Introducing Young Voters: We Finally Showed Up

For the last nine days I've been holed up in Iowa working on a web documentary series about the primary elections and volunteering for Barack Obama in Council Bluffs, a quasi-Republican town on the western part of the state near Omaha, Nebraska. It's almost 2am and I've just returned from Des Moines, where my team of amazing interns -- Megan Rollins (Senior, University of Washington), Jessica Balady (Junior, USC) and Jillian Feinberg (Junior, USC) -- and I stood in the front row while the most inspiring man I've ever encountered delivered his historic victory speech. After almost a year of campaigning and hoping, I was able to shake his hand. On the two-hour drive back to the hotel I was mulling over what unique perspective I could bring to the coverage of this baffling and quixotic caucus process. I decided that when I look back on this trip, I'll always remember it as an exciting (and often hilarious) political awakening that likely represents the experience of many young Americans participating for the first time this election season. So ladies, this is for you ...

Dear Megan, Jessica & Jillian:

I've only got six or seven years on you guys, but when I was finishing college I had a political moment in time of my own. It was the first Tuesday of November, 2000, and I remembering feeling that if I could just stay up for one more hour, Al Gore might pull out a win. But by 10am, chaos prevailed and I finally crashed, hoping I'd wake up and George W. Bush would have retreated to his Crawford ranch indefinitely.

In the years it took W to launch an unjust war, ruin the value of the dollar, pollute the environment, dismantle family planning programs, appoint two crusty conservative justices to the Supreme Court and destroy America's international reputation, I also changed quite a bit for the worse. The remnants of an idealistic Clinton-era political science student who wanted to do something big and meaningful for her country lurked beneath a surface that became frustrated, cynical and borderline apathetic.

But in 2004, when I was a reporter at The Chicago Tribune, I was given an assignment to hit up a rally at Manny's deli, a major political hangout of Mayor Daley's and anyone else blowing through the Windy City. On the docket that morning were Senator John Edwards of North Carolina, who was running for president, and Illinois Senate contender Barack Obama.

Barack-star was just getting his legs then, but he was already magic. As he did to John Kerry later that year at the Democratic National Convention, his prowess usurped anything remotely presidential about Edwards. I left the event and picked up "Dreams From my Father," which I devoured in two days.

Tonight, as we stood five feet in front of him while the crowd chanted his name, I was reminded of one of my favorite snippets of "Dreams." It was just after 9/11 and Barack was meeting with an advisor who had been championing his political future, when abruptly his support pivoted. The advisor told him he'd never win another election with a name that sounds like "Osama."

All four of our voices were among those chanting this evening. With each shout I felt like we were stomping on linear people who can't see past the obvious or function outside the constraints of group think and the status quo.

A month ago, you guys were consumed with thoughts about football games and finals and what to do when you graduate. These things are all important in your lives. But this week, you transcended the typical. You boldly packed your bags, sacrificing New Year's Eve, the Rose Bowl game, your boyfriends and family, your comfort zone. Instead, you froze your asses off while walking door to door in a town you've never heard of, passionately speaking to people you've never met with drastically different lifestyles. You didn't know much about politics, but you poured over the history of Iowa elections. You met Bill Clinton, John Edwards, and Barack and Michelle. You asked yourselves important questions: Is this process an effective and fair system? Should it continue into the future? What do I expect of my government and my generation when it is our turn to govern?

I'm always dishing out those important intern lessons (although, it might be best if you disregard the dating ones). Here's Lesson No. 672: Taking initiative and standing up for what you believe in is what distinguishes true leadership. This week, you led by example.

Everyone told Barack he was crazy, yet there he was tonight: impossibly black, impossibly young, impossibly inexperienced, impossibly winning.

