Obama's message sparks interest for young

suburbanchicagonews.com ^ | 06/08/08 | ELISABETH KILPATRICK AND ERIKA WURST

[TornadoAlley3]

He has almost 900,000 friends on Facebook, compared to John McCain's 140,000. A Web site of his supporters calls him their "homeboy." Gyrating college girls pledge their love for him on YouTube. And he could be our next president?

As Barack Obama moves into general election mode, many point to his ability to excite the under-30 set as one of his biggest strengths. Around the Fox Valley, official Obama groups are popping up at universities and high schools, including Northern Illinois University and Rosary and Waubonsie Valley high schools in Aurora, and plenty of young voters seem ready to hop on the Obama bandwagon.

"I like Obama," said 21-year-old Mac Scarle, of Aurora, as he strolled through his workplace at Westfield Fox Valley mall, taking inventory and sporting a baseball cap backward. "We're not used to having a politician that's younger. How old is McCain? 71?"

First-time voters, many of whom are college-age or recent grads, have been the backbone of Obama's support throughout the primary race. Chatting with friends during her lunch break at the mall, Danielle Oldin, of Montgomery, said this year's election has everyone paying attention.

"I actually know who's running this year," the 19-year-old said.

Scarle admitted that he didn't vote during the last presidential election, even though he was already 18. This year, though, will be different.

"This is a chance for something new to go down," he said.

*****

New ideas, including pulling out of Iraq and an unprecedented move toward universal health care, are central to Obama's platform. Many young voters point to disillusionment with the status quo and Obama's message of hope as their reasons for supporting him.

Ben Mullenbach, 19, got involved in the Kendall County Democratic Party before he could even vote. Now a precinct committeeman, the Oswego resident said his top three political priorities are Iraq, health care and preserving American jobs, priorities that he thinks mesh well with Obama's own goals.

"I think that Hillary Clinton is an expert politician, and she knows what to say and when to say it," he said. "Barack Obama is a leader. ... We need a leader, not a politician."

Some seasoned Democrats say that they've seen young people slowly become more involved in the political process over the past few years. Back when Obama was still a newly elected junior senator from Illinois, NIU professor Paul Stoddard said, students were already growing more engaged.

"Things have gotten off track in people's minds, and the time to do something about it is now rather than later," said Stoddard, adviser of the university's College Democrats group.

In the five years Stoddard has advised the group, meetings have grown from a handful of students to 20 or more. He counts Obama as an influence on political participation, saying many students feel they've found a candidate they can get behind.

"There's a lot of excitement about him," he said. "After his (2004 Democratic) convention speech, a lot of people stood up and took notice."

*****

Looking beyond the issues, there's also Obama's undeniable rock-star appeal. A youthful 46, he still plays hoops regularly. He gave his wife, Michelle, the ever-hip fist-pound the night he clinched the nomination. People faint during his speeches.

Mullenbach called it "the 'X' factor," saying Obama has the power to "inspire people."

"I think you have to be able to stand strong on the issues ... but you also have to be charismatic," he said. "He's one of the most charismatic leaders this country has seen in a long time."

For younger voters, that charisma goes a long way.

"He has the ability to get anyone's attention, and that helps our generation get involved," said 19-year-old Lauren Fialkowski, taking a lunch break from her job at the mall. "We understand what he's saying; he's not just some old guy blabbing on."

When Obama came to speak at her school, Iowa State University, Fialkowski said her whole campus turned out.

"He's younger and an amazing speaker," she said. "I think Obama will bring good change, fresh ideas."

Obama's home-state status doesn't hurt among Fox Valley's voters, either. Amy Cihak, of Obama Backers from the Burbs, said the Wheaton-based group has enjoyed plenty of support from local college students. Cihak, an Aurora resident, has traveled to Iowa, Wisconsin and Ohio to drum up more Obama voters.

"It's really a thrill to go to another state and be able to say, 'My name is Amy and let me tell you about my senator,'" she said.

*****

For many teens and college students, Obama's politics of change stretches beyond what he hopes to accomplish in Washington. The son of a white woman and an African man, Obama has talked about occasionally getting by on food stamps during his childhood. Some say his candidacy is literally changing the face of who a presidential candidate is expected to be.

"Obama came from more of a background that we all came from," said Ramadah Sulejmani, 27, over a sundae at Oberweis in Oswego.

Sulejmani, who is Muslim, said he is heartened by the shift in racial and cultural perceptions he's seen this election cycle.

"We want change, and the fact that the Democrats took a big chance on a white woman and a black man says that," he said.

Obama's historic feat of becoming the Democratic Party's first black candidate has inspired other young Americans to dream big. At 16, Marcos Hernandez and Brian Wesley can't even vote yet, but are eager for their turn in the political system.

"I'm going to be the first Mexican president," a smiling Hernandez said while signing up for summer classes at Waubonsee Community College. "He opened the door for that."

[avacado]

"Obama has talked about occasionally getting by on food stamps during his childhood."

*sigh*

Narcotic welfare for the masses is in his blood.

[Jeff Head]

Gyrating college girls pledge their love for him.

Nothing matters to Obama's ardent followers who are not swayed by logic, reason, or truth, and to whom, regardless of his positions, his gaffes, his past, or his associations, he is an idol.

