In one potential sign of shifting attitudes, respondents, by overwhelming margins, said they believed that the nation was prepared to elect as president a woman, a black person or someone who admitted to having used marijuana. But they said that they did not believe Americans would elect someone who had used cocaine or someone who was a Mormon.

On that last one, I think the question should have been whether they would vote for someone who had used cocaine as opposed to their view of the user's electability, so I'm not counting it as a negative.

They also believe, as do I, that if we get a draft back, it will be the doings of Republicans.

The survey also found that 42 percent of young Americans thought it was likely or very likely that the nation would reinstate a military draft over the next few years — and two-thirds said they thought the Republican Party was more likely to do so. And 87 percent of respondents said they opposed a draft.

Back in 2002, when guest-blogging for Eric Alterman at the old Altercation, I wrote about the 2004 election (link now dead):

I think the Democrats must begin moving left and get out of center field. They have to show there is a real difference between the two parties. To make any headway in 2004, they must convince us that they care about individual liberties and privacy. If the Democrats don’t present the voters with a real choice next time, we may as well be a one party system.

Of course, no one agreed with me and we got another bumper crop of centrists that year. It may not change in 2008, but I hope it's headed that way.

If it's true that kids get their politics from their parents (I know that's how I got mine and how the TL kid got his) then maybe it's a broader trend than just the young. Maybe their parents are also leaning left. One can hope, anyway.