Young Voters Dismiss Clinton's "Obama Is Inexperienced" Criticism

Elana Berkowitz and Mark Pike, OffTheBus correspondents, follow the youth beat this week while traveling through Iowa.

Senator Clinton's attacks on Senator Obama's "inexperience" might not be playing particularly well with young people. At an event today at Des Moines' Scottish Rites Masonic Temple, Obama, on his fifteenth trip to the city, spent quite a bit of time rebutting Clinton's now famous jab: "How did running for president become a qualification to be president?"

Obama made efforts to distance himself from the world of Beltway experience. "You can't at once argue that you're the master of a broken system in Washington and offer yourself as the person to change it." He then went on to quote Bill Clinton's 1992 line: "you can have the right kind of experience and the wrong kind of experience."

Many of the young people in attendance downplayed the experience issue. Sisters Molly Krager, 25, and Ally Thrall, 21, explained "its not like Obama is brand new. Its more important to us that he surrounds himself with the right people. It's just not a make or break issue."

"I think Obama has had a lot of kinds of life experience and that is more important to me than experience doing the same kind of jobs in Washington and being the same kind of cookie cutter politician," claimed Cozell Wilson, a student from Seattle.

Chalk it up to the exuberance and hubris of youth, but in the years right after graduation, me and my friends had a hard time grasping why we wouldn't immediately be novelists, policy makers, above-the-fold journalists or rock stars. Of course, time, humility, perspective and a healthy dose of cockroach-infested illegal sublets and half-calf skim mocha latte purchasing for bosses helped us regain our grasp on reality, on both the limitations and benefits of youth and fresh voices (Note: obviously I am not truly comparing my pre-graduation 12 months of experience at a local Hebrew School with Obama's storied career as an organizer and politician.) Still, it stands to reason that, as a whole, people in their twenties would be more willing to give a relative youngster a chance by seeing both sides of the experience coin.

Amanda Halfacre, President of the Iowa State University Democrats noted that "some students on campus are concerned about the experience issue but are always willing to see the flipside. It seems that the issue matters more for politically experienced students while students who are caucusing for the first time and are just starting to educate themselves are more focused on specific issues."

Kat Barr, Director of Research for Rock the Vote, who notes that the 18-29 vote is still relatively split between Clinton and Obama but trending towards Obama, recalled a set of focus groups she conducted in early October with students on their various impressions of candidates. She said that the students were quick to see all of the candidates' perceived strengths and weaknesses. Though some students noted the problems with Obama's perceived inexperience after only a few years in the Senate, others brought up the advantages they saw accompanying that resume - energy and newness. Similarly, students identified negatives for Clinton based on residual negativity from past scandals and a perceived tendency for Washington insiderness but saw the flip-side of her strength, smarts and savvy in getting things done.

For those who were still dreaming of getting out of sixth grade alive the last time a Democratic administration was in office, it is easy to imagine that the rocky seven years of the Bush Administration might imply that "experience" isn't all its cracked up to be. American failures in Iraq, cronyism and an intensely partisan atmosphere do not bespeak the benefits of putting in time in Washington the same way that a somewhat longer view of history might. As Lindsey Mabe, a student from Iowa put it, "We are all 18, 19, 20 now, that means that we were only around 11 when Bush was elected. When you've only grown up during a bad administration, it is easy to understand why a lot of young people don't believe in the process."

Comments

[uheardme]

Hillary has a lot of experience with shaking hands of foreign dictators, attending commission meetings, making pretty speeches on women's issues in third world countries, "moving to the right" on the IRAQ war to attract conservative independents, not asking for security clearance from her husband's administration, watching bombs get dropped on aspirin factories, watching the Rwanda massacre, watching her husband sign a racist crack/coke drug law, and insulting black voters with her terrible imitation of Reverend James Cleveland. No thanks.

[NotaBeliever]

Ho-hum. When I was young, I would dismiss the need for experience, too. Now, not so much ... and it doesn't even matter because the young voters won't make it to the caucuses. I keep hearing that the young voters are energized and involved and that they're going to get out and vote .... Ooops. Memories. That's what they said in 2004. And the young voters just never made it to the polls.
Who wins the Iowa Dem caucuses will have rallied enough voters on what will probably be a cold night ... just checking the weather forecast ... partly cloudy with a low around 20. That might not be bad enough to keep our erstwhile youth at home ... unless they just decide to stay at home.
And they will.

[go4thegold]

Perhaps many of the Hillary supporters are forgetting one thing -- she's without any experience­... Sorry, being married to the president isn't being president, for if it was, Ms. Clinton wouldn't be allowed to run for a "third term"... David G.

[DontSpin]

I love it how intelligent young people can be. This is my favorite quote: its not like Obama is brand new. Its more important to us that he surrounds himself with the right people. It's just not a make or break issue." So true.

[S1m0n]

Even if it were blank--and it's not--Obama's foreign policy CV would still trump Hillary's, for one simple reason:

The Iraq war was THE defining foreign policy of the Bush presidency; in fact, it's the defining issue of this era overall. And on that issue, Obama was dead right and Hillary dead wrong. There was a test, and Hillary failed it.

