Who's Rocking The Youth Vote For 2008?

An Old Concept Is Still Elusive For Candidates

(CBS)  “I care about your future,” Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., said.

Former Sen. John Edwards classified young people this way: “Young voters are looking for a cause.”

“Change starts from the bottom up,” said Sen. Barak Obama, D-Ill.

CBS News anchor Katie Couric asks: Who will Rock the Vote this year?

“It's difficult to move younger voters to the polls,” said CBS News director of surveys Kathy Frankovic.

But young voters say they are so over that, because of a day that transformed their generation.

“I feel like that conventional wisdom has just been obliterated because of 9/11, because of the war,” Gideon Yago, a former MTV contributor, said.

And young people cite their concerns as such: "healthcare," "social security," "alternative energy" and "the war."

It was a different war, Vietnam, that pushed record numbers of young people to the polls in 1972.

“Your first vote was one of the best votes you ever cast in your life,” said then-President Richard Nixon.

The voting age was lowered to 18, and President Nixon took advantage of this new bloc, wooing some of them with pretty volunteers known as Nixonettes.

But in elections since, turnout among young voters has been largely disappointing. In fact, many don't even take the first step.

“They aren't even eligible in the sense of being registered to go to the polls, many of them,” Frankovic said.

In Iowa, home of the first presidential contest, only 76 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds are registered to vote, versus 93 percent of those older than 65.

But it's not for lack of trying. It sometimes seems there are more youth outreach efforts than young voters.

Web sites and text messages now reach out to that demographic with the technology they know and love. Candidates visit MySpace/MTV forums and answer questions as they're asked.

Then there are those candid campaign moments captured on YouTube.

Those of us on TV have had to adapt as well - real newscasts, like this one, are supplemented by fake newscasts that and razz and embarrass politicians.

Are they engaging young voters or is this brand of media mocking the message?

“There’s always a worry that somebody watches the headlines and they laugh it off, it kind of diffuses the desire to go out and do something about it,” Yago said.

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The calendar could also stand in the way of young people turning out.

This year, the Iowa caucuses are on January 3, when many college kids will be on break. And the convoluted rules the Democrats require make the process even more brutal than the weather.

“It's easy on the Republican side: you just cast a straw vote,” Frankovic said. “On the democratic side you actually have to talk to people and publicly declare your support for a candidate.”

Every candidate wants young voters but Obama needs them. In Iowa, 40 percent of his support comes from people younger than 35. And his campaign is counting on their votes.

But if history is any guide, the most enthusiastic young people may not brave the caucuses - even if they're crazy for a candidate.

[vgigoux]

So, I am watching this story on the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric tonight, and before Katie even gets into the "meat" of her story I notice that EVERY clip of a campaigning candidate is of a Democrat. It bothered me ALOT. The first Republican not shown in a blurry group photo is of Nixon. The ONLY GOP Candidate to get any "air time" was John McCain, on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart. I am not a party line voter by any means, but I am certainly disappointed in this very unbalanced opportunity to persuade Young Voters towards the Democrat Vote. Iguess it is apparently very obvious how "unbiased" (ha ha) the media truly is!

[hip323773]

what a shame Barack raps hope and and ethics, while throwing mud since the last 3 months, breaking PAC rules, preaching no lobbyist funding while taking money from lobbyist during senate campaigns...offering money to early primary state campaigns...looking up old clinton videos to attack hillary while preaching to steer away from old politics.....WHAT A PHONY.....NOT WHAT AMERICA NEEDS COS ITS BEGINING TO SOUND TO ME LIKE A ONE-TIME TEXAS GOV. that promised change in washington but turned out to be the biggest Joke of all time....What the country needs is a tested group of smart people that will fight for America as always..

[antoniof123]

If you don''t like the news turn it off or go to the station who owners said if I don''t like the news I just buy the paper. Faux news bringing what you want to hear no regards to the facts.

