Generation Engage

Starting at the local level, Generation Engage aims to educate and involve young people in politics in a non-partisan manner.  They simply want young people to be involved, and they foster the means for this.  Whether at a cyber café, house of worship or some other venue, this group seeks to involve youth who otherwise would not have access to political involvement. 

Founded in 2004, Generation Engage targets young voters, particularly those who have no college experience.  The aim of its founders was to close the political gap that plagues young voters and stimulate dialogue about politics and the future of our country. 

 According to its Web site, Generation Engage is built on three principles:

1.  Young people suffer not from a lack of interest, but from a lack of access

2. Our democracy should be a dialogue, not a monologue

3.  The best investment we can make in the future of our democracy is in young leaders at the local level

 Of course, technology plays a large part in this as well.  The group’s Facebook allows members with similar interests to interact, recruit other members and donate. As with many grass roots organizations, membership and donations are what drive the group.  It’s numbers are small, but opportunities are available for young people to become active and question local and national government in ways that were not an option when I was younger.

 

Generation Engage has provided opportunities for its members to interact with and question President Bill Clinton, Vice President Al Gore, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, and others – both during an election year and in off-years as well. 

  

But in an election year so contested as 2008, it’s imperative that young people are aware of politics.  As technology continues to bring people ever closer together, young voters are leading the way for new forms of communication and advancements in politics.  They are aware of local and international issues and use technology to connect with people across the globe.  It’s an incredible opportunity for young voters, and groups like this should be commended for their efforts to invest so much in our youth.

Hillary’s Presidential Campaign Legacy

Though the Democratic nomination is expected to go to Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton left a mark on the 2008 presidential campaign that will be remembered in elections to come.  Whether or not gender had anything to do with her failure to receive the Democratic nod, she will be remembered as the first woman to get as far as she did. 

I had no intention of voting for Hillary Clinton, but I did feel a tug at my typically unemotional heartstrings when she exited the race.   I am no feminist, but there is something to be said for a woman who gets as far as she did in a man’s game.  Hindsight of course gives us the benefit of analyzing her missteps. 

As I questioned before, was her campaign technologically challenged? 

She cried – not once…

but twice…

 

She cackled…

 

She sat down with Bill O’Reilly…

Chelsea said that Hillary would make a better president than Bill…

Leaving hindsight behind, some speculate that she’s prepping for 2012.  That move wouldn’t surprise many – the Clintons are notorious for their planning, organization and ability to get what they want.

Despite what is going on behind the scenes with the Clinton campaign, she has decided to put the party first.  Not that she had a choice, but she has put her full support behind Obama.

Though there are dissenters, her supporters are largely following suit.  For example, Emily’s List, an organization “dedicated to building a progressive America by electing pro-choice Democratic women to office,” has now pledged its support to Obama. 

Where does Hillary go from here?  Maybe she’ll be Obama’s Vice Presidential choice.  Maybe she’ll choose to remain in the Senate.  But, like it or not, she’s has done the right thing for the party by endorsing Obama.   She really didn’t have a choice, especially if she plans to run again later.  She had to endorse Obama – for the party and for herself.  But I think that her legacy will be that she kept her chin up and did the right thing – for the Democratic party.  The rest is just speculation.  I’m also speculating that we haven’t seen the last of Hillary vying for the White House.

Was the Clinton Campaign Technologically Challenged?

The well-known spin off of the Apple/1984 pro-Obama/anti-Hillary ad probably sticks the mind of voters.  It is unlikely that the ad changed the vote of pro-Clintonites,  however, undecided voters searching for their candidate absolutely could have been swayed.  And the 1984 ad came from a voter; it didn’t come from Obama’s campaign.  Yet another innovation in the world of politics allowing anyone to post electronic information that actually has an impact on a presidential election.  And what demographic posts the majority of information on YouTube?  The younger generation – a.k.a. the generation who is more likely to vote for Obama. 

 

Where many thought Obama’s newness would be a detriment to his campaign, it only helped him.  Clinton’s seniority seemed to be the detriment.  Hillary already had a history with voters and the public, so it was harder for her to reinvent herself to be a hip, up-to-date, new-media Web presence.  The history of the Clintons in the White House, another four years of Bill (essentially) in office, 3 am phone calls, sniper fire in Bosnia and Bill’s constant gaffes that made him seem like a grumpy old curmudgeon didn’t help the Clinton cause. 

 

 

 

 

Even Hillary’s crying didn’t come across as genuine, and voters were turned off. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hillary’s speeches were excellently prepared and written, but it was hard for me to believe that she believed what she was saying.  Maybe Obama is a better actor, which definitely fares better when clips are played to infinity on the Web. 

 

 

Gens-X & Y might not search the internet for political information as readily as they would celebrity gossip, but it’s a little different when Barack Obama is your friend on Facebook.  It’s cool.  You’re involved in what’s going on in your country.  You can hold an intelligent political conversation (with your friends, at least).  So the younger generations can still heart America without being that guy. 

 

A new age of politics has definitely been ushered in with the 2008 election.  A Web presence was felt in 2000 and 2004, but those elections don’t compare with 2008’s Web involvement.  McCain should look to hire a team of Web experts (or upgrade the one he currently has) to keep up with Team Obama until November.  A tremendous amount of votes is up for grabs by taking advantage of this new electronic medium.  Obviously, Hillary’s lack of new-media involvement didn’t solely sink her campaign.  But it is unfortunate for her and her supporters that, of all the stellar advisors surrounding the Clintons, this was missed.