Obama's Youth Movement

The Nation: Young Voters Flock To The Democratic Hopeful, But Can They Drive His Agenda?

(The Nation)  This column was written by Cora Currier.

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The youngest generation of American voters has chosen a candidate. Should Barack Obama be the Democratic nominee, his victory may well be the first in which the youth vote played a decisive role. So far, however, it is unclear whether Obama's success reflects his personal appeal or a more profound movement among young Americans.

Today's young voter has come of political age in the shadow of 9/11 and the lies and poisonous politics of the Bush Administration. Such an experience could have led to a deepening of cynicism and an increase in apathy, a turning away from politics entirely. Instead, the so-called millennial generation has responded with the reverse, bucking the trend of low turnout that has reigned since 1972, when 18-year-olds were given the right to vote. Participation has doubled and tripled in many contests, paralleling the spike in overall turnout and surpassing it in some states. Though he's done better among the college crowd, Obama has captured more than 50 percent of the vote of 18-to-29-year-olds in nearly every primary contest to date. Hillary Clinton bested him only in Arkansas, Florida (where no candidates campaigned), California and Massachusetts (by the slimmest of margins in the last two).

The key to Obama's appeal to young voters may be that he resembles them. In a New York Times essay contest on the state of American college students, Nicholas Handler labeled his generation "Post-Everything": "post-Cold War, post-industrial, post-baby boom, post-9/11." Obama himself is a collage of "posts." Time magazine recently observed that, like Tiger Woods and Angelina Jolie, Obama has "one of those faces that seem beamed from a postracial future." He has made a campaign theme out of being post-boomer, thus distancing himself from the generation Clinton represents. He also touts himself as a postpartisan leader, someone who "can get things done" outside the bickering of Washington Democrats and Republicans.

This all meshes well with the way young people view politics right now. According to opinion polls, they are less likely than older voters to be up in arms about gay marriage and abortion--perhaps because war, climate change and a plummeting economy appear to be more serious threats. The most telling sign that youth may be realigning political designations is the movement among young voters away from Democrat-Republican labels: a survey of 18-to-24-year-olds last fall found that 40 percent identified themselves as independents, and 37 percent said that the existing parties "do such a poor job that a major third party is needed." Obama's talk of "a new majority" fits nicely with these sentiments, as does the claim he made in a speech to Virginia Democrats on February 9 that he can "move beyond the divisive politics of Washington and bring Democrats, independents and, yes, Republicans who are disillusioned with our current course together to get things done."

Still, between the two parties, Democrats have an increasing edge over Republicans among young people: the Democrats' advantage among 18-to-30-year-olds surged from two percentage points in 2000 to thirty-one points in 2008. Of course, young voters were supposed to tip the presidential election for John Kerry in 2004, but their relatively disappointing turnout made many skeptical of a youth-fueled campaign. There are reasons to believe things will be different, however, if Obama is the nominee. He has targeted young people--particularly college-educated young people--from the outset of his run in a way Kerry never did. His organization on campuses is excellent, and he has tapped successfully into the power of social networking sites and the viral messaging of YouTube. And Obama has much more personal appeal than Kerry, drawing rock-star crowds and celebrity adoration.

The depth and substance of the Obama youth phenomenon, though, has yet to be tested. While the main things preoccupying young voters, like the rest of the nation, are Iraq, healthcare and the economy, top issues among youth also include climate change, the rising cost of education and action in Darfur (although young people are as vague as others about just what it is that effective "action" would entail). Obama has been a strong supporter of action in Darfur in the past, but--perhaps because of the complexities of intervention--it's fallen from prominence as the campaign gathers steam. On global warming, he's gotten little pressure over his support of biofuels, coal and nuclear energy. If young voters propel Obama to victory, they should in turn pressure him to address their priorities.

