Tonight's Winner: The Youth Vote

While we pore over the results from Iowa and turn to New Hampshire, the clear winners for the 2008 presidential election are young voters. Dismissed by some as being too cynical to care and disenfranchised by others who discouraged them from returning early from Christmas vacation to vote, young voters made a decisive impact on the presidential race in Iowa. From young Democrats and college Republicans to non-partisan "rock the caucus" participants, a wave of young voters made their voices heard tonight.

While we await Iowa City results, we already know that on the Democratic side, a historic 22% of caucus-goers were under 30 -- matching the 22% of caucus-goers aged 65 and over. This means that ALL presidential contenders will have to connect with the aspirations of young people and listen to the voices of the future of America. Candidates beware: the youth vote is stronger than ever and is a force to be reckoned with in the primaries and caucuses ahead. The campaigns must be tech-savvy, youth-friendly, and otherwise inclusive of this new generation of voters. Rock on, young voters -- tonight is your victory. We'll see you in New Hampshire!

Comments

[llp1]

I beg to differ...22% is not a majority, even if 100% of those under 30 voted for Obama. The only reason Obama won by as much as he did is because Independents get to select the Democrats' nominee in Iowa. Excluding Independent voters, Obama barely beat Clinton, 32% to 31%...hardly a landslide. Although, you can bet the media would never spin it that way.

[marcialosangeles]

Now we just have to hope that all these young ones will help your Mom by electing a Democratic Congress and Senate.

[Tulka2]

Back home in Iowa, my 84 year-old mother stood for Obama. Mother and one African American man were the oldest people standing for Obama in their ward. She told me she was thrilled to look out over the Obama group and realize she was standing with the young.

Mother, like every one of my Iowa relatives, would be happy to vote for any one of the Dems.

Her second choice was Edwards, btw, and she admits Edward's stances on corporate power and health care are more defined than are Obama's. But... my Irish-Catholic mother went for Obama because of a vision she has of the sigh of relief the world will breath the morning after America elects this story, the Obama story, to the American Presidency.

My mother is a student of Lincoln and thinks Obama the real, American deal. "If Lincoln were re-incarnated, not that i believe in that, wouldn't he be just like Obama?"

(She wants to see Edwards be Secretary of Labor so he has more time to spend with his wife. This is the way old ladies in Iowa think. So dear.)

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

The best gift us old fogies can give to the youth of America is....

Impeach Bush and Cheney in 2008.

And tell your mom I said so. Or it is SHE also who is violating her duty under the Constitution.

[rjcrane]

While not responding directly to this piece I need to correct an erroneous assumption being bantered about by political pundits and other self described experts: Iowa is not nor has it even been a red state for at least the past 40+ years. At worst it can be labeled as a purple state and during the Lyndon Johnson sweep it became a very blue state. Iowa has often elected Democratic governors and congressmen and has one excellent Democratic Senator, Sen. Harken.

There is a very active large number of Democratic voters in Iowa offset by a number of conservative agricultural interests and evangelicals but this is also the case in several blue states like Michigan and Wisconsin and no one calls these states Red states.

RJ Crane
topplebush.com

[Wiredwilly]

A Victory for Hot Air.
The Youth Vote = Suckers.
"The Youth Vote" has no clue the Democrats sold out " the Youth Vote" long ago at the 1968 Chicago Convention. The Democratic machine will endorse someone like Obama who is charismatic but no real threat to Corporate control and will play ball, but wouldn't dream of endorsing someone like Kucinich ,Ron Paul, a Socialist, or Green, who understand what's REALLY going on, which is that America is under the control of an International Banking Cartel who pull the strings of small players like Obama, Clinton, Huckabee, and Bush through whatever means necessary.
Notice Bush kissing ex-World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz's butt ?
There are reasons. Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson were the only two Presidents who really understood Banking.

[TERRYKEITH4]

I only hope the youth remember how weak Nancy Pelosi is as speaker when her election time comes up....

