And it ends…

How do you reconcile 13 weeks and 15,000 miles of driving into one post? How can you possibly be expected to take 120 disparate interviews of young people and come to a final conclusion about the experience? The short answer, is of course, that you cannot. But the short answer is also a cop-out, so I’m going to try.

I left on my road trip on June 7th with the idea that I was going to return with a better understanding of my generation, and a better understanding of my country. To a degree, the varied experiences I had only muddled my vision. It would have been so easy to find that all young people think a certain way, that we were all just 20-something bloggers in pajamas who wept at Barack Obama speeches turned into music by Will.I.Am. But, having met cynics and Panglossians, conservationists and vandals, liberals and libertarians, tatterdemalions and fops, and Palin-lovers and Biden-worshippers, drawing a single conclusion about the youth vote became increasingly difficult.

This is not to say that certain trends remain consistent. Wherever I went, the importance of the internet was ubiquitous (says the internet journalist…). In Albermarle, North Carolina I had young and old people alike telling me that for the first time in recent history political arguments were arising in the households. Now that children were logging onto the web in their rooms, they had different news sources from their parents and were therefore better equipped to make their own political arguments. In Big Sur California, the wilderness may be king but broadband came in a close second. In addition to hiking among the redwoods, Steve Yahn spends his time surfing the net reading alternative zines and keeping himself informed. Even in Hazel Green, Alabama where I went to the infamous tractor pull, the internet had its role. The group of high school graduates felt confident calling Barack Obama a Muslim and a Jew because they “had read it on the internet.” It’s nothing new to say that the internet is shaping politics, but what was amazing to me was the nearly 100% of the young people I talked to claimed to get most if not all of their news from the web.

In some ways, my findings were  disappointing. The majority of people I spoke with had relatively little knowledge about the political scene. I can’t tell you how many people thought Hillary Clinton was still in the race through August, or who didn’t know what offshore drilling was, or who didn’t know individual stances on immigration or education, and whole groups of people who resorted to shaping their opinions based on identity politics.

But, what was uplifting, was that despite relative ignorance of actual policy, young people seemed hungry to make a difference. Sure, plenty of people will argue that an uninformed vote is a worthless vote, but I think the fact that the majority of people I interviewed planned on voting is good for democracy. The very participation in choosing a president is a boon to the system. Sure, inspirations and aspirations varied greatly from person to person, but most of the people I spoke with felt that their vote counted, that their voice could and would be heard. It shouldn’t be naive to feel that your voice is important to your country, and the youth’s desire and belief in being heard is the most laudable thing I learned about my generation.

Young and Republican

St. Paul, Minnesota: One of the first speakers at tonight’s RNC event was a 20-year-old young woman named Ashley Gunn. Gunn began her speech by trying to disprove the old Socratic saying that “Children are Tyrants.” She told the crowd that when she was 12 years old she went to Africa on a mission trip, and the poverty she saw astounded her. 

“Why them, and not me,” she remembers thinking. She decided to start a non-profit called Students Aiding Indigent Families (SAIF), to prove that even young people are willing to make a difference. This part of the story drew a polite applause from the audience. When she said “In [making this group] we empower the urban poor to become homeowners without the aid of government spending,” however, the crowd went wild.

Being under the age of 40, Gunn was a minority in the Xcel Energy Center tonight (in terms of age, not in terms of politics), but she was not the only one. I talked to a number of young Republicans to find out what it’s like to be on the other side of the youth movement. When most people think about young voters, they think about Barack Obama supporters, and this is something that many young Republicans take issue with.

“If I leave my home town and am approached about politics people assume I’m an Obama zealot,” John Shad, 20, from Atlanta, Georgia told me. “A lot of young people are so naive, so easily fooled by smooth talking and trumped up speeches. I don’t fall for that shit. I like cold hard facts, and cold hard experience.”

Shad was not the only person I talked with who did not want to associate with other young people.