An Obama loss in the primary would test how much the surge in youth turnout is about the issues and how much it's just about Obama. Mike Connery, a youth activist and co-founder of the blog Future Majority, claimed recently, "Obama may be riding the youth wave, and he is certainly amplifying it, but in no way did he create it." Still, while Clinton has been working hard on improving her image among youth, it's unclear whether she can inspire the same turnout and impassioned campaigning.

Young voters have proven themselves to be a significant demographic, voting in greater numbers than even the much-courted senior citizens. But to amount to a movement, they must be willing to fight for their issues whether their candidate wins or loses.

[dgal878]

Todays youth are just as they''ve always been... uninvolved, uninformed, and uninterested. They''re followers, so they''ll vote the way their buddy is voting. Good luck with that America!

[notopennshut]

This is the world today - multi-racial and full of hope for a better future against all odds. In order to solve the many problems, we need a leader who can help us get there. The country has gone downwards, "ruled" over by the same old faces, same old ideas for the last decades. We need hope and new ideas and the one who has shown that he is capable is Obama. As Hillary use to say " it takes a village etc.....", yes, it takes a country to raise us up from the depths of where we are today, BUT we also need a capable leader and he is Obama.

[karutam]

Hillary is now changing her slogan to "solutions". Yes, it''s only a word. She has shown that she could not even solve her own problem with her campaign and campaign funds, having to make herself a loan. So tell us how can she solve all the other problems that the country is facing? You need to be in control of your own domain before you can even talk of helping others.

[denn034]

Obama''s a pot smoking rotten example to kids so, his appeal to them is a cause for concern.

[itchyb-2009]

"Obama''''s a pot smoking rotten example to kids..."
He was honest about his past, more than can be said of most politicians (you know, Clinton never inhaled, and on and on). I don''t know how old you are, but I''m 59 and smoking pot in my youth was fairly well universal. I quit 20 years ago. Another fine example for American youth, George Bush with his DUI in ''76 (conveniently covered up by his Texas buddies). Get a grip.

[knyghtwolf]

I just had a democratic/republican movement myself, had to flush it twice to get it off to the whitehouse, eat up shrubbie!!!!!

[cyberus-2009]

About time the kids woke up ...

... they need to defend themselves against the generation that seems to be ok with the "spend on ME now, let the kids pay for it" mindset.

[user168-2009]

Todays youth are just as they''ve always been... uninvolved, uninformed, and uninterested... Good luck with that America!

Posted by dgal878


The TRUTH is, we must teach our children to LOVE.

When Bill Clinton trash his presidency with scandal, putting self-gratification ahead of family, society, country, and the world, he was preaching self-love, narcissism, and self-seeking. That is setting the worst example any leader could to harm a world of youths and their tomorrows. Does Bill care about anyone?

When Hillary dismissed the scandal as if it were no big deal, She was protecting her candidacy and both of their images. Were she to be concern about today''s youth and their (moral) education, she would have dismissed Bill instead. Where is her sincerity?

Bill and Hillary, if only you could hold children close to your hearts, you will have no room for lies, wrongdoing, and self-gratification. And only then would you see wisdom, compassion, and courage!

Bill and Hillary, you cannot fool all of the people all of the time. Our nation''s youth is smarter than you think. By voting WISDOM, COMPASSION, and COURAGE in OBAMA, they have thus dismissed the self-seeking-dead-end-street of such calculating Clintons.

So be it that the nation''s youth sees Hope in Truth:

"Love each other or perish."

"From caring comes courage."

"LIVE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD."

[tibu987]

"We don''t need no stinkin changes".(sic)

On the other hand, if you feel yourself to be an intelligent and concerned voter, vote for Obama, the only candidate offering that possibility.
Clinton and McCain only represent more of the same, the status quo. (see "good ole boys/girls club" of Washington).

