Generation Opportunity
{{Short description|Former American political advocacy organization}}
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| formation = 2010
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| headquarters = Arlington, Virginia
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| methods = Activism, policy advocacy
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| website = {{URL|https://generationopportunity.org/}}
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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.
- David Weigel, [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/on-campus-trump-loses-young-republicans--but-gains-a-flock/2016/10/25/48e874f6-970c-11e6-bc79-af1cd3d2984b_story.html 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, [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/01/us/politics/koch-brothers-plan-more-political-involvement-for-their-conservative-network.html 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, [https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/a-federal-budget-crisis-months-in-the-planning.html 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, [https://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/cutting-the-heart-out-of-health-reform/?ref=healthcarereform 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, [https://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/23/sabotaging-health-care-one-lie-at-a-time/ Sabotaging Health Care], New York Times (September 23, 2013): "A Koch-brothers funded conservative group, Generation Opportunity..."
- Lucia Graves, [https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/09/right-wing-ad-equates-obamacare-and-rape/439992/ 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..." The group had campaigned against the Affordable Care Act.
History
Founded in 2010, Generation Opportunity initially focused on a variety of issues including taxes, high gas prices, and broader economic issues.{{cite web|last=Faraci|first=Matthew|date=March 14, 2012|title=Gas Prices Are Too Damn High|url=http://generationopportunity.org/press/with-gas-prices-topping-four-dollars-400000-young-americans/#axzz2ifTBE0Wk|publisher=Generation Opportunity|accessdate=27 February 2014}}{{cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/company/generation-opportunity|title=Generation Opportunity|publisher=|accessdate=27 November 2016}}{{cite web|url=http://generationopportunity.org/press/top-3-things-to-know-about-young-voters-and-the-2012-election/ |title=Top 3 Things to Know About Young Voters and the 2012 Election - Generation Opportunity |access-date=2014-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140815085545/http://generationopportunity.org/press/top-3-things-to-know-about-young-voters-and-the-2012-election/ |archive-date=2014-08-15 }} 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.{{cite web|last=Pasch|first=David|date=July 5, 2013|title=Millennial Jobs Report: Youth Unemployment at 16.1% in June|url=http://generationopportunity.org/press/millennial-jobs-report-youth-unemployment-at-16-1-in-june/#axzz2ifTBE0Wk|publisher=Generation Opportunity|accessdate=24 February 2014}} In September 2013, Generation Opportunity launched a campaign called "Opt Out of Obamacare".{{cite news|date=February 4, 2013|title=Millennial Jobs Report: Youth Unemployment Reaches 13.1 Percent as U.S. Economy Shrinks|url=https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2013/02/04/520657/10020458/en/Millennial-Jobs-Report-Youth-Unemployment-Reaches-13-1-Percent-as-U-S-Economy-Shrinks.html?parent=503314|publisher=GlobeNewswire|accessdate=7 March 2014}} Evan Feinberg headed the organization from 2013 through 2015.{{cite news|last1=Schleifer|first1=Theodore|title=First on CNN: Koch operative leaves group amid tumult|url=https://www.cnn.com/2015/09/01/politics/koch-brothers-evan-feinberg-generation-opportunity/|accessdate=15 September 2015|publisher=CNN|date=September 1, 2015}} 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 {{cite web|url=https://generationopportunity.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/State_of_the_Millennial_2016.pdf|title=2016 STATE OF THE MILLENNIAL REPORT|last=|first=|date=|website=|publisher=|access-date=}}
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.{{cite web|last=MANJARRES|first=JAVIER|title=Youth Unemployment Rate Hits 16.1% |url=http://shark-tank.net/2013/07/05/youth-unemployment-rate-hits-16-1/|publisher=The Shark Tank|accessdate=30 October 2013}}{{cite news|last=Kingkade|first=Tyler|date=February 6, 2013|title= Millennial Unemployment In January 2013 Rose Much Faster Than National Rate|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/06/millennial-unemployment-rate-january_n_2612956.html|work=Huffington Post|accessdate=15 March 2014}}{{cite news|last=Nielsen|first=Allison|date=March 7, 2014|title=Youth Unemployment Rate Still High in February |url=http://www.sunshinestatenews.com/blog/youth-unemployment-rate-nearly-16-percent|work=Sunshine State News|accessdate=17 March 2014}}{{cite news|last=Bader|first=Emily|date=March 7, 2014|title=U.S. youth Unemployment Still High|url=http://www.njbiz.com/article/20140307/NJBIZ01/140309853/US-youth-unemployment-rate-still-high|work=NJ Biz}} Generation Opportunity advocated for removing barriers to youth employment such as occupational licenses and regulations harmful to the sharing economy.