“A lot of people my age don’t have a grasp on what’s going on in the world,” a 22 year-old seating attendant who wished to remain nameless (attendants were not supposed to talk politics to guests). “It might be appealing to have the government try and bail out poor people, but that’s not the way the government works. It might be appealing to get out of Iraq, but that’s not the way war works. It might be appealing to have the government fix schools, but that’s not the way education works. McCain is talking in practical terms, and it’s time young people got more practical.”

Christian values rock!

Sioux Falls, South Dakota: With his shoulder length blond locks, a white tank top hugging his skinny frame, and his defined arms outstretched horizontal to the ground, Phil Joe really looked like a rock star Jesus. Perhaps that was the point. After all, this was a Christian Rock show. And, with 120,000 people watching (this was day three of the LifeLight Festival), Phil Joe probably had more followers than Jesus ever had while alive.

While Joe jumped around stage, doing a better impression of Mick Jagger than of a preacher, I took the time to walk around and see what the young Christian vote had to say about Sarah Palin.

I walked past tents handing out free bibles, and people giving out free hugs. I walked past people wearing shirts that looked like they advertised Pepsi, but instead said “Jesus.” The son of God’s head literally spun as Frisbees with his profile sketched on top flew past. Next to a henna booth, I met a young engaged couple who were following the election with much fervor, and were both very excited about the addition of Palin to the Republican ticket.

“She might not have a lot of foreign policy experience, but she has more executive experience that Obama and Biden,” said Tim Cruise, 21 who was a large 6’4″ with yellowing teeth. “She’s good for the Republican party because McCain has had so much controversy of whether he is liberal or conservative. This pick makes it a lot more clear what he stands for. It’s good that she has her conservative values like being pro-life and very Christian-based. I’m not going to say that I would vote for someone if God is not important to them.”

His fiancé, Katie Kruger, 20, agreed that Palin’s religious values were an important characteristic. Like many conservative Christians, Kruger picked up on a particular story that she feels indicates Palin’s core beliefs.

“She is a real inspiration to me,” Kruger said. “She could have had an abortion, but she chose not to. She found out that her child was going to have Down Syndrome, but they had the baby anyway and are raising it now. She’s not just saying that abortion is awful, she had to deal with it in her life, and she proved that she will stand by her principles. She didn’t say, ‘I can’t handle this,’ she dealt with it, and she had the baby instead of killing it. Now that’s leading by example. Plus. She’s not like Hillary Clinton, she’s more approachable, and just seeing her on TV holding a gun makes her look so powerful.”

For many people I spoke with, Palin was just the icing on the cake.

“Listen, I was always going to vote for John McCain,” said Connor McIntire, 20, adjusting his Elvis Costello black rimmed glasses. “The difference between the two candidates is that there is one who is ready to lead with experience, and one who puts himself forward as some sort of false messiah, a guy who can give a galvanizing speech but really has no substance. McCain might not have been perfect, but a lot of his flaws can be covered by Palin. Nobody is a perfect Christian, but Palin gives the ticket a religious face and a religious core that it lacked before.”

While some feel a deep sense of civic duty when it comes to the election, other young Christians speak as if the outcome is really out of their hands; as if whatever happens in November is just part of God’s plan.

“I’ve just been praying and asking that God’s will will be done with the election,” said Andy Hedlin, 22, who came to this concert from St. Louis and constantly fiddled with a cross hanging around his neck.  “I know that Jesus is not Republican and he’s not Democratic, he wants to establish his kingdom. And it’s not even a democracy it’s almost like a dictatorship where the king is a king of love. I’ve been praying that he will nominate the person that he wants. If it were up to me, I would elect Jesus, but that’s not going to happen until he comes back from the clouds. I can’t remember what Psalm it is, but it says that God gives the desire of all people’s hearts, as a nation, we get what we ask for, no matter what, whoever is elected, it’s because God has put them there.”

When I told him I was from Boston he said, “Oh man, you came all the way here from Boston, that’s holy.”

Working the night shift

After going to the Obama Invesco speech, I was so filled with energy that I spent the entire night walking around Colorado Springs talking about politics and life with my friend Adam. At about 4 a.m. we walked past a 7/11 just as the one employee was stepping out for a cigarette break.