Change, why not?
We want a change with the war in Iraq.(not staying in Iraq for 10, 100, or 10,000 years as McCain has said).
We want a change in the tax rate that will tax millionaires as they do the little people. (see Buffet et al).
We want to change the porkmeisters in Washington, of which, Hillary is in the top 10; the old guard which accomplishes nothing more than the feathering of their own nests, (the Kennedy''''s, Byrd, Stephens, and many, many, others).
We want change in the way our schools and teachers are faltering. (our teachers are paid too little, our students are far behind those of some foreign countries).
We want change in the care of our infrastructure. (not hundreds of millions of dollars to build bridges to nowhere, see Stephens, Alaska).
We want to change our unsafe streets into safe streets. (pay the police more, raise the standards for becoming a policeman/woman).
And, I could go on and on.
Naive, perhaps, but "change" has to start at the top

I am a 72 year old white male, a veteran, and have seen it all.
I will be voting for Obama.

[tibu987]

user68, May I use your words please.......

YOUNG ADULTS, our nation depends on YOU to make a CHANGE.
%u201CLIVE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD.%u201D
I am a 72 year old white male, veteran, and I too have never been more excited for you young adults than today. GO! GO vote for you dream, vote for WISDOM, COMPASSION, AND COURAGE! VOTE FOR OBAMA!
Thank you.
Posted by tibu987
***
I also want to thank you, tibu987

It takes wisdom, compassion, and courage to oppose the Iraq War. It also takes wisdom, compassion, and courage to run a country! America wants nothing less.

"... But we ought not %u2014 we will not %u2014 travel down that hellish path blindly. Nor should we allow those who would march off and pay the ultimate sacrifice, who would prove the full measure of devotion with their blood, to make such an awful sacrifice in vain." ~Obama
***
"The enlightened ruler is heedful, and the good general full of caution."

"Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys; look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death."

%u201CHe who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it."

"Hold faithfulness and sincerity as your first principles."
"Kindness in thinking creates profoundness."
"From caring comes courage."
Posted by user168 at 02:39 AM : Feb 12, 2008 CBS O/L News Forum

[valentin73]

YOUNG REBELS IN SUPPORT OF THE REBEL CONTENDER. ALL THIS REBELLIOUSNESS WILL NOT BRING ABOUT GOOD CHANGE.

[user168-2009]

"I would simply be uncomfortable being in a campaign that would be inevitably attacking Barack Obama," said McCain adviser Mark McKinnon in an interview with NPR''s "All Things Considered." "I think it would be uncomfortable for me, and I think it would be bad for the McCain campaign."

That said.

OBAMA WILL BEAT CLINTON AND McCAIN BECAUSE NO EDUCATED PERSON WANTS TO ATTACK HIM.

"Only once in a very long time does politics become more than politics, that is something more than partisan struggle, vote bartering, or arena of ambition...

... on rare occasion, old arrangements and conventional wisdom come unstuck. This happens in periods of rapid if not revolutionary change. We find ourselves now in one of those periods. The forces of globalization, information, eroding sovereignties, and transformation of war ensure that traditional leaders and conventional politics can only muddle through at best and fail badly at worst."

"Therefore, the good of man must be the end of the science of politics."

"There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands."

So let it be that our YOUTH sees HOPE in UNIVERSAL TRUTH:

"Love each other or perish."

%u201CFrom caring comes courage.%u201D

"LIVE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD."

GO! OBAMA!

[user168-2009]

"There are three classes of men; lovers of wisdom, lovers of honor, and lovers of gain."

Obama: lover of wisdom
McCain: lover of honor
Clinton: lover of gain

Obama appears to have greater appeal to highly educated Americans. WHY?

Highly educated people are those who have acquired imparting of knowledge, positive judgment and well-developed WISDOM - consisting of ideals and principles that govern all actions and decisions to maximize the LONG-TERM COMMON GOOD, and so are the highly educated Americans.

It is for LONG-TERM COMMON GOOD we EDUCATE our YOUTH, and so be it that the highly educated seek PURPOSE in LONG-TERM COMMON GOOD. This is called COMMON SENSE.

So be it that the highly educated seek WISDOM and its TRUTH in their choice of a president!

If you seek not WISDOM in a leader, what then, do you seek? If you hold not TRUTH, FAITHFULNESS, and SINCERITY as your first principles, what then, do you hold?