{{cite web|url=https://www.carolinajournal.com/news-article/ncga-committee-delays-occupational-licensing-reforms/|title=NCGA Committee Delays Occupational Licensing Reforms|website=www.carolinajournal.com|date=7 April 2016 |access-date=2016-04-07}}{{cite web|url=https://generationopportunity.org/articles/2015/07/14/critics-are-wrong-about-the-sharing-economy-and-this-is-why/|title=Critics Are Wrong about the Sharing Economy and This Is Why|website=Generation Opportunity|language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-07}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://generationopportunity.org/articles/2015/09/24/many-young-people-are-trapped-in-a-cycle-of-poverty-crime-and-prison/|title=Many Young People Are Trapped in a Cycle of Poverty, Crime, and Prison|website=Generation Opportunity|language=en-US|access-date=2016-04-07}}
=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.{{cite news|last=Moody|date=September 19, 2013|first=Chris|title=Creepy Obamacare ad hits college campuses and your nightmares|url=https://news.yahoo.com/obamacare-battle-moves-to-college-campuses-200027191.html|publisher=Yahoo News|accessdate=3 December 2013}} 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.{{cite news|last=Reston|date=September 20, 2013|first=Maeve|title=Obama looks to Hollywood to help promote his healthcare law|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-obamacare-hollywood-20130921,0,4645146.story#axzz2ieFZ4fnW|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|accessdate=24 January 2014}} The organization stated that its goal was to inform millennials of options outside of the Affordable Care Act, and to raise awareness of the cost of the Act for younger generations.{{cite news|last=Goodnough|first=Abby|date=September 19, 2013|title='Creepy Uncle Sam' Is Anti-Health Care Law Mascot|url=http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/09/19/creepy-uncle-sam-is-anti-health-care-law-mascot/?_r=0|newspaper=The New York Times|accessdate=16 March 2014}}
On September 18, 2013 it released a video advertisement named "Opt Out - The Exam - Creepy Uncle Sam".{{cite web|title=Opt Out - The Exam - Creepy Uncle Sam|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7cRsfW0Jv8|work=Youtube|accessdate=21 October 2013}} The video received over 600,000 views within its first 36 hours,{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/la-na-obamacare-hollywood-20130921-story.html|title=Obama looks to Hollywood to help promote his healthcare law|first=Maeve|last=Reston|website=Los Angeles Times |date=21 September 2013 |publisher=|accessdate=27 November 2016}} 3.5 million views within its first week, and drew a response from President Obama during a speech in Maryland.{{cite web|last=Leary|first=Alex|title=Opt out of Obamacare is conservative group's message to young people|url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/conservative-groups-message-to-young-people-opt-out-of-obamacare/2146905/|newspaper=Tampa Bay Times|access-date=24 October 2013}} The video featured "Uncle Sam" intruding between the legs of a female patient during a gynecological exam.{{cite news|last=Pickert|first=Kate|date=Sep 19, 2013|title=Spread Your Legs for Uncle Sam|url=https://nation.time.com/2013/09/19/spread-your-legs-for-uncle-sam/|publisher=Time US|access-date=21 October 2013}} A third "Creepy Uncle Sam" video was released on October 25, receiving 300,000 views in 3 days.{{cite web|title=Halloween Horror 2013 - Get The Door, Chad - Creepy Uncle Sam| website=YouTube |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fQvfwW5zflY}}
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."{{cite news|last=Leary|first=Alex|date=October 12, 2013|title=Opt out of Obamacare is conservative group's message to young people|url=https://www.tampabay.com/news/health/conservative-groups-message-to-young-people-opt-out-of-obamacare/2146905/|newspaper=Tampa Bay Times|access-date=24 October 2013}}
= 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.{{cite news|last=Allen|first=Mike|date=September 9, 2013|title=Exclusive: The Koch Brothers' secret bank|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2013/09/behind-the-curtain-exclusive-the-koch-brothers-secret-bank-96669.html|access-date=April 10, 2014}}{{cite news|last=Mak|first=Tim|date=October 25, 2013|title=Generation Opportunity to lobby Hill on behalf of Millennials|url=https://washingtonexaminer.com/generation-opportunity-to-lobby-hill-on-behalf-of-millennials/article/2537573| accessdate=April 10, 2014}}{{cite news|last=Stolberg|first=Sheryl|date=October 5, 2013|title=A Federal Budget Crisis Months in the Planning|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/06/us/a-federal-budget-crisis-months-in-the-planning.html|newspaper=New York Times|accessdate=21 October 2013}}
See also
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Generation Opportunity}}
Category:Libertarian organizations based in the United States
Category:Political organizations established in 2010
Category:2010 establishments in Virginia