Kids Pushing Parents To Back Obama

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The New York Times   |  Jan Hoffman   |   April 7, 2008 10:57 PM


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As a small chorus of superdelegates has announced a preference for Senator Barack Obama in recent weeks, a theme is emerging: their children made them do it.

The list of Democrats who have cited the persuasive power of their own children as a factor in their Obama endorsements -- either in earnest or as political cover -- includes Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Gov. James E. Doyle of Wisconsin, Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.

Across the country, other parents are being lobbied hard, too. Youthful volunteers for each candidate have been campaigning with bright-eyed brio, not only door-to-door but at home as well. The young supporters of Mr. Obama, who has captured a majority of under-30 primary voters, seem to be leading in the pestering sweepstakes. They send their parents the latest Obama YouTube videos, blog exhortations and "Tell Your Mama/Vote for Obama!" bumper stickers.

Megan Simpson, a Penn State senior, had not been able to budge her father, a Republican. But the day before the deadline for registering for the coming Democratic primary in Pennsylvania, she handed him the forms and threw in a deal-sweetener as well. "I said, 'Dad, if you change your party affiliation in time to vote for Obama,' " recalled Ms. Simpson, 22, an Obama campus volunteer, " 'I will get you the paperwork the day after the primary if you want to switch back to being a Republican.' "

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Proof that he only appeals to the most uneducated voter.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:21 PM on 04/08/2008

Interesting, he appeals to me and many of my highly educated friends. I am assuming then that to you uneducated is anything below a Ph.D

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 09:45 AM on 04/09/2008

Lie to your kids -

Encourage their enthusiasm -

But lie to them -

Vote for Hillary the public servant -

Not Obama the preacher.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:03 PM on 04/08/2008

Nice. So you will teach your kids that it's fine to lie and cheat just like Hillary.
Setting a great example, I hope you don't have any yourself but then again
that's none of my business. Some people however should not be parents.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:44 PM on 04/08/2008

it's easy to give in to the stereotypes. Young people are spoiled and ignorant. Old people are senile. Adults are reasonable. Republicans are fiscal conservatives. Democrats protect the working man, etc.
Unfortunately, it was adults who gave us 8 years of Bushivism. Reasonable adults who were taking the cues from the MSM while the ignorant brats were wisening up ot the lies getting their information on the Internet. The adults didn't believe the kids when they said Junior was lying to start a war.
Idiots come in all sizes and shapes, and ages too. Having worked teaching young people for almost 20 years now, I'll put my money on the kids.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:13 PM on 04/08/2008

Are you one of the ones who taught them that if they could con their parents into sending them to one of the Ivy League schools, they would automaticall be smarter than their parents when the ink on their diplomas was still wet?

Didn't you inform them that you can only teach them how to learn because experience is the best teacher and you could not give them all the knowledge they would need to make wise decisions.

If you did not, then you did them a great disservice and the whole Country may have to live with your failure to perform your job.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:44 PM on 04/08/2008

oh, I'm sure I screwed up on a lot of things but one thing I made sure they understood is that they should find things out for themselves, the old "know yourself" principle. I also used a lot of Bill Hicks and Chris Rock, you know, the classics.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:25 PM on 04/08/2008

I don't believe it was teens that were posting info about the crazy neocons 5-6 years ago. I remember too many thoughtful postings that only someone with some experience with many elections could post. You didn't have to be a young rebel to understand how we were being hoodwinked into the war. Perhaps it is the fear that this war can go on for more years and the lack of a large enough army will eventually bring up the possibility of another draft that has kicked in the exuberance of the 20 somethings that normally ignore elections. Nonetheless, it is a good thing to see activism again.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:29 PM on 04/08/2008

it is indeed. Youth is not a panacea, and yes, there are plenty of grown-ups out there who are wise to the neocons. More than we are led to believe IMO.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:30 PM on 04/08/2008

Their second choice is Barney (I love you, you love me) and Hanna Montana for VP.

This is as good as any reason that Obama has put forward to run for him as opposed to against someone else.

Gotta go, that milk was great, nap time now.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:47 PM on 04/08/2008

THE YOUTH VOTE: "Like politics were so like boring until like that really cool guy like started making it like cool"

Yeah, has anyone ever spoken to the MORONS of that generation? They want to vote Obama but aren't sure which 800 number to call to vote for him.

THAT GENERATION WORSHIPS CELEBRITIES AND SHALLOWNESS HYPE.....THATS IT.

