Generation Opportunity
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| Formation | 2010 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Arlington, Virginia |
| Methods | Activism, policy advocacy |
| Website | generationopportunity |
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.
History
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]Youth unemployment
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]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
[edit | edit source]References
[edit | edit source]- ^
- 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..."
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