Politrickin.Org Correspondent Danielle D. Stefanuk Reports On A Change of Heart In The Issues and Ideals The Youth of Today Base Their Vote.

Danielle D. Stefanuk
November 19th, 2008
Politrickin.org

“…research has been found that voting by youth in the late 1960’s to early 1970’s was driven by social movements which challenged the status quo. Some topics of concern were civil rights, anti-war, free speech and the women’s liberation movements…[Today’s] youth are focused on issues completely opposite of the issues concerning the youth in the 60’s and 70’s. Concerns today are the economy, job creation, college affordability, energy and gas prices, healthcare, finding alternative sources of energy and environmental issues.”

“Youth Voting Trends”

“In January, Time magazine gave 2008 the title ‘The Year of the Youth Vote’. Contrary to many people’s presumptions of a record-breaking youth voter turnout, this past election was the only second largest youth turnout in American History. The first was the 1972 Nixon – McGovern Presidential Election. We may have come in second with the youth voter record, but this election was historic in the fact that we were the largest group ever in our age bracket to support a single candidate.”

“According to an article written in The Tartan by Claire Morgenstern, sixty-six percent of youth voters between the ages of 18-29 cast their vote for Barack Obama, which is a 2 to 1 ratio between Obama and McCain. Approximately 22-24 million youths voted during this past presidential election.”

“In The Journal of Social Issues Constance Flanagan’s research was reported to have found that voting by youths in late 1960’s to early 1970’s was driven by social movements which challenged the status quo. Some topics of concern were civil rights, anti-war, free speech and the women’s liberation movements. In the article, Beyond Rock The Vote by Alex Koppelman, it was reported that college freshman who attended UCLA in the 1960’s believed that ‘developing a meaningful philosophy of life’ was a greater priority than ‘being well off financially’. It has been studied and reported by Flanagan that since youth weren’t fully adapted to their roles in society they were free to explore and find meaning in their lives,  all the while questioning their place in the social order. They had greater flexibility and openness in the ideals they chose to guide their views on American politics. This brings on the question of why the numbers of political active youth declined as years went on - until now.”

“After the 1972 election where 18 year olds earned the right to vote, the percentage of youth voters was on a decline until our recent 2008 election. This election also showed a substantial increase in youth engagement and awareness in political issues. According to an article on Suite 101.com by Marilyn Pennell the most important issues for youth voters today are the economy, job creation, college affordability, energy and gas prices, as well as health care. A survey conducted by Rock the Vote found that 41% of youth surveyed believe that the president should take action on the economy as his first move into office. 51% of youth believe that on a scale of 1-10, creating jobs was numbered 10, the highest importance. 50% also believe that energy/gas prices and health care are a 10 as well. These priorities by youth are almost the complete opposite of the concerns in the 60’s and 70’s. Issues today have geared away from social/gender/race/class politics to concerns such as finding alternative sources of energy and environmental issues.”

“I believe that the youth voter turnout has a lot to do with the dissatisfaction of our current administration. Worries about the economy and the job market are what concern today’s youth.”

“According to Tartan online, respondents in the Declare Yourself survey numbered 61 percent who said they would be more active in politics in the future, while only 2 percent said they would be less active; 37 percent said they would participate the same amount. An interviewee in the article said, ‘The economy has to improve, and people need to feel part of the campaign.’ ‘If {young} people feel they’re included, they will feel more active in politics. If Obama does a good job of involving youth, they will continue to be involved.’”

__________

A united United States should be able to vote for the best man, regardless of a person’s political party. Lieberman had a change of heart. Why should the Democrats bully him for supporting the McCain?

The Lieberman Conundrum

By: Chris Cillizza

(As appeared in his column, The Fix, on the WashingtonPost.com website.)

(Photo by Matt Rourke of the Associated Press)

“Will Joe Lieberman’s endorsement of John McCain cost him politically?’“

“Nine days after a presidential election in which he actively supported Republican John McCain, the fate of Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman within the Democratic caucus remains an open question.”

“Lieberman got a major boost of support earlier this week from President-elect Barack Obama who has urged that the Connecticut Senator be allowed to continue to caucus with Democrats.”

“Then, last night, Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh offered this readout on Lieberman’s future prospects during an appearance on “The Rachel Maddow Show”:

“I simply think it maximizes the chances of getting progressive policies a better outcome if we have a Joe Lieberman, who is a little reticent, who apologizes for the things that he said that were way over the line, and instead is trying to do the right thing, instead of a embittered Joe Lieberman or a Republican replacement who will not be with us any of the time.”

