Young Voters Tiring of Hopenchange

This is probably why Obama is already kicking off his 2012 campaign. He might need a little extra time convincing the young skulls full of mush who are abandoning him in droves.

Barack Obama wasn't banking on this kind of change when he rode to victory on a wave of young voters' support.

Gridlock in Washington and an escalating war in Afghanistan are behind waning support among 18 - 29-year-olds for the Democratic Party, a new poll reveals.

The demographic backed Obama's bid for the White House by 2-1 in 2008.

Support among youth for the Democratic Party has dwindled to 54 percent as of December, compared with 62 percent identifying as Democrats in 2008, according to the Pew Research Center study released Wednesday.

Youth identifying as Republicans increased from 30 percent to 40 percent in the same time period.

"This is a generation of young adults who made a big splash politically in 2008," Paul Taylor, executive vice president of the Pew Research Center and co-author of the report, told the Associated Press. "But a year and a half later, they show signs of disillusionment with the president – and, perhaps, with politics itself."

48 percent of respondents said Obama had failed to bring change to D.C. 46 percent said he had.

One silver lining for Obama in the study? Youth might find the president ineffectual -- but they don't think it's all his fault.

50 percent of the youth polled blame Obama's foes and the power of special interests for the logjam in Washington. Only 30 percent said Obama isn't trying hard enough.

Translation: Obama will never admit he's in over his head and will simply blame the evil Republicans for his miserable failures.

The results show many in the age brackets aren't affiliated with either party, but Obama should take little consolation there since independents have abandoned him in droves and will likely help pave the way for the GOP to regain Congress and possibly the Senate come November.