They won't get involved unless their celbrity is in the game? PULEEZ...it dont CARE what they think. They are beyond stupid and useless. They wont do ANYTHING even if he wins, because they will soon realize govt and politics is NOT GLAMOUROUS and will loose intersest on November 7th or so

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:33 PM on 04/08/2008

Doesn't matter how many times you post the same words (and I *do* hope that everyone reads your post below, and your response to my comment to it ... your words do so well indicate the "quality" of your thought), your argument is still an ad hominem fallacy.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:27 PM on 04/08/2008

The MORONS of this generation are gonna be changing yer diaper while you're drooling out the corner of yer mouth staring out the window of the retirement home.

If you continue to live thinking they are morons, perhaps they will forget to turn you over and you'll get bedsores. Or maybe they'll forget to change your crappy diaper or forget to give you your meds.

I love and respect the elders but not ones like you. By the way, thanks for leaving us with a world on the brink of destruction. You sure were responsible with that. Way to go. You are so much smarter than the youth of today.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:25 PM on 04/08/2008

You sure do have a bad attitude for a youngster. I would rather have someone shove me out the window than have you wipe my drool or change my diaper. No thanks!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:50 PM on 04/08/2008

Age of JFK when he became Pesident: 41
Age of Bill Clinton when he became President: 46
Age of Obama: 46

I guess morons of those generations, the so called youth vote, voted in these celebrities too. However, when you think about it they didn't do such a bad job for being so shallow.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:18 PM on 04/08/2008

Say what you want . Yes, we really liked Kennedy. Yes, he was a poor president. Yes, he gave us Viet Nam. Yes he tried to kill Castro .(bay of pigs ).

Do we Ever learn ?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 06:28 PM on 04/08/2008

Right, this is the American Idol election. Hopefully all of the female youth understands that their right to have a reproductive "choice" now hangs in the balance. We won't even discuss what the financial future holds for these youngins..... Hopefully "Megan Simpson" understands that she is encourgaing her dad to commit voter fraud.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:55 PM on 04/08/2008

"THAT GENERATION WORSHIPS CELEBRITIES AND SHALLOWNESS HYPE"

As opposed to the current "adult" (being kind btw) generation that worships war and greed?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:47 PM on 04/08/2008

There is a reason why people have to be of a certain age in order to vote. I mean, you can and should talk about politics with your kids, but the adult should make the decision. It is a question of experience, a concept hard to buy for Obamamites.

I think that people who vote for Obama, because their kids tell them so, have to have their heads examined!

What was Casey's reason for endorsement again?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:25 PM on 04/08/2008

Do our young 18 year olds that are fighting this war have experience ? They are the ones fighting for this country and you make them out to be idiots. That being said, why don't you experianced ones go out there and sign up.The ones that need their heads examined are the Hillary supporters. This woman is as crooked as they come and you want people to vote for her because she is a woman. I happen to be one and I'm 67, she has no credibility what so ever. You bish66, have a lot of gall, saying what you are saying about the young people. These young people now are smarter than I ever thought about being at their age. "Bravo," for the young people!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:47 PM on 04/08/2008

butchie65: You said, "These young people now are smarter than I ever thought about being at their age."
Some are probably smarter than you at your current age too. That doesn't mean they should be convincing their parents to change their vote by using threats. Many of today's parents, like politicians, agree with their kids to get them to shut up and leave them alone, then do what the intended to originally.

I have proof that the superdelegates who allowed their teens to dictate the support of Obama were bought and paid for prior to the 2006 elections. If anyone is interested, proof is posted on this Blog so I won't post it here.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 05:50 PM on 04/08/2008

The parents that were convinced to switch parties for the primary to vote for Obama and return to their true party for the election are messing with the integrity of our primary system (as screwed up as it already is.) If this is a large enough trend, then the democrats may end up with a candidate that has less support than perceived. I am worried about the "switch-party for a day" voters that will influence the outcome based on the nagging by their children. I would no sooner tell my 22 year old daughter who to vote for as I would allow her to cause me to change my choice to please her and reward her for her political involvement, which should be a given if your child has been had a proper introduction to democracy and understands the ramifications of the sanctity of the right to vote and the importance of that act of choosing the candidate that most represents an individuals ideals, and not merely trying to please the persistance of a first time voter offspring. Are we losing touch with what should really be happening here and in the voting booth. Vote your conscience. It counts no matter what your rationalization.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 04:20 PM on 04/08/2008

Maybe the parents realize they've been part of the problem for all these years, the least they could do is help us get a decent president. Sure it doesn't make up for wars, econmic turmoil and environmental destruction but it's a start.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:28 PM on 04/08/2008

How strange, in India, where my parents are from, it is the students who are the most militant, the most fervent supporters of political parties. Correct me if I'm wrong but it was the INC, the Indian National Congress party during the time of Nehru and Ghandi was essentially a student movement what wrested control of the subcontinent form the British.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:59 PM on 04/08/2008

Thats an excellent point, America's youth has past the point of apathy.

