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.
| Formation | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Arlington, Virginia |
| Methods | Activism, policy advocacy |
| Website | generationopportunity |
History
editFounded 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
editYouth unemployment
editOn 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
editGeneration 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
editWhen 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
editIn 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
editReferences
edit- ^
- David Weigel, On campus, Trump loses young Republicans — but gains a flock, Washington Post (October 25, 2016): "Generation Opportunity, a millennial-focused offshoot of the Koch donor network..."
- Nicholas Confessore, Koch Brothers Plan More Political Involvement for Their Conservative Network, New York Times (April 30, 2013): "Generation Opportunity, a Koch-financed group focusing on young voters."
- Sheryl Gay Stolberg & Mike McIntire, A Federal Budget Crisis Months in the Planning, New York Times (October 5, 2013): "Some, like Generation Opportunity and Young Americans for Liberty, both aimed at young adults, are upstarts."
- Andrew Rosenthal, Cutting the Heart Out of Health Reform, New York Times (November 15, 2013): "Take the insurance that the right-wing group Generation Opportunity was hawking last month."
- Juliet Lapidos, Sabotaging Health Care, New York Times (September 23, 2013): "A Koch-brothers funded conservative group, Generation Opportunity..."
- Lucia Graves, Right-Wing Ad Equates Obamacare and Rape, New York Times (September 19, 2013): Generation Opportunity, a coalition of right-leaning groups with ties to the Koch brothers..."
- ^ Faraci, Matthew (March 14, 2012). "Gas Prices Are Too Damn High". Generation Opportunity. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ "Generation Opportunity". Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ "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.
- ^ Pasch, David (July 5, 2013). "Millennial Jobs Report: Youth Unemployment at 16.1% in June". Generation Opportunity. Retrieved 24 February 2014.
- ^ "Millennial Jobs Report: Youth Unemployment Reaches 13.1 Percent as U.S. Economy Shrinks". GlobeNewswire. February 4, 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2014.
- ^ Schleifer, Theodore (September 1, 2015). "First on CNN: Koch operative leaves group amid tumult". CNN. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- ^ "2016 STATE OF THE MILLENNIAL REPORT" (PDF).
- ^ MANJARRES, JAVIER. "Youth Unemployment Rate Hits 16.1%". The Shark Tank. Retrieved 30 October 2013.
- ^ Kingkade, Tyler (February 6, 2013). "Millennial Unemployment In January 2013 Rose Much Faster Than National Rate". Huffington Post. Retrieved 15 March 2014.
- ^ Nielsen, Allison (March 7, 2014). "Youth Unemployment Rate Still High in February". Sunshine State News. Retrieved 17 March 2014.
- ^ Bader, Emily (March 7, 2014). "U.S. youth Unemployment Still High". NJ Biz.
- ^ "NCGA Committee Delays Occupational Licensing Reforms". www.carolinajournal.com. 7 April 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
- ^ "Critics Are Wrong about the Sharing Economy and This Is Why". Generation Opportunity. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
- ^ "Many Young People Are Trapped in a Cycle of Poverty, Crime, and Prison". Generation Opportunity. Retrieved 2016-04-07.
- ^ Moody, Chris (September 19, 2013). "Creepy Obamacare ad hits college campuses and your nightmares". Yahoo News. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
- ^ a b Reston, Maeve (September 20, 2013). "Obama looks to Hollywood to help promote his healthcare law". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 24 January 2014.
- ^ a b Leary, Alex. "Opt out of Obamacare is conservative group's message to young people". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ^ Goodnough, Abby (September 19, 2013). "'Creepy Uncle Sam' Is Anti-Health Care Law Mascot". The New York Times. Retrieved 16 March 2014.
- ^ "Opt Out - The Exam - Creepy Uncle Sam". Youtube. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ^ Reston, Maeve (21 September 2013). "Obama looks to Hollywood to help promote his healthcare law". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 27 November 2016.
- ^ Pickert, Kate (Sep 19, 2013). "Spread Your Legs for Uncle Sam". Time US. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
- ^ "Halloween Horror 2013 - Get The Door, Chad - Creepy Uncle Sam". YouTube.
- ^ Leary, Alex (October 12, 2013). "Opt out of Obamacare is conservative group's message to young people". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
- ^ Allen, Mike (September 9, 2013). "Exclusive: The Koch Brothers' secret bank". Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ Mak, Tim (October 25, 2013). "Generation Opportunity to lobby Hill on behalf of Millennials". Retrieved April 10, 2014.
- ^ Stolberg, Sheryl (October 5, 2013). "A Federal Budget Crisis Months in the Planning". New York Times. Retrieved 21 October 2013.