There’s big trouble in the midterm elections for Democrats (and for U.S. Rep. Betsy Markey, D-Colo., in particular) reflected in this New York Times report, “Fewer Young Voters See Themselves as Democrats.”

“Many students here, especially seniors nearing graduation, said that worries about the economy, and about getting a job after graduation, had filtered through the campus, dampening enthusiasm for Democrats in Congress and Mr. Obama,” reads part of the report, written by Kirk Johnson and datelined Fort Collins.

It was Oct. 26, 2008, that then-presidential candidate Barack Obama and Markey – on the verge of winning her seat representing Colorado’s 4th Congressional District – appeared at a rally at Colorado State University that reportedly drew 45,000 people.

Think back to that time and how much was promised under the banner of “Change.”

“CSU is already leading by example by preparing students for jobs in a new green economy,” said Markey at the rally, according to this video at the 2:05 mark. “Change is not just a word this year. It’s an anthem.”

The national unemployment rate then was 6.5%, the highest in 14 years. Today’s report pegs it at 9.6%.

“This year, the share of young people [16-to-24 years old] who were employed in July was 48.9 percent, the lowest July rate on record for the series, which began in 1948,” reported the Bureau of Labor Statistics last week.

Look at this video of people waiting for Change on that day in Fort Collins in 2008 and wonder who among them is now standing in the unemployment line?