Democrats just got another blow to their "great blue wave" narrative: Millennials are no longer liking them.

They've lost nine points' worth of approval among Millennials over the last two years, according to Ipsos/Reuters, and now less than half of them (46%) have any enthusiasm for Democrats, according to a very big 16,000-person online poll of members of the demographic group.

Here is what Reuters reported:

MANCHESTER, N.H. (Reuters) – Enthusiasm for the Democratic Party is waning among millennials as its candidates head into the crucial midterm congressional elections, according to the Reuters/Ipsos national opinion poll.

The online survey of more than 16,000 registered voters ages 18 to 34 shows their support for Democrats over Republicans for Congress slipped by about 9 percentage points over the past two years, to 46 percent overall.  And they increasingly say the Republican Party is a better steward of the economy.

You don't expect Reuters to get to the quick of what is going on, but this time it did, through a well chosen interview:

Terry Hood, 34, an African-American who works at a Dollar General store in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and took this year's poll, said he voted for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election.

But he will consider a Republican for Congress because he believes the party is making it easier to find jobs and he applauds the recent Republican-led tax cut.

"It sounds strange to me to say this about the Republicans, but they're helping with even the small things," Hood said in a phone interview.  "They're taking less taxes out of my paycheck.  I notice that."

It's about jobs, having a job, having a place in the world, which Democrats in their long twelve years in power never thought was important.  And auxiliary to that, it's about having a paycheck worth having for all the hard work they do.  The man interviewed by Reuters noticed the higher paycheck and decided Republicans were the ones on his side, things were getting better, his youthful energies could be put to use, he'd have his choice of jobs instead of another government "program" and the future suddenly looked bright.  Up until now, Democrats promoted a "mom's basement" plan of life for Millennials as their academic allies preached lumpen, leaden socialism – never mind that Venezuela provided a cautionary lesson against it.  It's significant that the man interviewed was a black man – if he has this point of view, you can bet he's not the only one, not with Kanye West speaking out right about now and terrifying the Democrats.

So yes, the brighter ones are re-considering the party that offers nothing but hardship to them, along with delayed marriages, delayed home-buying, and delayed families, all the result of Democratic Party programming that favors the establishment over the new entrants.  Democrats offer a pie in the sky vision for Millennials.  Republicans offer something they can put in their pocket.

Reuters points out that the news is bad news for Democrats because they've counted on Millennials as a key element of their political base, meaning, one they take for granted.  Democrats have paid lip service to Millennials, coming out for millennial-friendly issues, such as pot legalization, they've run youthful candidates to appeal to the younger voters, and they've encouraged protest and political correctness on campus.

But it's not working.  When you are offered a job and a big paycheck, why would you want other pro-offered rubbish?

Image credit: State Farm, via Flickr // Creative Commons SA 2.0.