If you are a parent, an educator, or a community leader, and if you seek not such LONG-TERM COMMON GOOD, you care not about the children, family, community, society, country, or THE COMMON WORLD.

How can we let our children follow such self-gratifying Clintons??


"LIVE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD."

This is what the highly educated are going for.

[it_oldtimer]

As politically insulated as many of our youth are these days, the sheer volume and magnitude of mistakes and failures of the Republican Party have nevertheless become glaringly obvious to most of them, and they can''t help but see how deeply and negatively they''ve been impacted by the Republican agenda. After all, they (and their children and grandchildren) have to foot the bill for those Republican mistakes and failures - and it''s going to be one hell of a bill.

To many of them, Hillary just seems like a Dem version of Bush. Only Obama seems to be focused on higher ideals, rather than lowly infighting, so it''s only natural that they''d pick him over the other choices.

The optimism of youth springs eternal.

[mistered9]

Obama captured 50+votes from the 20/29 age. Thgese are the dopers who will beleve he will legalize pot.
Maybe they need to engage their brains before they vote.

[mistered9]

user168 has the habit of counting it''e chickens fefore they hatch.
If were afraid to attack Obama, how will that make him a good President. Can we call him a half breed, or is that against our constitutuional rights to?
Obama for president, God forbid.

[flreason]

mistered9, dgal878, valentin73, et al:

I''d like to remind you that most of the patriots who framed the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were younger than Obama, and very rebellious. They challenged the accepted authority. In addition, most of the soldiers who have fought and died for our freedom have been young. To stem corruption and bureaucracy, Thomas Jefferson felt a "revolution" was necessary every twenty years...each generation.

Our government institutions have becomed mired in corruption. They both collude and are beholden to business interests that place profit above loyalty and ethics. A voter and generational revolution is overdue, in the opinion of this senior citizen. Otherwise a much worse, and likely bloody, revolution will result somewhere down the line. As Aristotle said: "Republics decline into democracies, and democracies degenerate into despotisms." It should be the hope of every generation of Americans to conduct their own peaceful revolution, seeking to avoid or forestall the necessity of a violent one.

[itchyb-2009]

mistered9, you are so out of touch with reality that you think these young voters are pinning their bets that Obama will legalize pot. That''s not what the election is about. Oh yeah, and how much legal alcohol do you and the "grown up" Americans consume in a year? Get real. White male, age 59, young mind.

[esyrdr413]

barack oh bomb ah or is it hussein bomb ah?
Higher education! Does not equal a younger
generation with common sense!
If a country has to engage in war.
Would you have a corporal lead the troops,
or a general?
In other words someone with experience or
someone with very little!
It appears oh bomb ah is a cult figure to
our youth, well then:lets have a rock star
for the vice president!

[quatrops]

Better a half-breed than a half-a$$, Mistered9. The 50s movie character "Mister Ed", whose moniker you''ve chosen, was an intelligent donkey who could talk. Your posts seem to indicate you are a mentally challenged human who can bray! It''s revealing also that your superfluity of typos suggests you''re attacking the keyboard with a hoof.

Your hangups about race and other cognative aberrations suggest a very murky gene pool. Go back to your ward now, and be sure to do what the nurses tell you!

[huanaco]

WHO IS OBAMA ANYWAY ? WHAT HE HAS DONE ? HOW ABOUT HIS LEGISLATION IN CONGRESS ? 50 % OF THE TIME HE DIDN,T SHOW UP FOR DUTY . I THINK THE MEDIA HAS BEEN PLAYING A HUGE PART IN HIS LITTLE DESERVED FAME. MCCAIN AND THE REPUBLICAN ARE CROSSING FINGERS TO HAVE HIM ON THE OTHER SIDE AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE.

[cbs_oliver]

To many of them, Hillary just seems like a Dem version of Bush. Only Obama seems to be focused on higher ideals, rather than lowly infighting, so it''''s only natural that they''''d pick him over the other choices.

