New Voter Foundation

I just read Debra Saunders’ article “McCain’s Straight Talk Need Sizzle” and it got me thinking: Can John McCain honestly hope to win the youth vote?

Saunders characterizes McCain as ‘a media consultant’s nightmare.’ I’m willing to go a step further and call him a geezer. I mean, when compared to the rock-star-like figure that is Barack Obama, McCain looks like the late Walter Matthau in the 1993 classic ‘Grumpy Old Men’ (I actually just dated myself–I just realized he died in 2000–how is that possible?). On this basis alone is it even possible for McCain to win the youth vote?

For the answer to this question you must ignore everything I just said. Now ask yourself, ‘does McCain’s persona really matter?’ Really, ask yourself this question. I understand that it may make him harder to relate to, but do we really need to be able to relate to the President of the United States? Think of it this way, in 2000 and 2004 many people voted for George W. Bush because he ’seemed like a guy you could have a beer with.’ Many people ignored the issues and voted on personality alone. Some would argue that we are paying the price for voting on the basis of a candidate’s likeability alone.

I would much prefer a president who commands respect. In that regard I think that both Obama and McCain are worthy candidates. McCain may be older than Obama, but so long as McCain is healthy, the fact that he is 71 shouldn’t be an issue. Rather, McCain and Obama’s platforms should be the issue. And they should matter to everyone, including younger voters.

This is why it is bizarre to me that the media seems to have already gifted the 18-25 year old demographic to Barack Obama without much fuss. This doesn’t really seem fair. In fact, it is rather insulting. Just because McCain looks like a grandpa doesn’t mean his candidacy should be ignored. I think many young voters realize this. But if you haven’t, I am begging you: regardless of who you vote for, please do not let age be the deciding factor in your choice for president. Let your values guide you.

That being said, McCain cannot just give up on the youth vote. He must make a genuine effort to win the hearts and minds of America’s youth. At the same time, Mr. Obama cannot take the support of young people for granted. I commend Mr. Obama’s efforts thus far in getting young Americans involved in and excited about politics. I hope he continues to keep up the good work.

America’s youth comprise an incredibly dynamic and educated demographic, and their vote is as meaningful as any other. Whoever wins in November will need the support of 18-25 year olds. I suggest that the candidates sit up and take notice.

Yet another reason to love America: Celine Dion is Canadian.

In a new Total Guitar magazine survey survey of the best and worst song covers of all time, the magazine ranks Ms. Dion’s cover of AC/DC’s rock anthem ‘You Shook Me All Night Long’ as the very worst of the worst. A clip of the carnage can be seen here.

At the other end of the spectrum, Total Guitar rated the Jimi Hendrix cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘All Along the Watchtower’ as the very best. I should note that Mr. Hendrix was born in Seattle, Washington. Go USA.

I realize this has nothing to do with politics or the election, but it never hurts to be reminded of the sheer awesomeness of this country.

I just wanted to post this excellent article by Dahlia Lithwick which appears on Slate.com. The article, entitled “The Supreme Court: A User Guide,” is one of the best I’ve seen at explaining the role of the Court within the federal system and why it matters in U.S. politics. I encourage you to take a look.

Ok, so I lied about posting on McCain’s higher education plan. But with good reason. After scouring McCain’s official website and various political blogs I was unable to find anything relevant to Mr. McCain’s position on the issue–quite unfortunate. Fortunately, there is much else in the political world to write on–like the price of gasoline.

With the average price per gallon now at a staggering $4.08, many Americans are hurting. As a result, President Bush and some members of Congress are calling for an increase in domestic production of oil. The President and his Republican colleagues in Congress wish to expand American drilling efforts into the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and the eastern half of the Gulf of Mexico.

In the last few weeks, domestic drilling has become the hottest political issue in Washington, with the two parties taking opposing stances. The Republicans, including presumptive presidential nominee John McCain and Florida governor Charlie Crist, favor more domestic drilling, although McCain still opposes opening ANWR. On the other side, the Democrats, including their presumptive nominee Barack Obama, are generally opposed to the idea

What is interesting is that domestic drilling was not always a cut and dry political issue. Traditionally, drilling in the eastern Gulf of Mexico was viewed more as a state’s right issue. In Florida, a state that relies heavily on the economic boost provides by tourism, politicians from both parties (including Gov. Crist) voiced concerns about the potentially devastating economic and environmental consequences of an oil spill on the state’s pristine beaches. Florida therefore sought a choice on the drilling issue. Armed with a large electorate and 27 electoral votes, Florida’s united politicians were able to persuade multiple Presidents and members of Congress to place the entire area completely off limits from oil companies.