She was wrong morally: starting an unprovoked war of conquest is just plain wrong, but Hillary didn't seem to care.

She was wrong strategically: it's not rocket science to understand that there's political daylight to be had by supporting the war: the public will stand by their president in a war for as long as the public supports that war. There is no political advantage to be gained by cleaving to the president's line. The only position with an upside is to get ahead of the public in opposing the war, and wait for them to catch up. There was no likelihood of the Bush administration succeeding in Iraq, so there's no risk to such a strategy.

And finally, she was wrong intellectually. It's now clear that Hillary's decision wasn't made for any strategic, legal, moral or even geopolitical reason. Hillary voted the polls, and nothing else. The public was behind the president and was giving the administration the benefit of the doubt on it's 'intel', so Hillary voted yes. She made no attempt to read or even look at the briefing packages she was provided, as far as the record shows.

So that's zeros across the board, on what is, really, the only foreign policy question that mattered during her entire career holding elected office.

That's the experience that matters, and Hillary's stinks.

[BlueBoomer]

So someone should ask these young voters this:

At your school, would you want a new freshman transferee to be the one who makes the decisions about what goes on in your dorm, your class, your school?

That's what Barak Obama is: The new freshman transferee from a smaller school.

Now go out and causus for JOE BIDEN.
You'll be able to look back on your first voting experience with pride, instead of "what was I thinking?"

[Zhonni]

What time is the caucus supposed to hold?

I am sure people in Iowa know what time it is so I won't try to speculate but I have read that it starts at two different times that's why I want to know the exact time.

[Zhonni]

I am glad us young voters get it!

I just want to remind you folks in Iowa that you have to be on site by 7.00am not a second later or you can't caucaus.

Obama does not lack experience, infact he has more elective experience than the top three dems but he has less time in Washington.

[WigWamWag]

God bless them for their assumed knowledge but unfortunately few young people have adequate wisdom or experience to vote at 21, much less at 18.

If they the O-Bomb-a supporters had any sense they would talk him out of running because ultimately he can not win.

[burneb]

Young people normally underestimate the value of experience, since they tend to have less themselves. It takes experience to fully understand its value.

They are quite correct however, that experience is no guarantee of competence. Some learn little from experience and others let hidebound ideology override all else. The ideology trap is the main reason Bush Corp. messes up so much, despite their deep experience resources.

President elects need experience and more to be competent. Else their subordinate picks will be a crap shoot and they will be suckered by long experienced game players in Foggy Bottom.

[Tellmethetruth]

For those who want to read Joe Biden (experienced) wrote on Huffington Post:

Joe Biden on Pakistan

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-biden/a-new-approach-to-pakista_b_71733.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-biden/we-need-a-pakistan-policy_b_71399.html

Joe Biden on CIA tapes

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-biden/special-counsel-needed-to_b_77692.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/12/10/biden-calls-for-special-c_n_76044.html

Joe Biden on Iran and Impeachment of Bush

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-biden/meeting-the-iranian-chall_b_75628.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2007/11/30/biden-to-bush-bomb-iran-_n_74778.html

[Jazzylady26]

and I dismiss young people who don't usually vote. their just in it for the show and because they're a focal point for not.

[epstine]

It has, frankly, been quite maddening to listen to the recent deluge of articles addressing the issue of whether experience affects one's ability to deliver change within our political system. Yet, while there are plenty of voters (particularly younger ones - and - at 35 I'd never thought I'd be drawing that distinction), willing to dismiss this issue, it is perhaps even more maddening to see how inaccurately the issue is being framed. It is difficult not to blame the media - both traditional and new - for their short memories and their failure to correct the record.

Those of us who came of age in the nineties and recall the 2000 Election remember that one of George W Bush's key responses to questions about his inexperience (a term and a half as governor; no national poltical, economic, or foreign policy experience) was that he was surronded by experienced advisors. While one cannot dismiss the importance, or relevance, of having a team that includes qualified and experienced counsel, the sound judgment borne of experience cannot be delivered by proxy in a Chief Executive.

It is fair to say that most people would not invest in or work for a company who offered the CEO chair to an entry level employee with two years tenure. No more should we offer the role of our nation's highest office to someone with a similar lack of experience - regardless of the quality of his or her cabinet.

Every article has missed this point thus far: the Bush years are not an argument for devaluing experience - they are - instead - an object lesson on why experience should be a critical pre-requisite for the job. Thus, as inspired as I am by the way Barack Obama speaks, I believe his inexperience and (in matters of foreign policy) often starry-eyed naivete, too risky for this nation - particularly at time when the geopolitical landscape, not to mention with the need to address severe issues in energy, the economy, national security and health care, are of paramount importance.

[Tankan]

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

[degjack]

Young Voters Dismiss Clinton's "Obama is Inexperienced Criticim".­....

GOOD.

Youth, freshness, intelligen­ce...Obama­'s got them.

These things are a GOOD thing(!!!), and young people KNOW it!