By Paul S. Gardiner

Most Americans probably do not realize that the Millennial generation (ages 20 to 35 as of 2016) soon will become America’s largest living adult generation approaching 73 million potential voters in 2019. Further, a recent poll indicates that nearly half of all Millennial Democrats (48%) identify as democratic socialists or socialists.

What does the above information foretell for American conservatives and other citizens who treasure their 230-year-old constitutional republic? What does it mean for Americans’ right to private property, free markets, limited government, and other principles enshrined in the Constitution and subsequent amendments?

One obvious observation is that members of the Millennial generation need to be rigorously pursued to make them supporters, hopefully advocates, for conservative causes and political candidates. How to do this along with thoughts on ways to safeguard America’s constitutional republic are discussed below. But first, the following future scenario for the year 2025 is offered below (the six action items listed herein also pertain to the upcoming 2020 elections).

It is January 2025, and Donald Trump has successfully served two terms as America’s chief executive. A new president and administration have assumed power over the executive branch. With the help of a large majority of Millennial voters, the Democrat Party has been successful in having its candidates elected president and vice president of the United States. The new president promises to carry out the many spoken (and unspoken) items contained in the Democrat Party platform.

Recently, some of the likely Democrat Party agenda items have been identified and heartily endorsed by many announced Democrat contenders for the 2020 presidential race. These items are highly favored by the growing and highly influential far-left, radical Millennial component of the Democrat Party that views America as a country that (1) is overtly racist; (2) was unjustly founded by and is illegitimately governed by “old white men”; (3) continues to take unjust advantage of all other countries; and (4) has an out-of-date Constitution that is no longer relevant.

Some of the more egregious and unacceptable potential Democrat Party platform items, spoken or unspoken, include the following: (1) eliminate the Electoral College; (2) maintain open borders to the United States; (3) implement Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s socialist “Green New Deal”; and (4) provide illegal aliens with free education, free medical care, and other taxpayer-provided benefits.

Americans who treasure their 230-year-old form of democratic government seriously need to take note of all the above and earnestly strategize and implement effective countermeasures to safeguard America’s uniquely successful constitutional republic.

Here are six strategies to better enable conservative candidates to win high political office and also protect America’s constitutional republic. Substantial funding is required, needless to say, to accomplish each of these items.

(1) Develop and present highly effective outreach and educational programs, including short five-minute videos, that refute and debunk the socialist teachings and biases of leftist and leftist-leaning college professors and other influential instructors and politicians. Provide funding for these programs and videos to be frequently published and presented not only on college campuses but also in cities across the United States where the great preponderance of Millennials reside and work.

(2) Enable personal testimonies to be frequently given by survivors of socialist governments attesting to the harmful effects of socialism and loss of individual freedom experienced in these societies. Make these presentations on college campuses and in areas where the great preponderance of Millennials reside and work.

(3) Develop and implement a comprehensive nationwide strategy to accomplish items 1 and 2 above.

(4) Provide adequate funding and other support for conservative political candidates in all 50 states running for the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate. The same can be said, of course, for conservative candidates for the offices of president and vice president of the United States.

(5) Strongly support the appointment of conservative judges at all levels of the federal judiciary.

(6) Earnestly seek limitations on and reductions in the size, operations, and authority of the federal government so as to substantially decrease its power should a socialist or socialist-leaning cadre of politicians ever gain control of the executive branch of the federal government.

Freedom-loving Americans must never idly stand by and watch leftist or leftist-leaning politicians and organizations ruin what America’s Founders so wisely debated and ultimately created: the American constitutional republic. As Albert Einstein famously once stated, “The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure.”

Paul S. Gardiner is a retired Army officer, Vietnam veteran, and avid lover of America. He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Alabama, and the Army War College. He and his wife of 50 years, Karen, reside in Hoschton, Georgia.