Drilling in ANWR was a more political issue spearheaded by environmental groups, but there was also strong local resistance from Alaskan tribal leaders who opposed opening the area because of the potentially negative effects on traditional hunting practices.

Of course, all of this changed as the price of oil started creeping above $150 per barrel. The highly speculative nature of the commodity now places the United States in a precarious position. The high price of fuel has caused food prices to also rise so that it is becoming incredibly difficult for lower and middle class Americans to make ends meet. On the other hand, the high price of oil has seen a move towards more fuel efficient vehicles, a greater reliance on mass transit, and increased interest in alternative energy sources.

It is great to see a move towards renewable energy sources and smaller cars and indeed the cumulative effect such measures will have on the environment are not small. But of unfortunately, solar-, hydro-, and wind-technologies are not yet utilized on a large enough scale to allow the United States to end it addiction to oil. Thus, the country is forced to rely on foreign nations for its energy needs, and this raises economic and national security concerns.

So what for a solution? The way I see it, two things need to happen:

First, we need to end our reliance on foreign oil. The long term implications of this are great. If the United States is energy independent there will longer be rumblings (right or wrong) about American imperialism. No longer will there be any questions about American foreign policy motives. An energy independent America can return to leading the world by example.

Second, we need to foster a technological revolution that will allow this country to stop using carbon-based fuels (oil) sometime within the next quarter-century. If President John F. Kennedy could convince a nation to put a man on the moon within a decade, certainly both Mr. Obama and Mr. McCain can encourage an end to oil consumption by 2035.

To achieve this we will have permit domestic drilling in the short term. To me, it makes more sense to drill within the Gulf of Mexico than it does to open up ANWR. Since American companies are already drilling in the western half of the Gulf, it is evident that we have the capacity to perform such deep water drilling in a relatively safe and responsible manner.

However, I must stress one point, by allowing domestic drilling in no way am I suggesting that the United States return to its old habits. The gas guzzling SUV to me represented the height of American excess. Instead, I would like to see further efforts to expand use of public transportation and production of fuel efficient vehicles. Congress should establish a price floor on gas so that it cannot return to prices that make us complacent. The high price of gas would remain as a reminder of the ultimate goal–zero reliance on oil.

A charismatic anti-war candidate captured the hearts and minds of America’s youth. He shocked his party’s establishment by beating insiders who had been around (and indeed were more experienced) for decades. Barack Obama? Nope… try George McGovern…

The irony here, in part, is that the very rules that helped Barack beat Hillary Clinton to the nomination (read: Superdelegates and proportional representation) were crafted to prevent a repeat of the unprecedented nomination of Mr. McGovern. Interestingly, McGovern endorsed Obama just last month and called for her to drop out of the race.

Recent polls have shown a significant lead for Obama among young voters. Gallup’s most recent poll showed Obama beating McCain by 23% among voters under 30. Hardly a surprise, considering the youth vote has long been considered to be at the very center of Obama’s constituency. Obama’s lead, however, also extends to voters in their voters, though by a slightly diminished margin.

What is notable, and arguably comparable to 1972, though, is that it would seem, anecdotally, that much of the excitement around Obama’s candidacy is concentrated in that constituency. They form the bulk of his staff, fill his offices with volunteers, and cheer excitedly from behind him on stage as he speaks (that is, unless they have fainted… or are wearing a hijab).

In any event, while the story of the Obama candidacy is yet to be determined, we clearly know what happened to Senator McGovern (just take a look at the electoral map above). It was through the McGovern campaign that scores of young people were introduced to the political process (including a young Bill Clinton). While many of those became life-long Democratic political operatives, many simply became disillusioned with politics… some had even become Republicans before they once again became involved again. In addition, McGovern’s candidacy also resulted in a significant backlash among some youth who would otherwise have been more comfortable with a foreign policy hawk like Scoop Jackson rather than the dovish McGovern.

The question is what will happen this time if Senator Obama does not win? Will this excitement yield an enduring idealogical shift among the youth or will it be a short-term bump? And perhaps more importantly, will there be the sort of long term consequences that occurred as a result of McGovern’s disastrous candidacy.

Few are so delusional to think that the 1972 electoral map is even remotely likely to be repeated (indeed, it is unlikely that we’ll such a landslide in our lifetimes), but are we perhaps repeating history in other ways?