The optimism of youth springs eternal.

Posted by IT_Oldtimer at 02:14 AM : Feb 16, 2008

I agree.

I''m over sixty and am pleased as punch to see the younger generation enthusiastic and committed to making some much needed changes.

I think "Yes we can," is the perfect campaign theme for all of us who still believe in the possibility of goodness.

[user168-2009]

To many of them, Hillary just seems like a Dem version of Bush. Only Obama seems to be focused on higher ideals, rather than lowly infighting, so it''''''''s only natural that they''''''''d pick him over the other choices.

The optimism of youth springs eternal.

Posted by IT_Oldtimer at 02:14 AM : Feb 16, 2008

I agree.

I''''m over sixty and am pleased as punch to see the younger generation enthusiastic and committed to making some much needed changes.

I think "Yes we can," is the perfect campaign theme for all of us who still believe in the possibility of goodness.

Posted by CBS_Oliver


That''s what we all must share - BELIEVE IN GOODNESS! Thank you.

HOW CAN WE LET OUR CHILDREN FOLLOW THOSE CALCULATING, NARCISSISTIC, AND SELF-SEEKING CLINTONS, I AM ASKING ALL OF YOU - PARENTS, TEACHERS, AND COMMUNITY LEADERS?

DO WE NOT LOVE OUR CHILDREN?

DO WE NOT SEEK BETTER ROLE MODELS FOR THEM?

DO WE NOT THINK THEY WORTH ANY LONG-TERM COMMON GOOD?

[user168-2009]

"Therefore, the good of man must be the end of the science of politics."

"There will be no end to the troubles of states, or of humanity itself, till philosophers become kings in this world, or till those we now call kings and rulers really and truly become philosophers, and political power and philosophy thus come into the same hands."

SO LET IT BE THAT OUR YOUTH SEES HOPE AND UNIVERSAL TRUTH IN OBAMA:

"Hold faithfulness and sincerity your first principles."

"Love each other or perish."

"From caring comes courage."

"LIVE THE CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD."

GO! OBAMA!

[chad55555]

Study your history,you''ll find every movement that has destruction behind it''s motivation(like Hitlers)always gets the youth then after it brain washes the youth, a total destruction of that country and society soon follows. If you want to kow the future of America with this person in charge.Look at the Muslims and how they want Christians dead,look at Africa how all whites are in danger,look at the starvation and lack of medical care,that''s what you''ll soon see in America. Blacks and Muslims in America have a hate for CHRISTIANS AND WHITES that will come out as a mass genicide,it''s history and human nature if you allow it to happen,it will happen.The government has brain washed young people to thing everyone is equal but human nature and ethic hate will always take over and create destruction. STUDY YOUR HISTORY BEFORE YOU VOTE AND REALIZE MAN KIND WILL NEVER CHANGE ONLY PRETEND TO BE SOMETHING THEIR NOT TO GET POWER TO CARRY THEIR DEEDS. THE KEY HERE IS KNOW HUMAN''S AND WHY THEY DO THE THINGS THEY DO.IN THE END DAYS ETHINC GROUP WILL WAR ON ETHIC GROUP. YOU CAN''T CHANGE WHAT A PERSON IS,ONLY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE.

[quatrops]

In his malevolent diatribe, chad55555 would have us believe he has "studied history".

His bigotry and paranoia strongly suggest his "studies" consist of many, many hours spent following "hate threads" on the internet. We all have seen examples of this dynamic from both the extreme right and the extreme left.

As irritated as I sometimes get about CBS''s op-ed selections and the opposing-view posts that follow, they at least provide an opportunity to get info and opinion from BOTH sides of any issue, and I can come to my own conclusions somewhat informed.

History offers far too many examples of successful inter-cultural and inter-racial cooperation that demonstrate the absurdity of chad55555''s paranoid diatribe. Keep those "cards and letters coming", folks. There is always hope when we''re talking (and listening!) to each other.