Nothing you can say or do will convince these people otherwise...


Because I am the one they and I have been waiting for...and I am lovin' it.

Those wild eyed people represent the millions of Americans raised in the government day-care and indoctrination centers we call public schools who did not have, or would not listen to, parents and others who tried to counterweight the garbage they heard at school...who have been raised on 60 second sound bite time spans and know no better.

You have other tens of millions on the dole who will vote for him regardless of position because he promises to keep pilfering the public largess for them.

Still othes of millions will vote for him simply because he is black.

Other millions will vote for him because they know exactly who he is and what he represents and agree with his anti-American positions.

The first three are all what is termed, useful idiots, a term coined by Lenin for the dupes he got to support him.

Against this it is left to us to educate, arouse, and amass the tens of millions of Americans who understand and hold fast to the foundational principles our constitutional republic rests upon...many of them the bitter, rural Americans clinging to their guns and religion that Obama so arrogantly spoke of.

Given all of this, the following comparison is worth noting:

A populsitic, charismatic, self-serving individual has a way of mesmerizing foolish people looking for an idol...then and now.

Barack Hussein Obama is the apex of the hate-America, domestic enemy in this country. His election as president would be the greatest coup any enemy has ever scored against this country and could easily lead to the worst, horrific disaster in our nation's history.

THE AUDACITY OF TRUTH ABOUT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA

[TornadoAlley3]

“Obama came from more of a background that we all came from,” said Ramadah Sulejmani, 27, over a sundae at Oberweis in Oswego.

Sulejmani, who is Muslim, said he is heartened by the shift in racial and cultural perceptions he’s seen this election cycle.

[yldstrk]

Ladies, he’ll love you and use you. Obie is in love with himself. He really doesn’t want to do anything but rule.

[raybbr]

"This is a chance for something new to go down," he said.

Oh, the irony. The very country he walks in may very well "go down" with Obama as president.

[EggsAckley]

Seems to me that during just about every presidential run the Dems are frothing over the “youth vote.” And the youth vote usually doesn’t even bother to vote in November. It’s a familiar pattern.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

"We understand what he's saying; he's not just some old guy blabbing on."I'm glad somebody understands what he's saying.

My 21 year old daughter went to an Obama rally and came away all starstruck. "Dad, he wants to change things ".

I asked her what changes he would make and she couldn't name a single one. I asked her what was wrong with the country and all she could say was we shouldn't spend money on war when we could be spending it on education. I pointed out that most school districts already spend $10,000 to $15,000 per year per student, asked if she really think more money would fix all the pathologies in education. And besides, how would she have us deal with the Islamic lunatics that want to destroy America and have been working at it for three decades? She then moaned about the high cost of college; I retorted that Democrats have controlled education for 50 years, so why would you elect a person who created the mess in the first place to fix it?

This is sure disappointing and exactly what I was afraid of when she went to a large state school. But the starry-eyed idealism of youth is often replaced with hard-boiled adult pragmatism when you finally discover all the free loaders who want to stake a claim on your paycheck. Time will tell...

[Free ThinkerNY]

[KevinJohnson]

“Gyrating college girls pledge their love for him on YouTube”

So do antisemitic “pastors” and race-hate lunatics on YouTube. And, the antisemitic Obama pastors on Youtube have had vastly more hits than yet another bunch of giggly, horny, but empty headed post- pubescent girls.

[big'ol_freeper]

[bikerman]

They are missing the BIG question— BOXERS or BRIEFS???

[freekitty]

Most anything the older generation doesn’t like will spark the interest of the younger crowd.

However, a lot of them seem to be deciding in favor of family and conservative values more than the drival that comes out the mouths of anti-americans.

[Names Ash Housewares]

Every election the youth vote is HYPED like crazy and of course it is always for the democrat, and it always ends up it was no different then the election before.

[mulligan]

He is easy to understand. He is saying NOTHING. What does that say about our educational system? It says much, the children are learning NOTHING. Read an article the other day that said no thinking person could vote for O. He is a ZERO. My answer to that is, I am not sure there are enough thinking people left in America today.

[johnthebaptistmoore]

Barack Obama yet again taking full advantage of the stupid and of the ignorant from within the general public.

[djsherin]

Plain and simple, Obama is a passion-over-reason politician. Yet the best the RP can come up with is John McCain. We have 2 terrible candidates to 2 choose from, unless you’re like me and voting third party (even though they have a very slim chance of winning I can’t vote for the other 2).

Obama wants more welfare type programs (health care and probably increases in every other “entitlement”).He wants to increase education spending (Too bad Bush did that by over 100% and nothing has changed, not to mention the fact that education is not mentioned in the Constitution therefore it can only be managed by individual states). Obama is empty, but apparently very inspiring, rhetoric...

[usmcobra]

Every presidential election the democrat always appealed to the young.

The young have always failed to deliver as well.

[Notasoccermom]

He is easy to understand. He is saying NOTHING.

Has anyone read The Culturally Savvy Christian by Dick Staub? This book puts pop culture into perspective. While dealing primarily with how pop culture affects Christianity and the Church, the book also translates into how pop culture affects politics, education and the marketplace. The McCain campaign committee would do well to read it.

[jmaroneps37]

The clearasil crowd will elect barack curious george mcgovern just as it elected former presidents frenchie and algore.