Yesterday, Democratic Presidential candidate and Illinois Senator Barack Obama unveiled his plan to revamp higher education in the United States. Speaking at a town hall meeting in Taylor, Michigan, Mr. Obama directly addressed the issue of college affordability, a topic relevant and important to America’s young voters (click here for full text).

Highlights of the Obama proposal:

• Mr. Obama proposes a $4,000 annual “American Opportunity Tax Credit” to help cover college tuition and fees. The tax credit would cover two-thirds of the annual cost of tuition to the average-priced public college or university or the entire cost of tuition at a local community college.

• In exchange for the tax credit, students would be required to complete 100 hours of community service. Mr. Obama said that the idea behind the public service requirement was that “you get a hand living your dreams, and then you help your fellow citizens live theirs…”

• Mr. Obama also proposes a stronger federal student loan program which would require that all student loans be provided by the federal government.

• Finally, Mr. Obama proposes a “Community College Partnership Program” to help students at those institutions by providing relevant skills to help them compete in local industries. The program would also reward those schools with the highest graduation rates and the schools with the highest transfer rates to four-year colleges.

Mr. Obama’s remarks reveal to me two important points:

First, the speech illustrates that Mr. Obama is truly sympathetic to the high cost of education in this country. Since Mr. Obama himself has had experience with stifling student loans, he is seeking to alleviate some of the financial pressure facing future generations. The tax credit is in no way a handout; rather, Mr. Obama’s program seeks to foster civic involvement by simultaneously improving life for both the individuals receiving the credit and the communities in which they are living.

Second, the address demonstrates Mr. Obama’s understanding that education plays an important role in America’s drive to remain relevant and competitive in the world. Mr. Obama recognizes that the country must now compete with countries such as China and India, and he acknowledges that, in many ways, the United States has been unable to keep up with those rapidly developing countries. Mr. Obama is quite correct to link America’s floundering educational system with America’s diminishing status in the world. The Obama proposal reflects a desire to reinvigorate America’s system of higher education so that students from all backgrounds can help the United States compete on the global stage.

Overall, I am impressed with Obama’s proposal. Politicians have ignored the education issue for far too long and as a result we are now experiencing the consequences of their neglect. Tomorrow I will outline the education platform of the Republican nominee John McCain. Until then, let me know what you think about the Obama proposal.

Introduction

Welcome to the official blog of the New Voter Foundation. My name is Scott and I’m one of the co-founders of NVF. I wish to thank you for checking us out and I hope you’ll return to the website in the future. With this first post I hope to explain the concept behind NVF and to provide you with our goals for the future.

Who Are We?

The New Voter Foundation is the brainchild of Vance Aloupis, Harout Samra, and Scott Nuzum (me), three politically active twenty-somethings who met while attending law school at the University of Miami. Over countless lunches, the three of us discussed the political issues of the day and lamented over the fact that there existed no resources or groups aimed at educating young voters about relevant political issue. Sure, there operated countless “get out the vote” organizations and even a few academic groups that studied youth voting, but none of these provided young people with the information they needed to make educated political decisions. What we sought to create was something more than a group that discussed the fashion trends and past drug usage of the candidates; we wanted to create a medium through which 18-25 year olds could engage politicians over the issues that truly mattered to them. With that NVF was born.

What Do We Do?

NVF endeavors to empower young people. The 2008 Presidential election stands to be one of the most important in our nation’s history. Issues such as the economy, global warming, healthcare, and Iraq will arguably impact young people more than any other demographic. That being the case, it only seems fair that the youth of American play a significant role in deciding how this country faces these issues. Our website aims to provide you, the young-American voter, with non-partisan coverage and analysis of the issues that matter most to you. Using a variety of web-based mediums (such as this blog and video clips) we will provide youth with access to information and candidates.

What Do You Do?

We encourage you to participate. Comment on the blog. Submit questions you’d like us to ask candidates. Tell us what you think is important and why. The strength of our political system lies in our ability to engage in lively discourse over issues of great importance; everyone should be given the opportunity to express their opinion. All we ask is that you respect those opinions. Simply put, this means stay civil or we will have to remove your comments.

The Future

With the 2008 Presidential election five months away, expect a flurry of activity on the site and the blog. We promise to keep everything updated. We hope you’ll make us a part of your daily surfing.

Stop the apathy and start the dialogue.