Voices

Mr. McCain, I know it may come as a surprise to you, but there are actually voters under the age of 60 that support you. Not all of them, obviously, but there is a solid chunk of young Americans who think that you should be our next president. However, there are some of us that don’t agree with what you stand for or believe in the direction you want this country to go in.

Mr. Obama, you have a sizable lead over the Arizona Senator in youth support. There are some of us that agree with your policies, are ecstatic about your approach to politics, and are moved by your rhetoric. However, there are others that are skeptical about your experience, your trustworthiness, and your controversial background.

Ms.  Palin, we have to be honest with you. We didn’t know who you were up until a few weeks ago. Some of us like your fresh image, and your political message. Others are unsure about your credentials, afraid of your views on certain topics, and generally unsure if you can successfully lead this nation. We’re ready for you to prove us wrong if you so choose.

Mr. Biden, you’re quiet style is refreshing, but as a potential vice-president, we demand to know more about you. We want to know what you stand for as a politician. We want to know what your plans for this nation are. We want to know why we should vote for you. Most importantly, we want to know who Joe Biden is.

The point of all this is that my generation has a voice; but it’s not just coming from one mouth. Collectively we have plans, dreams, and expectations for our next president. What follows is a few voices from all over the country so all the candidates should listen closely. We need you to be our advocate in Washington for the next 4 years.

The best way to capture the “voice” of the youth is to let them voice their “voices” themselves. I generated “voices” by creating a forum on Facebook where anyone could post their ideas, concerns, views, and so on about the election, the candidates, the policies, the issues, etc. The following are some of the youth that spoke up.

“I think for me the most important reason why I like Obama so much is that he has this view that any new idea is a good idea, as long as it is for the betterment of all people. He doesn’t see race or age but instead he sees Americans who need to come together to better each other to accomplish things like healthcare and education reform and fixing things with the Middle East. I’m not saying every idea thrown at him he is going to take up and run with, but his mind is much more open then McCain’s.” Aaron Schrag - 5th semester Business and Political Science major at the University of Connecticut

“I think either man can honestly make a great president. But I do have to say for me there is just something sketchy about Obama. I’m not sure I can trust him. I think that I do trust more of McCain because I am a military brat and my dad was never around growing up because he was fighting for our rights. I like how Obamais all about CHANGE, but then again, McCain said that change is good for him too. McCain and Bush, bothfrom the same party, yet they both are going different ways in the government. I really don’t see why everyone is Anti- Bush, because honestly all [these problems] started when [Bill] Clinton was in office, but no one grasps that. I’m leaning towards McCain this time around mostly because I do trust most of what he is saying. Obama is a great speaker and would make a great president, I just find something very odd about him and I cannot pinpoint it.” Amanda Fandrey -  Liberal Studies major at Antelope Valley College

“I have a hard time understanding why it’s so hard to trust a man who worked hard on the Chicago streets for years, day in and day out, working to turn the city around. Obama helped low income families, worked to change and improve child labor laws, women’s rights, and so on. His first piece of legislation in the Senate was increasing the Federal Pell Grant that most low-income college students recieve every semester. You see, the deal with this election is how much longer can we really tolerate a republican conservative in office who’s working for the top 5% of the population. Not much longer, I’m afraid. Health care is a major problem for working families, the economy is in the dumps (but McCain doesn’t think so), and our country is blowing so much money on the war its ridiculous. I’m not all for government spending, but if we are going to spend trillions of dollars to the point that were trillions of dollars in debt, let’s use it to help American families who really need it.” Alex Martin - 5th semester Journalism and Political Science major at the University of Connecticut

“I definitely think that for America to thrive we need Obama in office. McCain says a lot of things that sound pretty but he never says how he will make these things comeabout. He mimicked Obama’s slogan “Change” but he has voted for the same stances as Bush 95% of the time. Obama is accepting of views different then the U.S.’s or his own but won’t compromise our country because of them, which is very important in our culturally diverse country and world. He chose his running mate based on who would benefit him and our country best. McCain met Sarah Palin the night before he announced her as his running mate and chose her because of her being a woman would bring him voters that were questioning Obama; white middle class women. This is one of the most important decisions a presidential candidate can make. Even just thinking of these choices and why they were chosen shows Obama sees the future of America as more important then his personal success.” Destiny Printz – 3rd semester Materials Science and Engineering major at the University of Connecticut

“At first I was a little apathetic about the whole thing because I don’t trust politicians to begin with, and I can see how both candidates are choosing carefully what aspects of themselves they are highlighting and what type of language they are using when describing themselves or their opponent; but that’s politics. However, the bottom line is that it comes down to choosing the BEST of the two; and as far as I’m concerned McCain hasn’t done enough to differentiate himself from Bush, and no one wants another Bush. I realize he’s in a tough spot because he has to make himself sound like he is gonna clean up the mess that Bush has left while at the same time backing him up to keep the Republican party united. I don’t think that he is enough of a difference. Besides that, Democratic ideas simply fit my own much more closely than those of Republicans. McCain is so traditional he scares me. Anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage AND civil union, he wants to keep Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and remain in the war? I think these things and others indicate that he is out of touch with both thechanging times and with the needs of the lower and middle classes. If you notice, I’m focusing on the negative things about McCain; I’m not a huge fan of Obama; probably because I know he’s a brilliant speaker and can convince people of pretty much anything so I don’t particularly trust him; but next to McCain there is no other choice for me. And it’s about time we have a president who’s not a white male. Hopefully soon we’ll have a woman!” Angelica Huertas - 5th semester English Language/Literature and Philosophy at Smith College

“Obama is a strong candidate and he identifies with people on many levels. However, at the same time I think people are forgetting one thing: One of the most substantial issues facing us right now is the war, and our overseas presence. While like you said, Obama hasn’t been afraid to get his hands dirty here at home, he has nowhere near the foreign experience McCain does. If anyone knows about war or how we should handle the war, its definitely him. I started off a strong McCain supporter, but as days go by I find myself more and more unsure, especially now that he has chosen Palin for his VP; I really cannot picture this country in her hands. I think I speak for a lot of people when I say that this election isn’t about picking the best candidate for the job, its turned into picking the lesser of two evils.” Jason Simonsen – 5th semester English major at the University of Connecticut

One election. One president. Two candidates.

One generation. One voice. Millions of contributors.

Alex J. Martin