Simply put, the youth aren't as gullible as the older generation. The old guard is clinging to a party that is no longer the same party they grew up with. The GOP of the past stood for small government, capitalism, & solid respect for the Constitution. I believe the youth have less to cling to.

Let's face it, what has the youth (18-29 year olds) experienced from the GOP? As much as I want to defend Reagan to death, he still oversaw massive government growth & deficit spending. He also had a laser focus on the drug war, which is something that youths understand as expensive and intrusive. Even the youths against legalization will admit that despite the government's best efforts, drugs are still easy to access, and the war on drugs is largely a war that is unwinnable.

After Reagan was Bush Sr, who is essentially remembered for dragging us into an expensive 20+ year military engagement in the Middle East, and more importantly, raising taxes after vehemently saying he wouldn't.

Then we had the largely forgettable Bob Dole, who I'm sure many just remember as dull.

Then you have W, who is considered one of the worst Presidents in US history. And that's not just for ticky tacky stuff. We were told W was a fiscal conservative. He cut taxes, but all while running a deficit. He launched a War on Terror that turned out to be a war on something else. He is responsible for mounting the largest growth in debt ever, second only to Obama. W grew the scope of government exponentially with items like the Patriot Act. Oh, and he also bailed out the banks.

Then the GOP gave us John McCain - someone who would continue Bush's foreign policy efforts, continue to spend more money we don't have, and someone who disgraced defenders of the Second Amendment.

Now the GOP gives us Romney, Gingrich, and Santorum - guys who have no track record and frankly have no trust in cutting spending, reducing regulations, advocating for personal liberty, stopping foreign wars & aid, and more importantly, have not shown anyone that they are incapable of being bought & sold.

On top of all this, it's time to face the facts. This country is getting less and less religious. Sure atheists are a big minority, but more relevant is the fact that agnosticism and secularism is growing. Young people understand that this country is diverse and are tolerant enough to say "To each his own." Most young people aren't threatened by minorities, forgeigners, gays, & others' religions. Thus the social agenda of neoconservatives sends young people running.

So maybe the youth support for Ron Paul is simply because there's no one else left to support when Barack Obama has shown that he is just as corrupt as the rest, and that his eloquent speeches are merely just words that carry no meaning. Or maybe Ron Paul has struck a chord in the youths who say they've been around for a short time, but they've already seen enough of what the old guard has to offer. Sure they may not believe in every little thing Dr. Paul says, but more importantly, they trust his word, they agree with the principles, and they recognize that the mainstream brought us into this current mess, and it's going to take something radically different to pull us out.