I'm sitting in the lobby of our hotel room while you guys sleep, reflecting on our adventures and not quite ready to lose the magic of our moment. We were attacked by vicious dogs while driving on icy roads trying to deliver caucus information to likely supporters. We subsisted on a staple diet of Subway sandwiches, McFlurrys and Belgian waffles. We managed to make our sad CD collection (John Mayer, Justin Timberlake & Feist) last through grueling road trips to Des Moines, Sioux City and Storm Lake. We trashed the rental car. We found the only cute boys in Omaha on New Year's Eve. We over-stimulated an under-populated town called Moville with our giddy giggles after we took our picture with President Clinton. We never did figure out why there's such a disproportionate number of tanning salons in Iowa given the ratio of pasty to orange people. Much like the logic behind the caucus, I suppose some things will remain a mystery.

At a time when young people are criticized for never delivering on the promise of their activism, you represented. I am so proud of you. And now it's time for us to export the momentum we achieved here in Iowa back home to California, where we will not be chastised as out-of-towners in Ugg boots.

Love,

Maegan

Comments

[sparkandy]

regardless of who they support, the young people of this country are the important ones now. this old lady, for one, is ready for the younger generation to shine. i will sit back and enjoy all of it.

[Kane]

Maegan,

This is such a touching and inspiring post. I don't personally know you and your friends, but in a way I feel as if I do. I'm so proud of all of you, and I admire you for your energy, commitment, and perseverance in working together for a cause greater than yourselves. In the years ahead, when skeptics question whether young people will deliver for a candidate, they will be reminded of a January night in Iowa. Admittedly, I also envy each of you. What it must feel like to know that through your hard work, each of you share in a truly defining moment in American history. I am grateful to you all.

[Nutcase]

The youth are all hyped up on their idealism and importance. They can and should participate but getting all giddy over a political rock star is a dangerous thing. Calm down and do a little homework, however much you hate it.

Obama receives about 95% as much money from the drug industry as Clinton. That is still more than all of the Republican candidates combined. Why? Both Clinton and Obama have healthcare plans that increase the income of insurance and drug companies.

The staffs of both Clinton and Obama contain lobbyists from the insurance and drug companies, as well as other corporate lobbyists.

Being young does not require you to be gullible. Check out the candidates. Check out where the money comes from. In the movie All the President's Men, the key phrase was, follow the money.

Here's a start:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/christine-escobar/obama-rolls-the-dice-with_b_78741.html

[WeKnow]

Well done, Ms. Carberry. We get a real sense of the enthusiasm-among voters of all age levels- that propelled Sen. Obama to victory on Thursday night.
None of whom have any more desire to be led by "underqualified" individuals than they would have to work with someone unqualified in their own place of work.

Can we stop with the code words, by the way? It's hard to classify someone who's been elected to statewide and federal office as underqualified and ridiculous to compare such an individual, Barack Obama, to a man, GW Bush, who has coasted on family name and connections to the heights of power. Bush is a son of privilege who has never had an original thought. Bush has been a terrible president because he is not fit to lead and was never elected. He does not know what it is to work hard, in the real world, with real people unimpressed by his last name. Bush doesn't know the constitution well enough to recite it, let alone teach it for over a decade at one of the toughest law schools in the country. America has not suffered under GW's on-the-job training because the current president has never held a real job and is impervious to training.

And Memo to an earlier commenter-America does not lose when its people exercise their right to participate in the electoral process. I understand that your guy(s) lost, but please have some perspective.

Kudos to the blogger and her interns for jumping into the fray in their horrid Uggs. Now if only we can get this kind of excitement for a city council race....

[ChartreuseMuse]

More than a particular cult of personality candidate, we need people of all ages, but especially young people, to get excited about changing the electoral system.
There are so many anachronisms built into our process. The Electoral College is one such fossil. During midterms, especially after this last one, when the Dems gained the Congress and then refused to do anything with that power, people came out of the woodwork with excitement about forming new parties. It continues even this week, with disgruntled Democrats meeting in the SW considering challenges to local and statewide races.

