This year’s ‘wild ride’ presidential election is like no other in modern times. Will over-the-top political antics drive voters to the polls or act as a deterrent? For America’s youth, will seemingly ‘dirty politics’ drive civic engagement or quash it?
In May, a New York Times Magazine article proclaimed Mr. Trump “the impossible nominee,” noting the effect his nontraditional campaign has had on drawing “to the polls hordes of Americans who had previously given up on the party, or on politics as a whole.” The article notes “ratings-smashing numbers” as prospective voters “…tun[ed] in to the once-boring Republican debates.”
That was June – three months ago is a lifetime in today’s fast-paced election cycle.
In more recent news, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, beset by controversy, publicly stated that she “short circuited” in a recent interview with Fox News reporter Chris Wallace on the FBI probe on classified emails routed through her private email server. Clinton told Wallace that her answers to FBI Director James Comey were deemed “truthful,” though the record indicates otherwise. Politifact published the following congressional hearing exchange between Comey and Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC):
Gowdy: “Secretary Clinton said there was nothing marked classified on her emails either sent or received. Was that true?”
Comey: “That’s not true.”
Gowdy: “Secretary Clinton said, ‘I did not email any classified material to anyone on my email. There is no classified material.’ Was that true?”
Comey: “There was classified material emailed.”
The Wallace interview led to Clinton’s receipt of four Pinocchio’s from the Washington Post, a stinging fact-checker rating.
Or consider Donald Trump’s callous response to the Gold Star family of slain Muslim army captain Humayun S.M. Khan. Asked if Trump’s sacrifices rival the Khan’s – their son, killed in Iraq during Operation Iraqi Freedom, saved American lives – Trump cites his sacrifices in creating tens of thousands of jobs. Trump then took aim at the mother of Khan, questioning whether her onstage silence at the Democratic National Convention was perhaps, as a Muslim woman, because she is forbidden to speak publicly. Mrs. Khan later said she did not speak given her concern that “she could [not] remain [emotionally] composed while talking about her son.”
The short answer, short term, is that we cannot yet know the degree to which this year’s ‘wild ride’ in presidential politics will inspire or deter. What we can say – and commend – is activity such as that hosted by the University of Virginia Center for Politics. Its History Project recognizes that politics are a marathon, not a sprint, educating youth that civic engagement is what elevates our society and advances our great democracy. In a June 2016 UVA-hosted event called “Kid Power,” school-age students from the YWCA, Boys & Girls Clubs, & other youth groups were exposed to American civics, politics, history, culture, and diversity through age-appropriate experiential learning such as:
A mock election to encourage the most fundamental form of civic participation
An obstacle course with lessons on the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and Bill of Rights
Bracelet-making as part of a lesson about cultural diversity in the United States
A reading of Alex and the Amazing Lemonade Stand, with a discussion about how one child can make a difference in society
What the UVA project makes clear
– and others like it across America – is that civics education can develop informed and engaged citizens, improving communities, seeding opportunity and transforming lives.
In a 2013 Harvard Law School panel on the importance of civics education that pre-dated the presidential race, Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow asked:
“How can we inspire kids to be engaged in politics when they have premature cynicism? They have a reason to be cynical because the system of government doesn’t always live up to its ideals. There are experiences of unfairness that many of them live with.”
Several panelists echoed a view of rampant cynicism, with many noting a need to move beyond the “divisive tendency in the news media.” It all begins with knowledge, with panelists referring to iCivics, and its mission to teach students how our government and its branches work, as model best practice. According to panelist Justice David Souter (former Associate Justice, Supreme Court of the U.S.), “civics illiteracy” is widespread, with fewer than a third of people in the U.S. able to name the three branches of government.
After this year’s bitter and divisive presidential race, the “lesson” is before us. According to Souter, “the one common value system we can claim” rests in the American Constitution. To strengthen our democracy, our society and our nation’s repository of future presidential candidates, our youth must learn about - and take part in - civic life. And as educators, as parents, as community leaders – we must create those opportunities.