Since the age of 10 I’ve been a political geek. I remember watching Larry King Live with my grandparents during a sleep over night and a senator was commenting on the election between Dole/Kemp and Clinton/Gore. The senator said something that I thought was ridiculous and I decided to react aloud to the TV. My dear Pa said, “Elisha… now you’re only 10 and haven’t had that much life experience so if you’re going to correct an adult and talk to the TV like me then you need to be able to back it up.” He was right. We then delved into a conversation about politics and since that day I’ve constantly reminded myself of his advice.
Young voters are crucial! Young voters are what put former Senator and now President Obama on the political pedestal in the 2008 election. So why do so many people under the age of 30 say they don’t know what’s going on or don’t care about politics?
Almost every week I (for my job) am down in Penn Station with the task to find random strangers for my boss to interview. My boss then asks them simple questions from, “When is inauguration day?” to “How many justices sit on the supreme court?” Sometimes he’ll delve into bigger issues like whether they know the ins and outs of the healthcare bill. Here is where it’s scary; most 18, 20, and 30 year olds that I randomly choose have no idea that there are 9 Justices on the Supreme Court. Almost none know when inauguration day is… even those wearing a t-shirt that said, “bye Bush!”
We live in a time and place in which we have the ability to acquire knowledge easily and know what is going on in our community, state, nation and the world. We have access to Internet, newspapers, radio and television to educate ourselves. Read, watch and listen! Get to know what’s going on in the world (not just the USA) and figure out what your core issues are, what you stand for and believe in. Read all the party platforms from the Democrats to Libertarians to determine who you want to be affiliated with and go from there.
Let’s be honest, my generation has been persuaded that Republicans are rich white old country club members. Not true. The Republicans I know are of all ages and ethnicities. There’s a successful business owner from Brooklyn, NY who used to share a bedroom with 4 of her sisters and got into Cornell of her own merits and hard work. A single mom who’s going to school full time and worried about what she’ll do to keep her and her baby fed and clothed. A young professional out of college trying to navigate what’s next in his life while applying for jobs in finance. We’re a wide group and we’re welcoming. Don’t judge us by our cover.
One of the reasons we’re so quickly judged is that the left has been able to create a cadre of attacks against us that, when tested don’t line up. They’re able to mesmerize and awe gen x’ers and millenials with their former Facebook employees, journalists who join their campaigns, rock stars and celebrities. What does the right have? Values. Just because you care about human rights doesn’t mean the GOP won’t have you. Some of the greatest human rights reform occurred under the Bush administration and were championed by GW who considered himself a “compassionate conservative.”
Conservatives today should represent what younger generations want and desire. We stand for Freedom, liberty, capitalism, free enterprise, the importance of human rights and much more. Jason Mattera’s book Obama Zombies lays out this argument better than I ever could, so pick up a copy now. If people look at what matters instead of looking at what’s cool then they will know that politics are important and they should get involved.
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“What does the right have? Values.”
That’s the point I try to make to teens, but some times it seems that people my age want to have fun and make money, and could care less about values. There are some great young people out there, but we are few. I’m right here with you Elisha because –as you said– it is young voters that make a lot of the decisions. If the youth can learn what is right and what is true, then great things can be done!