[mudrose-2009]

Hey pretty soon we would have a youth vote. The boomers are aging, abortion has wiped out millions of the unborn, this generation of students has been taught to hate its country. They are from the feely, touchy school of thought. They haven''t a clue what critical thinking is all about. They believe in Darwinism so that if someone greater than them wipes them out, so be it. They are worse than the boomers and will be sure to become the next elites. Only thing is since there will be so many old agers to handle with so few to care for them, they will not worry about abortion as much as consider euthanasia. Nice group of children too. If they don''t vote, whoever is up there can become a dictator. Why, not, who cares anyway.

[mudrose-2009]

USAyesterday,
What a POS your are!

F a draft.
Our youth do not belong in unjust wars like Iraq you stinkin neocon.
You can stay alive by listening to an iPod.
Posted by jh6379

If we ever have a draft do us a favor and run off to Venezuela so you can listen to your iPod. In fact, why don''t you grab your iPod and do it now. So you can stay alive.

[starleo146]

quitcher whining vgigoux
If you ever watch "Face the Nation" on CBS Sunday morning it is always a republican being interviewed.
This website almost always has a column from the NRO or weakly Slander.....for comic relief, mostly.
Try posting your opinion on fuxed news.
I tried to post an opinion on O''''Rielly''''s site and I got some kind of computer jam in return.

Posted by ainttaken at 10:02 PM : Dec 03, 2007

I think John Mc Cain and Sheifer have a durn love affair he has lifted McCain when he didn''t have a dime, he is on every durn Sunday, and Faux Nooz, FORGET ABOUT IT I JUST AS SOON WATCH THE ZOO CHANNEL

[mudrose-2009]

I think John Mc Cain and Sheifer have a durn love affair he has lifted McCain when he didn''''t have a dime, he is on every durn Sunday, and Faux Nooz, FORGET ABOUT IT I JUST AS SOON WATCH THE ZOO CHANNEL
Posted by starleo14672

I think you should watch the Zoo Channel. I''m sure you''ll see a lot of your relatives.

[prinzowhales]

The only interest the mainstream Democrats have in "youth" is to draft them to continue Bush''s Hundred Years War for resources.

They refused to investigate 9-11 because of they creep and crawl at the feet of AIPAC and the International Banks. Former President Corriga of Italy has come out and said point blank that the CIA and Mossad ran the false-flag operation against the US on 9-11-2001 in order to justify the invasions of AFghanistan and Iraq. THIS IS THE HOT NEWS OF THE DAY! -- The ''youth'' are being murdered and maimed in a war drummed up by the Oligarchy for Oil, Israel and Opium!

http://www.infowars.com/articles/sept11/cossiga_ex_italian_pres_intel_agencies_know_911_inside_job.htm

President Corriga, when he ran Italian intelligence, revealed the existence of OPERATION GLADIO, in which CIA assets attacked targets--like the Bologna terminal in which dozens were murdered--to discredit the Left.

The Democratic Mainstream are complicit in this attack on America by failing to investigate and toeing the party line of the attack being the work of Afghani cave men...Just as they failed to do due dilligence on the obvious lies that passed through the Senate Intelligence Committee and full Senate to justify an attack on Iraq.

[von_marko]

RE "Rock the Vote" I simply don''t understand why teenage girls and terrorist both want democrats to run the USA. I am 37 y.o. white male. Do I have a genetic defect that prevents me from the high level of enlightenment that Osama and teenagers have? It''s not to late for me to seek professional help, please show me the error in my thought processes

[wgaryjohnson]

The candidate who is actually drawing young voters is Texas Congressman Ron Paul. Who else has people writing songs like this about him?
http://video.google.com/url?docid=7126603792078037519&esrc=gvre&ev=v&len=139&q=the%2Bviolets%2C%2Bron%2Bpaul&srcurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DYubIY_nDYg8&vidurl=%2Fvideoplay%3Fdocid%3D7126603792078037519&usg=AL29H22LWu--UtAs6rl2IZDU27fTDJ2o-w