[Libsrule]

Yes it was nice to see so many younger people involved in the political process in Iowa and I can only hope this continues as a trend in American politics. I'm not putting a lot of faith in it but one can hope.

Young people got more involved in the 60's because the war directly involved them via the draft. The Thug party would kill themselves to keep a draft from happening because they then know the young people would get even MORE involved in politics and the Thugs would lose even MORE seat in the congress in both houses.

By the way, Christine, why won't your mother take on administration and show some spine. Seems like everytime we turn around she and Reid are caving like little girls instead of doing what the voters voted them into power to do and that was take on these jerks? I'm voting for whomever runs against her in the Democratic Party/

[kudabux]

Nothing new in this slogan "Change"

"Time for a Change" - Dewey again wove the main themes and catch words of his campaign, from the base of his continual "It's time for a change." ...
www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,885738,00.html - 36k

Can't think of something original, so just keep up the mantra: time for a change, time for a change, time for a change. Some changes are not necessarily for the better, as with Obama. Some nitwits will actually believe there will be a change for the good.

[KarenZipdrive]

What else is there for a kid to do on a snowy Tuesday night in Iowa?
Most of the young people I know don't care enough about politics to bother to vote.
Let's not let one rural state's primary predict the voting activity of our nation's youth. They may talk about Rocking the Vote, but they also talk about Paris Hilton and Britney Spears like they're personal friends.
If today's youth were REALLY that engaged in politics, we'd have anti-war protests like we did during the Vietnam era.

[yve]

Oh what a felling ! I am a baby boomer who came of age in the 60's and took part in the Civil rights movement and protested the Viet Nam war , I am so proud of our youth and havent had this much hope for a long time, maybe this runaway train can be put back on track, I would love to see an Obama/Edwards ticket or a Edwards/Obama ticket. I believe Edwards is the candidate that the status quo fear the most. On to New Hampshire, South Caroline and show the world we are the "Good guys". Osda DV (very good in Cherokee)Everyone we need to pay attention to the plight of Native Americans especially the Lakota of the Black Hills who are being poisoned by the uranium mines in the Black Hills. And who get very little attention in any medium.Wado (Thank you) yve

[NoMoreDrama]

You can ignore the youth vote for only so long. Eventually they grow up, get mad as hell and aren't going to take it anymore! One of the many changes that the Obama campaign has already registered on the national radar, is that the youth are finally voting in large enough percentages to really make a difference. Having been written off as apathetic for so long, it speaks volumes that Obama got them to put down the Xbox controller.

[factanonverba]

I am stunned by the fact that 57% of those under 30 voted for Obama. Iowa is unique in that it allows 17 year olds to caucus but even so it is nothing short of remarkable that so many young people chose to register their opinions. Many campaigns in the past have been undone by relying on the young. Bradley, Tsongas, Anderson, McGovern, Muskie and McCarthy come to mind.

If I find any solace in the results it is that John Edwards captured the most important demographic segment traditionally, the 45 to 60 vote. But these are not traditional times even for an untraditional candidate like John Edwards.

By the way, Ms. Pelosi please tell your mother to put impeachment back on the table. I will not support her re-election and I live in San Francisco.

[JohnCitizen]

CONGATUALATIONS TO IOWA AGAIN!

America should congratulate Iowans for doing their duty again, that is, picking the worst possible Democratic candidate, as they have done frequently including John Kerry in 2004. Part of the problem is the crazy Iowa caucus system, but the big factor is allowing Republicans to help pick the Democrat who they think is easiest to defeat. Someday, just maybe, America will have a primary system where the real swing states (right now FLORIDA and OHIO) decide who the candidate is? Of course, that would be logical, meaningful and ridiculous. Now instead, we get the government we deserve!

[MPeter]

Yes, there is good reason to congratulate the youth. They are fully engaged and finally, they are ready to claim back their country. The political procvess is theirs. Good job guys, congratulations.