This is cute…and telling.
It is 9 a.m. Do you know where your child is? For hundreds of parents in Idaho’s most important Republican stronghold, the answer last week was a surprise: Supporting Barack Obama for president.
Last week, Caldwell High School held its mock presidential nominating conventions, organized by government teacher Jeanette Jackson every four years since 1996. Students pick their party affiliations and, until this year, they reflected Canyon County’s GOP loyalty. The last time the presidential race was wide open – Bush-Gore, in 2000 – Republicans outnumbered Democrats about 400 to 200.
The ratio was reversed last week, with 487 students at the Democratic convention on Thursday and 199 with the GOP on Wednesday.
“I personally want to see the looks on your parents’ faces when they find out where you hung out today,” said Caitlin Hogge, an 18-year-old senior whose nominating speech helped Democrat John Edwards to a second-place finish ahead of Hillary Clinton. Obama won in a walk, with 423 delegate votes.
Jessica Madrigal, co-chairwoman of the mock Democratic convention, said young people are questioning their family political roots.
“My parents vote primarily Republican,” said Madrigal, 18, who attended the Democratic caucus for Obama in February. “We’re tired of voting in our parents’ place. We’re ready for something new. We’re practicing our right to decide for ourselves.”
[H/T to the Guru]
Notice that Clinton couldn’t even beat out Edwards. The Clintons are going around erroneously asserting that Obama can’t attract Jews, Hispanics, or white working class voters, but no one is asking them why she can’t attract young voters. They are the future you know. Even in Idaho.
in that Politico link – posted in my diary; Hillary’s friends said “she’s on a mission to save the Democrats from themselves.
as for white voters, McClatchy writes up In PA White women begin to turn away from Clinton.
let it end in PA.
Amen.
One thing I just don’t hear much when people are discussing UT and ID, is that the highest ranking Mormon in national politics is a Democrat. While the parents might be entrenched in the Republican party, I have no doubt that Harry Reid’s success gives the kids a little bit more permission to consider their choices without feeling like the are going against the church.
And let’s face it, the Republican Mormon candidate was probably a bit of an embarrassment to the Mormon youth.
Why are younger white voters somehow less representative of whites in the big press narrative than older, working-class white women?
And why are we the personality-cult members? We’re the high-info voters. (Dare I say, we learned it in college.) But no mention of the Viable Vagina Cult. You know, the one that actually exists.
In the case of this article, it is young white non-voters, since they are high school kids.
All of the kids quoted in that article were 18 (or will be in November). I think that’s old enough to vote in Idaho.
Given the size of the city of Caldwell and the fact that there are two high schools in town I think it’s likely that not all of the attendees of the mock convention were seniors. However, most of the seniors attending will probably be eligible to vote in the fall.
It was more a big-picture wondering than specific to this Idaho high school.