OK, I'm an idiot. In fact, we're all idiots, all 26,917,473 of us U.S. citizens age 18 to 25. We do everything for the wrong reasons...or so we're told.
As an 18-year-old Obama supporter, I am constantly being stereotyped.
Left and right, I am categorized by patronizing remarks from the older voters such as, "Oh, you would like Obama," or, "Let me guess, you're an Obama fan, right?" When I respond "Yes," I am immediately reduced to a 4-year-old, except I am not offered a lollipop or a sticker.
No, I don't get gold stars for having an opinion. For being a passionate young voter, I get two condescending eyes and a half smile on a head moving side to side in pity.
Is this reaction from those older than me to mean that my support for Obama is lesser than another 18-year-old's support for Clinton? Is my vote for Obama passé? And if that's the case, are some votes more legitimate than others? Or maybe, just maybe, my support for Obama is just too obvious and vapid.
The first step in assessing these questions is to acknowledge the truth: Sen. Barack Obama has resonated with young voters in a way that no other presidential candidate has. Young voters vote for him, and my goodness, older people just won't shut up about it. Just once, I would like to read an article about Obama that didn't mention his voter's age demographic. Sure, the fact that my generation is more present is exciting and yes Obama has captured the imagination of people my age but let's remember two things. First, Obama could not have made it this far riding solely on the coattails (or pigtails) of 18- to 25-year-olds. And secondly, while we're talking about young people, let's remember the young Republicans. Does anyone ever talk about any fervor coming from the young Republicans ring? No.
I'll admit that for me it's quite bittersweet; there are a surprising amount of young Republicans out there too. In fact, there's one in my class. A real, live, young Republican among 15 young Democrats. And get this -- he has opinions, too! My Republican classmate is both 18 and educated! Shocking! He has made it very clear that he is voting for McCain, and because he made the mistake of going to school in good 'ol blue Massachusetts, he is constantly grilled on his reasoning.
People want to know his opinions. They ask him to explain his reasoning. They all assume an 18-year-old McCain supporter has done his research.
I believe my Republican classmate has more credibility voting for McCain than I have voting for Obama. McCain has "substance" and therefore my classmate must, too. It is somehow understood that he has a "real" reason to vote for McCain. I'm just another mindless young Democrat who's got a crush on Obama.
I'm sorry.
Did anyone ever ask me why I support Obama? No. Would it be crazy if I said I actually find him to be more rational than Ms. Hillary Rational-Clinton has ever been? I've read Obama's platform, and I think it's the best one out there. I've seen him speak three times, and I was inspired by what he was saying, not just how he said it. Yes, I actually know what he stands for, and I am fully aware of where he wants to lead our country.
And I think that makes me a heckuva more educated voter than most of the patronizers I've come by.
But here is my worry: I'm afraid that I will hurt my candidate. I think the youth vote will hurt Obama.
I see it everyday: Obama is being dismissed by older generations on the grounds that he is attracting young voters, and because young voters are seen as uneducated, they in turn see him as superficial.
Yes, he is absolutely a breathtaking public speaker. Yes, he does have a certain fierceness in him that Clinton probably lost during menopause. And yes, these qualities are attractive to a young voter, like myself. But I am not naïve. And nobody puts baby, or Barack, in the corner.
Obama is regularly being compared to President John Kennedy. I see this as an honor, but not just for the reasons the media continues to obsess over, like the fact that he is "young" and as "Kennedy was the first Catholic", "Obama is the first black." While I believe these points are all worth noting, there is a far greater meaning in comparing the two politicians. They share so much more than what is on the surface. In fact, they share something I see as crucial: they share the same values.
If you look closely at Obama's platform, you will find many of the same ideals that Kennedy possessed, like "The Rights of Man," the need to challenge the status quo, and most importantly, the strength that is patience.
In President Kennedy's 1960 Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech, he said, "After Buchanan, this nation needed a Lincoln -- after Taft, we needed a Wilson -- after Hoover we needed Franklin Roosevelt . . . And after eight years of drugged and fitful sleep, this nation needs strong, creative Democratic leadership in the White House."
I think he was referring to himself. But as a virgin voter who supports Obama not just for his heart, but for his head as well, I see that Kennedy could have actually been referring to Obama, too.
Like Kennedy, Obama is simply offering something new, something creative, something substantive. I know this because I've done my homework, and in doing so, I've learned that Obama has done his.