We've tried to do this through the Green Party- the Dems essentially shut us down. Where they rule the rules, the make sure that there was no level playing field. Today, it's become completely untenable- we need Ranked Choice Voting, we need Election Day as a national holiday, we need open debates not governed by some "commission" (of Dems and Reps)sponsored by the Coal Industry or bad beer, and we need an end to corporate welfare.

Before these things happen, what is there for a young person of any age to get excited about?

[JTR40291]

Young voters are always enthusiastic and determined...for a time before the actual election, and then they don't show up. I fear Obama winning the nomination based on young voters, because you can't predict whether or not their support for a candidate will actually translate to votes in the general election.

What also concerns me is that so many young people seem to base their opinion of Obama on superficial qualities, most notably his race. I keep reading about how "cool" and "different" and "new" having a black president would be, and it would, but I'd feel more assured of his electability if his newfound supporters were more interested in real issues. Cool and different are fine, but what happens if Obama wins the nomination, and then something newer and cooler pops up to whisk away all his fans?

I don't mean to generalize, but weren't we in this same position 3 years ago, with the Sure Thing and the promise of an avalanche of new voters deciding the election?

I've decided I'll vote for any Democratic nominee this year. As much as people talk up one or the other, the big three candidates really are very similar this year, and in positive ways (for once!). My one concern is that the most electable candidate win the nomination. I don't want us to end up with 4-8 more years of evil due to our own inability to realize a sure thing.

[bmozaffari]

You rock, Maegan!

I'm a regular on DKos and just signed up here to write this comment.

Thank you for an excellent article and thank you for all you're doing.

Babak

[PuffAndStuff]

The huge showing of voters under 30-years was phenominal last night. Kudos to all these 'young' voters!

If that momentum continues through the entire season then this election is truly going to be a historical one -- for the books and to be discussed for decades to come -- for many reasons, not least of which will be how the influence of the internet/technology and what role the participation of 'young voters'/first-time voters played in the outcome.

[SouthJerseySteve]

Want more young people to vote? Ask Fox TV to skip American Idol on any Tuesday night there's a primary and close the dance clubs--that will help get the younger vote.

[oafishcad]

Obama isn't yet qualified. Period. It seems his supporters are all about feelings, and nothing more than feelings. Use your heads folks. We've suffered through 7 years of on the job training with the "Decider". We're supposed to learn from history, not keep repeating it. Now I'm sure he's a swell guy, and not the village idiot on Pennsylvania Avenue right now, but prctical knowledge of how to get things done in Washington D.C. is essential to an effective Presidency. Why do you think Carter couldn't get things done? That being said, he's about a thousand times better than any of the GOP candidates.

[rayo]

The race card will eventually pop up and it will be a factor in other primaries or the general election. I would not celebrate too long. Your looking through a pair of "rose colored glasses. I, as a minority, have seen the bigotry and the prejudice that abounds in our society. Be happy for the win, because in the larger context you will lose. 1950 bigotry is doing well in 2008.

[whimsicalpig]

I remember as a young college student in 1968 being as equally empressed with Eugene McCarthy

Be careful what you wish for, the gods may grant you your wish.

Now that the grownups of the campaign have been sent packing and Edwards is on life-support we are left with...

1) a candidate with so much money and so much baggage as to be the dream candidate for the republican party and the swift vets and POW bunch that were previously known as "swiftboat vets"

2) Mr. untested, head and heart full of dreams, this is a crap shoot, Obama. who is equally sitting is the cross hairs of the above mentioned group.

Now, ms, young America, have you doomed the democratic party the same way it was doomed when the ideoloques overtook the party and crippled it with its own heart's desire.

Please tell me you have researched this more than "He makes me feel (fill in the blank).

[ClaudiaJean]

Impossibly underqualified.
A good, good, good, decent, intelligent man.
But not ready for this job yet.
We want to be SO proud that the young people turned out and they want change! Yay us!
It wasn't Dodd or Biden who lost last nite...
It was America.