mike (September 9, 2013). "Exclusive: The Koch Brothers' secret bank" . Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  26. ↑ Mak, Tim (October 25, 2013). "Generation Opportunity to lobby Hill on behalf of Millennials" . Retrieved April 10, 2014.
  27. ↑ Stolberg, Sheryl (October 5, 2013). "A Federal Budget Crisis Months in the Planning". New York Times. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
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