And therin lies the enormous strength Obama is showing. Young people are excited. How and why don't really matter when dealing with here and now.

Can any HRC supporters explain how students and youth are so disillusioned?

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:35 PM on 04/08/2008

i teach young people, many of whom are voting for the first time and most of whom support obama. i like this a lot. my one concern, though, is that this is also the harry potter generation. the assumption that these children would read more because they were excited by harry potter was probably just wrong, and my concern is that their political engagement will be as short-lived and shallow, unable to go beyond the specific enthusiasm with a candidate to a lasting sense of civic responsibility. it's in large part older people's role to nurture this spark of interest regardless of who becomes president. the low level of thought and namecalling in many posts here and the intellectually slight opinion pieces (some of which are published with only two paragraphs and are nothing but callow provocations) don't seem to be in the spirit of nurturing the young's interest in politics and civics. if for no other reason, we should be more responsible in what we write here.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:54 PM on 04/08/2008

For the same reason we elected the last president to two terms because Americans would rather have a "beer" with him.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:02 PM on 04/08/2008

I'd rather share a cigarette and conversation with Obama. The only thing I want to share with Bush is a few choice words that wouldn't make it past the moderators here.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:05 PM on 04/08/2008

As someone who worked on UC Berkeley campus for 4 years, I always had a very negative opinion of college student and their interest, or lack of, in politics. Even during the 2004 presidential race with the Iraq war was raging, students just wouldn't give a shit. Who knew that the high cost of college tuition, bad economy, lack of job opportunity and the fear of getting drafted to fight in Iraq would draw kids back to politics! It's good thing, little bit late, but a good thing nonetheless.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:55 PM on 04/08/2008

You must not remember the 1960s and 70s.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:02 PM on 04/08/2008

My mother is a 90 year old white woman who lives in the South. So she fit's Hillary's demographic to a T, except that she IS well-educated (Hillary's typical voters tend to be less well-educated). Anyway, she was for Obama before me (I'm a 55 yo white man).

I called her on the phone 2 months ago, and I say, "Whaddaya doin'?"
And she says, "I'm watchin' the president."
I said, "Bush?"
She said, "No, the president - the guy who's gonna be president."
I said, "You mean Obama?" She said, "Yeah."

Then I was telling her that I liked Obama but I thought Edwards had the best chance to beat Hillary. But because of that conversation I switched to Obama.

So, it's not always the kids that are driving this - sometimes it's the very old!!!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:42 PM on 04/08/2008

9 year old to her mother "Mom ( in the corner in the kitchen) I WANT you to vote for OBAMA" yes sweetie "oh and WHERE ARE MY HANNA MONTANNA TICKETS" lol

http://www.teenwag.com/playvideo/4928

scarlet johansson vid on 16 year old kids today

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:28 PM on 04/08/2008

Correction: Scarlet Johansson in a SNL parody of the MTV "reality" show "My Super Sweet 16". The antics of the pampered rich kids shown in "My Super Sweet 16" have about as much to do with "16 year old kids today" as the shallowness of the "Real Housewives of Orange County" has to do with the lives of most American homemakers.

Here's Scarlet Johansson in a video that shows her opinion: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:17 PM on 04/08/2008

relax !!! It is funny

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:25 PM on 04/08/2008

I also welcome you to relax. I was only adding perpective. Not that your posts are often narrow and in need of a widened perspective. Just sayin'.

Are you sure you don't need some tea? It's chamomile.

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 03:03 PM on 04/08/2008

Yeah, relax! AjicNYC's a satirist, a comedian even!

Just check it out:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/users/profile/AjicNYC

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:40 PM on 04/08/2008

Hannah Montana should not be mentioned in the same sentence as anyone important.
That includes Hillary and i guess McOldman

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 02:01 PM on 04/08/2008

At least, grant Obama SOME of the stature of Elmer Gantry.....even though admittedly MANY of supporters do easily fall into the Hanna Montana mindset!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:52 PM on 04/08/2008

Screw that....I'm voting for Brooke White.

Carly Smithson?

Okay, David Cook...and that's final!

    Favorite    Flag as abusive Posted 01:08 PM on 04/08/2008

It's so encouraging th