Posted on 06/02/2003 9:37:55 PM PDT by DPB101
History books are sure to remember the presidential election of 2000 as the Florida Fiasco, an epic tale of pregnant chads and endless recounts. But what if the upcoming election in 2004 becomes so close that its fate will ultimately rest upon how college students vote?
Some experts suggest that an April poll sponsored by Harvard University's Institute of Politics may prove this to be a possibility. According to the poll, which surveyed 1,200 college undergraduates, 78 percent say they are registered to vote, and 59 percent plan to definitely vote in the next presidential election.
"This is an enormous reservoir of potential voters and volunteers, almost 10 million strong, who can be channeled to winning campaigns if they are nurtured," said Dan Glickman, director of the Institute of Politics, in a press release.
"Most revolutionary ideas in this country have tended to come from universities and students," Glickman further explained to USA Today. "The more we disengage this group of people, the more likely...we're going to (maintain) the status quo."
Of course, this depends on how the word "revolutionary" is defined. From looking at the poll's data, it seems that there is indeed a revolution of sorts going on, but it's not the kind that would please Noam Chomsky or International ANSWER. This revolution is not being waged in the streets; it's furtively happening within the classrooms. It's being called the "conservative revolution."
True, conservatives may not be in the majority yet, but they are coming close. According to the Harvard poll, students identifying themselves as conservative or right-of-center weigh in at 32 percent, creeping only four percentage points behind liberal and left-of-center students.
Furthermore, students of a variety of political stripes are eschewing the myopic America-bashing spouted by the far-left antiwar movement. An amazing 92 percent of students polled considered themselves to be patriotic. Sixty-five percent supported the war with Iraq, and almost three-quarters believe that the military "does the right thing" most or all of the time.
And here is something that will irritate those who call our president the "commander in thief." If an election were held today between President Bush and a generic Democratic candidate, the Harvard poll says Bush would likely win in a narrow 34-32 percent victory.
The New York Times reported that campus conservative groups are trying to keep this rightward trend alive and growing ("The Young Hipublicans," 5/25). Denise Chaykun, a member of Bucknell University's Conservatives Club, spoke to the Times and attributed the growing revolution to a backlash against condescending political correctness.
"You come to college, and the message they give you is, 'Your parents are racist, sexist, bigoted, homophobic, and we're going to take you and change that'," she said. "A lot of the courses are mushy stuff about sex and gender and social relations."
As a result of this backlash, some professors now complain that their ideas are not being heard. In the Times article, one Bucknell economics professor moaned that conservatives have led other students to believe they are being indoctrinated with "liberal talk" and ideology.
And a social psychology professor said she saw students roll their eyes at a theory she mentioned suggesting that war coverage on Iraq could lead to an increase of U.S. homicides. "I could just hear them thinking, 'Oh, there she goes again!'" she said.
How ironic it is that in a time when so many professors exalt the golden virtue of dissent, these two become nervous once their theories are doubted or criticized.
As a conservative, I welcome the Harvard poll because it debunks the notion of college being a totally liberal-dominated institution. But my question to all the moderates and conservatives is: Where are our voices? Are we so self-conscious about drawing attention to ourselves?
I understand the feeling of not wanting to speak out for fear of being alone or inviting conflict with a classmate or a professor wielding a political axe to grind. But regardless, it is a disservice to our fellow students to keep our message hidden.
Like our liberal friends, we should fight stereotypes on campus whenever we see them. We must educate others that not all Republicans are evil, rich white males. And we should assert that patriotic Americans (both on the right and left) are not necessarily flag-waving peasants who are being manipulated by the corporate media.
If students are hungry for political awareness and activism, let this be our role.
It doesn't take a psychic to predict what will happen in a little over a year.
Before the 2004 elections, bitter left-wing activists will orchestrate anti-Bush demonstrations as an excuse to cut class and make noise. They will elevate their whining about Bush "stealing the election" to a fever pitch.
A few students might stop what they were doing to take notice and listen.
But maybe, most will just walk right by.
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