The Young Voter Can Change Everything

Very well done and very interesting! I can clearly see that the "young voter" surely can have an impact on the Presidential election. Now, get out there and vote - and be prepared to "be the change you want to see."

Great topic! The audio was poor at a few moments (when interviewing the professor) and the video quality could have been better, but in general it was a well produced pod. It's nice to see the topic of youth voting is getting a lot more coverage in this election cycle. Greenlight.

Great performance by the host. Reporting on the trend of increasing student performance, and lending an ear to the college demographic--very appropriate for our times, and two thumbs up.

Very well done. The New Hampshire student voter turnout information was especially interesting. Modern political discourse in this country could definitely use more independent young journalists. Looking forward to more soap-censoring!

I heard there were 145,000 newly registered voters in NH ... most transplants from Massachusetts (Boston).

Excellent segment, by the way.

I have mentioned in several places here on Current how the youth vote not only can change things in this country but increasingly looks as if it will. Politicians and the media have traditionally not paid any attention to young voters beyond what they can do as volunteers for campaigns. Statistically, youth voters have not come out in large enough numbers for the general election for anyone to pay attention to them. It's not only time for this to change but I believe this will be the election when it does. Until the age of 18, kids have no vote, no voice, no rights and even getting a driver's license or education funding for males is predicated upon them sacrificing themselves and their lives (Selective Service registration requirement) to any whim of war that any President might have no matter how unjustifiable or necessary. Check here for your state's requirement: http://www.sss.gov/FSstateleg.htm. With age comes wisdom but that doesn't apply universally....and ignores the reality that many young people are wise beyond their years. It's time for the youth of this country to stand up and be heard, be counted, be respected as the generation from which our future leaders will be born. Get out there and VOTE!

I hope the kids kick Hillary's ass.
I'm sick and tired of all those older women voting for Hillary just because she is a woman. How stupid is that?

stardate: ...no more stupid than people voting in the past based on how good looking or charismatic a candidate may have been perceived to be.

yes the young voters will have a huge impact on the election, but only due to their numbers. in reallity these kids don't know shit. voting is all new to them. it is like getting a new toy, at first it seems so cool and then you soon realize this toy sucks. these youngsters will find out soon enough what politics is all about and every promise made was just to get their votes and never had any intensions on being kept. that is the way it has been for over 200 years now. i understand that these kids know everything and you can't tell them anything, but we will see how they feel 25 years from now when they are still paying off their student loans. except the foreign students, we will be paying off their student loans for them for ever. sorry to be so harsh on you kids, but i only speak the truth,another quality that you will never find in politics along with common sense. i have to say that i do feel terribly sorry for the youth of today. they have no idea what america was really like and how nice society used to be. sleeping with unlocked doors, safely drinking water out of the faucet, television shows that were more entertaining than brainwashing, oh and let us not forget trust in your fellow man. i could go on forever reminiscing about the good ol' days, but they are long gone forever. this country is sold out, our enemies own us, thanks to the united states government. happy voting!

misanthropic: WE are the government (we voted the rascals in)....ergo WE sold our kids out and their futures (for our own here and now). You didn't just wake up one day to this New World. We created it....so look in a mirror and read your post to yourself, pointing the finger at self. I too grew up in the age where there were locked doors, and kids could ride their bikes anywhere safely, water came free and clean from the tap (if you had a well), etc etc. Things didn't change in a vacuum and the older generation forgets the wars of yore now do they? I know older folks that vote for dumber reasons than some younger voters (i.e. "he's handsome" or "I don't trust him, he has beady eyes" or "my husband told me who to vote for..."). Change is inevitable. We are responsible for the manner of change that takes place. Having young people take an interest in the world, a world they will one day rule (when you and I are in Depends and relying on them for support and safety) can't be a bad thing.

Interesting....we are living in a time of little to no morals. What this country was originally founded on no longer exists...God, Truth, Respect and Honor. If you look long enough - you will find the pendulum swings both ways. Until we get people voted into office who WILL NOT compromise God's values, truth and honor, this country will continue on a down hill slide. Most of you blame President Bush for our current "situation." Look back - look hard - you will see that unless ethics and morals exist in all areas of government, we do not stand a chance. Like it or not, our President stands for "justice" and he is a God fearing man. In this day and age that is not enough for most people. Very Sad! Until the time comes that we all put God back where He should be, until we become a society of morals and ethics, until we take a stand and stop "tolerating" despicable behavior in our fellow man - we will see no change! I am saddened at what is in store for the youth of America, unless they start the pendulum swinging the other way - GOD- TRUTH-HONOR-MORALITY-RESPECT!