“Not exactly a ringing endorsement but, at this point, Lieberman will probably take it. He is well aware that many of his colleagues felt as though his advocacy for McCain and, to a certain extent, against Obama, crossed the line and believe he needs to be punished.”

“The incident most commonly cited by disgruntled Democrats is Lieberman’s speech at the Republican National Convention in early September. While he had promised in the runup to the address that he would only speak for McCain and not against Obama, many Democrats saw his speech as a denunciation of their nominee and an inexcusable act.”

“‘Senator Obama is a gifted and eloquent young man who can do great things for our country in the years ahead,’ said Lieberman. ‘But eloquence is no substitute for a record — not in these tough times.’”

“Can Democratic Senators look beyond these comments — not to mention the fact that Lieberman was a regular presence on the campaign trail with McCain in the closing days of the race?”

“We’ll find out some of the answers next week when the Senate Democratic caucus convenes. At that meeting, a vote is expected on whether Lieberman can retain his chairmanship of the Homeland Security Committee.”

“The vote will be a secret ballot and even the most plugged-in Senate operatives acknowledge they have no idea how it might turn out.”

“On the one hand, Lieberman has a number of longtime friendship and loyalties in the Senate where he has served for the last two decades as well as the support of the incoming President of the United States.”

“On the other, Lieberman’s actions over the last few years — particularly in relation to the war in Iraq and the 2008 presidential race — have seriously alienated a number of his colleagues particularly those on the liberal end of the spectrum as well as the Senators elected in 2006 and 2008.”

“‘Right now, folks say it’s 50/50 that he retains the chairmanship,’ said one well connected Democratic Senate aide.”

“No matter what the outcome of the vote next week, questions will remain. If Lieberman retains the chairmanship, how will the base, who loathes the Independent Senator, react? If Lieberman is stripped out his chairmanship, will he stay in the party?”

“With Democrats still retaining an outside shot at controlling 60 seats at the start of the 111th Congress — they would need to win the undecided races in Alaska, Georgia and Minnesota — Lieberman’s future party loyalty is not simply an academic question. It could be crucial to just how much control Democrats can exert over Congress in the coming months and years.”

Politrickin.org Correspondent Robert C. Migacz Wrote The Following On The Change of Heart  Californians Had On The Issue of Gay Marriages:

Robert C. Migacz
November 14th, 2008
Politrickin.org

“…there’s something deeply wrong with putting the rights of a minority up to a majority vote,” he continued, “if this were being done to almost any other minority, people would see how un-American this is.”

“Proposition Eight”

“It is something that has become increasingly prominent in major news and media outlets over the last couple of months; however, many people are still confused as to what exactly it is and means. In short, it is a constitutional amendment that restricts gay and lesbian couples from having the right to marry in the state of California. Registered voters in California had the opportunity to vote for or against Proposition 8 in this year’s Presidential elections. It passed with only about half a million votes, meaning that the text ‘Only marriage between one man and one woman is valid or recognized in California’ will be added to the state Constitution. The campaigns for and against Proposition 8 were the most funded on any state ballot nationwide, with the exception of the Presidential campaigns. The campaign for Proposition 8 raised $35.8 million while the campaign against raised $37.6 million, making for an extremely intense battle (CBS).”

“After Proposition 8 was passed last week, many Prop 8 opponents now believe that the methods the proponents “Yes On 8″ used were both unfair and manipulative. The “Yes On 8″ campaign stated that ‘the Supreme Court’s legalization of same-sex marriage requires teachers to tell their students, as young as kindergarten age, that same-sex marriage is the same as opposite-sex marriage’ (San Francisco Chronicle 1). This tactic was extremely instrumental in Yes on 8’s win. They stirred up fear in parents and made them believe that their children would have no other choice but to accept gay marriage against their parents’ wishes. That statement is untrue because no public school system is required to define what marriage is to its students. They also made the public believe that churches would be sanctioned for not performing same-sex weddings, a statement which is entirely untrue.”

“One “Yes On 8″ campaign, ProtectMarriage.com used mild forms of extortion to scare major corporations from supporting and making donations to the “No On 8″ campaign, Equality California. In late October of this year many corporations that had made generous contributions and publicly supported Equality California received letters stating that ‘many more of your clients support traditional marriage than support same sex marriage’. The letter continued by urging that the contributor withdraw its support from Equality California and requested a donation “of like amount to ProtectMarriage.com”. The letter ended in stating that should these companies choose to continue to endorse Equality California, then they would be listed on their website as Equality California supporters, and those who stand for ‘traditional marriage’ would be urged not to endorse these companies. The executive director of Equality California, Geoffrey Kors, said that in writing these letters ProtectMarriage.com aimed to damage Equality California’s long-term funding and scare companies from ever supporting Equality California or any other sort of No on 8 campaigns again. Be aware that Equality California never did any such manipulative thing in retaliation to SupportMarriage.com.”

