Politicians Who Rock (The Vote)

Bill Clinton Gets Lifetime Achievement Award From Youth Voter Group

(CBS)  Former Congressman Jack Kemp, R-N.Y., and former Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe, the event's co-charis, portrayed a comic bipartisan camaraderie, underscoring their shared goal of registering young voters.

"There are far more things that unite us than divide us," said Kemp.

Unlike his elders, the 43-year-old Obama, who also received a Rock the Nation Award, didn't need a comedy routine. He got a standing ovation both before and after his speech.

"I don't know anybody who achieves significance unless they hitch their wagon onto something larger than themselves," said the senator.

Not everyone felt so inspired by the occasion. A group of protesters supporting Social Security privatization was asked to move down the street by policemen before the red carpet portion of the event began. The majority of the protesters were around the same age as Rock the Vote's target audience.

The protesters were not happy about Rock the Vote's anti-privatization stance, which the organization advertised through an abundance of stylish "I Love Social Security" posters outside and inside the museum.

According to Ben Wetmore, a protester dressed as Bill Clinton in a suit and a mask, the group hoped to offer a different viewpoint on Social Security than what he said was Rock the Vote's advocacy for preserving a failed system.

But if Rock the Vote's true objective was to motivate America's youth to become more politically active, the protesters were just another example of pop culture influencing the younger generation to do just that.