Tom, a 20-year-old with a mane of curly hair, a ten-day-old beard, and glasses, may have been tired (his shift goes from 12 a.m.- 6a.m.) but he was in a similar state of mind as me.

“I am having Obama fever right now,” he said. “It’s so exciting, and the excitement is spreading. You know that right now you are standing in a blue-state. Colorado a blue state? It’s amazing!”

Tom may be young, but he has seen a lot of this country. He grew up in Illinois, moved to Southern California for high school, and then to Colorado Springs after graduating (he is currently saving up to go to college). All of this moving around has greatly affected his view of national politics.

“When I moved to Southern California my view on this country changed,” he said. “For the first time I saw poverty. As the economy got worse, and as there were more foreclosures, then the poverty spread into the suburbs. My family was living in a pretty nice area, but after a couple of years there was gang  activity on my street. The school system was so bad– lowest 5% of test scores in the country– that my parents pulled me out of school and taught me at home. All I know is that our country needs a change, and Obama is going to be the best first step imaginable.”

Hillary and Unity

Sitting on a bench on the 16th Street Mall, I saw the red white and blue colors of a Hillary for president sign. “This seems like a lost cause,” I thought to myself. When the mob of about 15 people got closer, I noticed that they were flanked by armored policemen and that many of their signs also claimed support for McCain. This was the first of numerous “Hillary supporters for McCain” marches that I saw through out the day.

A day after Senator Clinton gave an assertive plea for unity, this seemed a particularly egregious act where bitterness has taken over logic (after all, Clinton and Obama have much more in common policy-wise than Clinton and McCain). I also noted that not one member of the group could have been younger than 40. I wanted to find out how young Hillary supporters were coping with an Obama nomination (an Obamination?).

This turned out to be harder than I thought. I spent much of yesterday, and much of today making a fool of myself asking every young person if they had been or still were Hillary supporters. I took a tally, and it took 47 tries before I found one.

Josh Spencer, 27, a New York native (didn’t see that coming, did you?) spoke to me about what needs to happen for the party to come together.

“I understand people feeling bitter about losing,” he said. “I am still bitter about it. But that doesn’t make Obama a bad guy or a bad candidate. If anything it makes him a better candidate because it shows he can beat the most established. I liked a lot of Hillary’s policies better than Obama’s, namely her healthcare plan, but if you were to make a chart, there would be a lot more overlap between the two Democrats. It’s bad for the party and bad for the country for Hillary supporters to go for McCain, and I think everyone–from the media to people going to cocktail parties–need to to a better job of pointing out and talking about just how similar they really are.”

The problem with Ohio

For those of you who don’t know, in 2004 I waited in line for 10 hours to vote in Ohio along with 1,300 of my fellow Kenyon College students. Because of this, I have special interest in how the election will play out in Ohio. Not only is it an important swing state (again),  but also, I have seen first hand what fishy business can look like in that state. Fortunately, the then Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell (the guy whose oversight allowed this to happen) has been replaced by Jennifer Brunner. Unfortunately, it still looks like Ohio could be stolen.

I just met with an organizer who wished to remain nameless who had just come from a meeting with Brunner. He told me that Brunner seemed distraught at the fact that the voting machines in Ohio were very hackable.

“She told me that all it takes to get into those machines is a mini bar key,” he said. “It could be fixed if we went to paper ballots, but there is no way the legislatures would allow it because it would cost too much money, and would go against the ultra-rich machine companies. She said that she likes to sleep in on Saturdays, but couldn’t last week because she felt so sick to her stomach about the state of the election process.”

Let’s just hope that no evil mastermind stays in a hotel with a mini bar anytime soon….

The Spark Notes of Liberal Issues

If I were to take all the hopes and aspirations from the dozens of interviews I conducted during the last 12 weeks and try to make a Disney World theme park (maybe called Youth Politics Kingdom), I would create the 16th street Mall of Denver during the DNC. The 16th Street Mall (a long stretch of road ensconced by stores) is a political junkie with ADD’s dream, for you can’t walk for three seconds without having all the issues flash before your eyes.