“In the wake of such a heartbreaking reality for the gay community, hundreds of thousands of people are standing up across the United States to prove not only to California, but to the other forty-nine states that they cannot be silenced. Evan Wolfson, a gay-rights lawyer who heads a group called Freedom to Marry stated that, “there’s something deeply wrong with putting the rights of a minority up to a majority vote,” he continued, “if this were being done to almost any other minority, people would see how un-American this is” (CBS). Furthermore, results showed that the strongest opponents to Equality California were churchgoers, older voters, and African-Americans while most young voters (under the age of 30) passionately voted against the ban. African-American turnout was unusually large as a result of Barack Obama’s campaign; therefore, they played a large part in passing Proposition 8 (LA Times).”

“Many are perplexed by how strongly the African-American community rejected giving equal marriage rights to the gay community. Even as black voters overwhelmingly backed Barack Obama, a gay-rights supporter, in the presidential race, 70 percent of them voted against gay marriage, compared with 47 percent of white voters (CBS). It was only about forty or fifty years ago that they themselves faced similar discriminatory issues. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that a marriage between an African-American and a Caucasian-American was legally recognized in the United States. To now see these minority groups discriminating against the gay community for things that they were once discriminated against is truly disappointing and incredibly unfair in the eyes of the gay community.”

“Now, the fight is on in the gay community. Immediately following the passing of Proposition 8 various lawsuits were filed against the state. The plaintiffs in the suits include six unmarried same-sex couples, Equality California, one married same-sex couple, the cities of San Francisco and Los Angeles, and Santa Clara County. The suit by San Francisco, Los Angeles and Santa Clara County argues that any measure allowing a majority of the public to take away minority rights violates principles of equality at the heart of the state Constitution (San Francisco Chronicle 2). San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera stated, ‘f allowed to stand, Prop. 8 so devastates the principle of equal protection that it endangers the fundamental rights of any potential electoral minority.’”

“Thousands of gay, lesbian, bi, and transgendered individuals – along with supporters of LGBT rights – have taken to the streets of America’s biggest cities in protest. The night following the election and the passing of Proposition 8, more than 2,000 people gathered in front of San Francisco’s City Hall to begin their fight (KTVU). On the same night, more than 4,000 protestors took the streets of Los Angeles and West Hollywood in an effort to stand up for their rights. Up to seven people were arrested for disturbing the peace (MTV). In New York there have been gatherings in front of City Hall to protest restrictions on gay rights, and it is far from over.”

“Much like the Civil Rights movement for African-American’s in the mid 1900’s, LGBT groups will not rest until they are granted equality – including, but not limited to – the right to marry. Be sure to stand up against discrimination – equality for all.”

SOURCES:

San Francisco Chronicle (1)

San Francisco Chronicle (2)

CBS

LA Times

KTVU

MTV

——–

Voters Approve Proposition 8

Banning Same-Sex Marriages

“A measure to once again ban gay marriage in California led Tuesday, throwing into doubt the unions of an estimated 18,000 same-sex couples who wed during the last 4 1/2 months.”

“As the measure, the most divisive and emotionally fraught on the state ballot this year, took a lead in early returns, supporters gathered at a hotel ballroom in Sacramento and cheered.”

“‘We caused Californians to rethink this issue,’ Proposition 8 strategist Jeff Flint said.”

“Early in the campaign, he noted, polls showed the measure trailing by 17 points.”

“I think the voters were thinking, well, if it makes them happy, why shouldn’t we let gay couples get married. And I think we made them realize that there are broader implications to society and particularly the children when you make that fundamental change that’s at the core of how society is organized, which is marriage,’ he said.”

“But in San Francisco at the packed headquarters of the No on 8 campaign party in the Westin St. Francis Hotel, supporters of same-sex marriage refused to despair, saying that they were holding out hope for victory.”

“‘You decided to live your life out loud. You fell in love and you said ‘I do.’ Tonight, we await a verdict,’ San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom said, speaking to a roaring crowd. “‘I’m crossing my fingers.’”

“Elsewhere in the country, two other gay marriage bans, in Florida and Arizona, were well ahead. In both states, laws already defined marriage as a heterosexual institution. But backers pushed to amend the state constitutions, saying that doing so would protect the institution from legal challenges.”

“Proposition 8 was the most expensive proposition on any ballot in the nation this year, with more than $74 million spent by both sides.”

