Is Obama Only For Young American Voters?

The Pennsylvania Primaries are fast approaching as Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama take measures to increase their polls in a neck-and-neck race to win the Keystone State. As the competition ensues, two generations of voters struggle against each other in an attempt to make their voices heard and their votes appear significant.

On April 8, 2008 I participated in a discussion where fellow college students debated with experienced voters from the Jewish Community Center in Wilkes-Barre. The small group was riddled with avid Hillary and Obama supporters. Most of the Senior Citizens were pulling for Senator Hillary Clinton while most students tended to lean towards Barack Obama. Why is there such a divide between the generations in regards to the two Democratic Candidates?

One senior voter, Ruth Sten of Kingston told Newswatch 16, "The young people will go for the new guy on the block. He's young, has charisma and he's handsome.” (http://www.wnep.com). Sadly, this is the way that many senior voters feel towards the young voter’s admiration of Senator Barack Obama. What the senior voters do not realize is that a debate rages just and heavily among the youth voters as it does among them.

On the social networking site facebook.com, students have joined groups in support of Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. On these groups students pledge to vote for a specific candidate in the upcoming election and also post their opinions, support, and thoughts on the message boards. Though the boards are for supporters, many non-supporters (and even non-American citizens) will post a comment and strike up a debate. A McCain supporter Erin Cahan from Franklin High posted,” Everyone is entitled to their opinion but many of those who want Obama to win are too young or too uninformed to make a proper decision. Obama is the media darling but when it is all said and done this country as a whole will never elect him in November”( facebook.com/ Barack Obama for President in 2008). Statements like this rage across the internet showing that the young are bringing up similar issues in the debate between the Democratic Senators.

Seeing the reactions of both young and old voters I have come to the conclusion that there is not really that much of a divide between old and young when it comes to the 2008 political candidates. The issue inherent seems to be that the older generation is not seeing the youth’s debates and viewpoints since they are displayed in a media outlet that they are not exposed to.

Heather Chulick '09
Wilkes University
Communication Studies