For the young woman spoke with in Del Rio, Texas,  who crosses the border every day to go to and from work, a group of Mexican-Americans carry signs that say: “Mexicans are not animals, don’t put up a fence.”

For the Italian Ice vendor in Charleston, South Carolina, who is trying to become a teacher and wants nothing more than for the country to revamp its education system there are men and women wearing shirts that say, “Got Tuition?” and “No more No Child Left Behind.”

For the young woman who is traveling around the country with her grandparents before her upcoming stint in the Air Force–the woman who claims that “Iraq is not really her scene”– there are the “Iraq Veterans Against the War,” running through the street pantomiming urban warfare.

For the park aids working and living in Big Sur who worry about the state of our environment and the encroachment of offshore drilling, there are dollar bills with McCain’s face with the denomination “Oil Dollar” and pamphlets from the League of Conservation Voters that compare the two candidates energy plans (hopefully made from recycled paper).

For the young man in New Orleans worried about how America is perceived abroad after Guantanamo there is a man dressed in orange “enemy combatant” garb complete with a black bag over his head.

And for all the dispassionate or unconcerned young voters, there are plenty of people carrying signs and wearing shirts with their own agendas: “Bring Back Crystal Pepsi,” “Vote for Satan” and “Cheaper Beer” to name a few.

A six thousand word post

 

 

 

Button Brigade

The streets of Denver are filled with people handing things out. Pamphlets decrying everything from torture to bird porn (apparently when bird enthusiasts watch birds mate, they scare the birds and hurt procreation…) flutter through the street. Two young guys walked down the street carrying “clean coal” fans saying, “I don’t even know what this means, I haven’t even read the damn things.” Counterfeit dollars with the McCain’s mug shot and the denomination “Oil Dollar” abound, as do any number of items with the words “Hope” and “Change.” 

Two girls, Rebecca and Liz, both 20, drove all the way from Pensacola, Florida, just to hand some of these items out. Unlike many of the standard buttons (you know them, the black and red portrait of Obama looking like Che for example), these girls made their own buttons on a machine given to Liz as a birthday present years ago.

“It’s super easy to make a button,” Rebecca said, pantomiming a stamping motion with her hand. “You just draw whatever you want, and stamp it in the machine. It’s easy art for everyone to wear.”

Self proclaimed “terrible artists” the two girls drew what they claimed to make “ugly, but tasteful illustrations of Obama,” and made over 200 buttons to hand out at a “slow and deliberate speed.” All pictures of Obama, the buttons together look like the refrigerator of a family with a fourth grader. There are drawings of Obama holding hands with his family smiling under the sun, and a recently done work of the presidential hopeful body-surfing in Hawaii.

“It’s one thing for people to wear buttons that were made in a factory,” Rebecca said. “It’s great to show support, but it’s easy for that support to get lost in the mix. These buttons show a unique kind of support, one that indicates at least a little effort from someone.”

As for the experience: “This has been a great trip,” Liz said. “It was fun coming up with the silly designs, and the reactions of people have been great. People might think that we are a little slow, but it’s for a good cause.”

The Big Top Echo Chamber

In every sense of the word, the Big Tent is an echo chamber. The high metallic ceilings and air vents keeps the decibels of conversation reverberating just a little bit longer. A loudspeaker with a cool fembotic voice intermittently announces what’s happening on the second floor (that’s right, this tent has two floors). And, of course, there is the echo of the media (readers will note that my last posts, about other bloggers only added to this). While bloggers munch on their free Udi’s sandwiches, or sit at the long-house style tables pounding on their keyboards, it’s only a matter of time until everything that is happening in Denver gets written about a million times. When all of the news has been covered, bloggers turn to their neighbors and blog about bloggers. Within a five minute span yesterday I was interviewed by Youth Radio and a guy who looked like David Crosby (now) named Avery who keeps a blog called the AveryVoice. If you were to take every blog post dispatched from the Big Tent, you would have an enormous web, and at the epicenter would be the blogger himself.