“The measure’s most fervent proponents believed that nothing less than the future of traditional families was at stake, while opponents believed that they were fighting for the fundamental right of gay people to be treated equally under the law.”

“‘This has been a moral battle,’” said Ellen Smedley, 34, a member of the Mormon Church and a mother of five who worked on the campaign. “‘We aren’t trying to change anything that homosexual couples believe or want — it doesn’t change anything that they’re allowed to do already. It’s defining marriage. . . . Marriage is a man and a woman establishing a family unit.’”

“On the other side were people like John Lewis, 50, and Stuart Gaffney, 46, who were married in June. They were at the San Francisco party holding a little sign in the shape of pink heart that said, ‘John and Stuart 21 years.’ They spent the day campaigning against Proposition 8 with family members across the Bay Area.”

“Our relationship, our marriage, after 21 years together has been put up for a popular vote,” Lewis said. “We have done what anyone would do in this situation: stand up for our family.”

“The battle was closely watched across the nation because California is considered a harbinger of cultural change and because this is the first time voters have weighed in on gay marriage in a state where it was legal.”

“Campaign contributions came from every state in the nation in opposition to the measure and every state but Vermont to its supporters.”

“And as far away as Washington, D.C., gay rights organizations hosted gatherings Tuesday night to watch voting results on Proposition 8.”

“I am nervous,” Human Rights Campaign President Joe Solmonese said from a brewery in the nation’s capital. “‘This is the biggest civil rights struggle for our movement in decades. . . . The outcome weighs incredibly heavily on the minds of every single person in the room.’”

Eight years ago, Californians voted 61% to define marriage as being only between a man and a woman.

“The California Supreme Court overturned that measure, Proposition 22, in its May 15 decision legalizing same-sex marriage on the grounds that the state Constitution required equal treatment of gay and lesbian couples.”

“Opponents of Proposition 8 faced a difficult challenge. Bob Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, said California voters “very, very rarely reverse themselves” especially in such a short time. Both sides waged a passionate — and at times bitter — fight over whether to allow same-sex marriages to continue. The campaigns spent tens of millions of dollars in dueling television and radio commercials that blanketed the airwaves for weeks.”

“But supporters and opponents also did battle on street corners and front lawns, from the pulpits of churches and synagogues and — unusual for a fight over a social issue — in the boardrooms of many of the state’s largest corporations.”

“Most of the state’s highest-profile political leaders — including both U.S. senators and the mayors of San Francisco, San Diego and Los Angeles — along with the editorial pages of most major newspapers, opposed the measure. PG&E, Apple and other companies contributed money to fight the proposition, and the heads of Silicon Valley companies including Google and Yahoo took out a newspaper ad opposing it.”

“On the other side were an array of conservative organizations, including the Knights of Columbus, Focus on the Family and the American Family Assn., along with tens of thousands of small donors, including many who responded to urging from Mormon, Catholic and evangelical clergy.”

“An early October filing by the ‘yes’ campaign reported so many contributions that the secretary of state’s campaign finance website crashed.”

“Proponents also organized a massive grass-roots effort. Campaign officials said they distributed more than 1.1 million lawn signs for Proposition 8 — although an effort to stage a massive, simultaneous lawn-sign planting in late September failed after a production glitch in China delayed the arrival of hundreds of thousands of signs.”

“Research and polling showed that many voters were against gay marriage, but afraid that saying so would make them seem “discriminatory” or “not cool,” said Flint, so proponents hoped to show them they were not alone.”

“Perhaps more powerfully, the Proposition 8 campaign also seized on the issue of education, arguing in a series of advertisements and mailers that children would be subjected to a pro-gay curriculum if the measure was not approved.”

“‘Mom, guess what I learned in school today?’” a little girl said in one spot. “‘I learned how a prince married a prince.’”

“As the girl’s mother made a horrified face, a voice-over said: “‘Think it can’t happen? It’s already happened. . . . Teaching about gay marriage will happen unless we pass Proposition 8.’”

“Many voters said they had been swayed by that message.”

“‘We thought it would go this way,’” Proposition 8 co-chair Frank Schubert said. “‘We had 100,000 people on the streets today. We had people in every precinct, if not knocking on doors, then phoning voters in every precinct. We canvassed the entire state of California, one on one, asking people face to face how do they feel about this issue.’”

“And this is the kind of issue people are very personal and private about, and they don’t like talking to pollsters, they don’t like talking to the media, but we had a pretty good idea how they felt and that’s being reflected in the vote count.”

Jessica Garrison, Cara Mia DiMassa and Richard Paddock are Times staff writers.

(Link to original LA Times article here.)