marcih: I remember reading from more than a few relatively credible sources that the Administration was caught red handed so to speak admitting they used the religious right for their votes and their money and then called them wackos behind their backs. Here is one link I found about the book written about it: (that was written by a former White House staffer/official http://www.crooksandliars.com/2006/10/12/tempting-faith.... And here is the editorial blurb and Bio about the book adn author: http://books.google.com/books?id=o2gMzZozCVYC&vq=%2...%22

hey barkaway, thank you for your response. but i have to disagree. we are not the government, we are the government slaves. we have absolutely zero say in anything that takes place in government, come on you know that. yes we have the right to vote, but vote for what, vote for who. we get to pick from a small group of swine that are going to screw us every and any way they can. our choices are to vote for this wealthy person or that wealthy person. all they care about is money and power, and certainly not you and i. and besides didn't bushy prove to us in '04 that your vote does not count. our voting process is maybe one of the most easily manipulated processes around. i agree that we are not innocent in the decay of this nation, we have become the complacent, mindless little sheep that the government wanted us to become, so comfy on our fat asses clicking the remote.i challenge you and anyone else to come up with one good thing any political administration in our history has done for the citizens of america. i'm sorry that is a trick. don't waste your time trying because there is nothing. you might think of something, but i'm sure that what ever it may be, there is or was a disgusting agenda behind it. just like the tax refund. i here people saying how happy they are and how they will spend the money. what a joke. i hope you can see the agenda behind that one, it is simple. the democrats want to give the poor, lazy, irresponsible leaches $300 in tax relief when they don't even pay taxes to begin with, just to get their votes. so the republicans decided to give their business buddies a tax break to get their votes. so who gets the shaft?, once again the tax payers. and when it comes time to claim that money on your taxes, the $300 prize winners don't have to claim shit. it is just some extra spending money for them, because we pay for their housing, food, and everything else in their lives. while the hard working shlubs like me will probably use that money to put gas in my car, and the government knows that. they will just get it back one way or another. listen, i am sorry to rant on you, but i consider myself a champion of fairness. i care very intensly about fair treatment, and since the united states government is one of the most UNFAIR organizations in the world, i tend to get a little bent when discussing the topic. and i get even more nuts when i see and hear people who believe in our government and trust in it. what also drives me nuts is that i know how to fix it all, but my voice is just going to be floating around this web site with no direction and no oppurtunity to do a damn thing. well that's all for now, thank you for listening and take care.

misanthropic: Just curious....but what if people actually had the balls to NOT vote (in mass numbers) and to NOT pay their taxes until and unless we get the kind of representation afforded us by our founding documents? No pain, no change. No guts, no glory.

Might there be an effect on government policy or procedure if the electorate were to withhold their vote as some sort of ransom (until they received their demands/rights)? The answer is, yes and the results would be disastrous. Politicians have always played into the hands of their constituents, no matter how large or small that population might be. Less people voting, means less accountability.

The facts remains that not everyone in our country has the same ideology. Just as Americans can never agree on who or what to vote for, they would never be able to agree on what NOT to.

I get and understand misanthropic's apathy towards government but not voting will accomplish nothing, it will only give others more of a "say". This election, the young voter (18-29) is coming out in larger numbers than ever, and in my opinion, its not because they want to play with their vote "like a new toy". It is because they are tired of the tumultuous times we live in. They have been brought up in it, but they have also been raised with stories of the days when you didn't have to lock your doors, when the world loved the USA and one didn't have to live in fear 24/7. The young voter is eager to change the status quo, so let them, encourage them, our "democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time" - Winston Churchill

Thank you very much for your interest in the video- GET OUT AND VOTE

what's up guys, i get what you are saying. but the bottom line is, when will it end? we all know clinton nor obama are the answer. their idea of change is a fallacy. nothing will change. WE have to do something soon or this nation is history. every country hates us, we are a laughing stock, and it is only a matter of time before the head pops off. vote, don't vote, i don't know the answer to that. but i know that if we keep voting for the same rich vultures, it will never get better, only worse. i wish the american people could reattach their balls and stand up for something, anything! our country is filled with a new wave of immigrants that couldn't care less about it. all they want is to do is take, take, take from us, and take advantage of everything this country offers, and give nothing in return except decay. did you know that in the year 2005 studies had shown that over 60 BILLION dollars was taken out of the u.s. economy and brought to mexico by the illegals going back and forth. is that the american dream. nope, it is called terrorism. economic terrorism. that was just one year, one country, and you know the dollar amount was probably higher. that is no joke. what about all these other countries. you couldn't even fathom the dollar amount. this is all our governments fault. they do not care. what they want is the rich at the top of the hill and the poor at the bottom. we are doomed!!