As has been said many times now, this recent campaign for president was the first to engage the public with the new medium of the internet. Though the Deane campaign of '04 is often seen as the beginning of this strategy, the Obama campaign used it like never before. YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, etc., made this campaign more about YOU the voter than ever before.
Watch Joe Trippi (Deane '04 campaign manager), Gavin Newsom (S.F. Mayor) and Arianna Huffington (huffingtonpost.com) discuss this development at the recent Web 2.0 conference:
Friday, November 14, 2008
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Passing the Torch to a New Generation
After gaining the youth vote in 1960, John F. Kennedy famously declared in his inaugural address that “the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans.” This line was delivered partly because Kennedy himself seemed the face of a new generation, but also partly because he had won the youth vote 2 to 1 against his rival Richard Nixon.
Since George McGovern's loss to Nixon in 1972, the youth vote has been tiny - a mere blip on pollsters' computer screens. Any political scientist could tell you that the vote of people 18-29 is now always the smallest of any age group, and they'd further make the point that any politician who could galvanize that group and get them to come to the polls in large numbers would surely win an election. So now that the 2008 election is over, let 's look at the new numbers as provided by The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE):
With a modest increase of 4 or 5 percentage points, young people came to the polls last Tuesday in larger numbers than in any election since 1972. Still, according to the NY Times exit poll data, young voters remained the smallest voting group, accounting for just 18% of the total vote, or the smallest percentage of the four age group categories (18-29, 30-44, 45-59, 60 & older).
But taken alone, this data is misleading. Try this for context: the increase in youth votes accounts for at least 60% of the overall increase in the number of votes [across all age groups], suggesting that this year’s election mobilized young people more than any other group. In other words, young people showed up in 2008.
We can take the youth vote impact even further - according to CIRCLE, young voters favored Barack Obama by more than 2 to 1. Politico.com reports this morning that 66% of voters under age 30 preferred Obama while just 32% favored McCain—nearly four times the size of John F. Kennedy's lead with the group in 1960. Do the math on that and you find that Obama received 7.8 million more 18-29 year old votes than John McCain. Obama's total popular vote margin over McCain? 7.1 million.
From Politico: "In other words, never in post-war American politics have youth voted so differently than older generations as they did in 2008... Obama's lead with the group this year is easily the largest of any newly elected president in the era of modern polling."
At Coretta Scott King's funeral in early 2006, Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert Kennedy, leaned over to a fairly new Senator Obama and whispered, "The torch is being passed to you." "A chill went up my spine," Obama later told an aide. On Tuesday, the young voters of America ensured he'll have to run with the torch for the next four years - it had indeed been passed.
Sources:
Since George McGovern's loss to Nixon in 1972, the youth vote has been tiny - a mere blip on pollsters' computer screens. Any political scientist could tell you that the vote of people 18-29 is now always the smallest of any age group, and they'd further make the point that any politician who could galvanize that group and get them to come to the polls in large numbers would surely win an election. So now that the 2008 election is over, let 's look at the new numbers as provided by The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE):
| Year | Youth Voter Turnout Estimated by CIRCLE (18-29) | Percentage change since previous election | Number of young people who voted in nation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 37% | 14.5 million | |
| 2000 | 41% | +4 | 16.2 million |
| 2004 | 48% | +7 | 19.4 million |
| 2008 | 52-53% | +4-5 | 22.8 - 23.1 million |
But taken alone, this data is misleading. Try this for context: the increase in youth votes accounts for at least 60% of the overall increase in the number of votes [across all age groups], suggesting that this year’s election mobilized young people more than any other group. In other words, young people showed up in 2008.
We can take the youth vote impact even further - according to CIRCLE, young voters favored Barack Obama by more than 2 to 1. Politico.com reports this morning that 66% of voters under age 30 preferred Obama while just 32% favored McCain—nearly four times the size of John F. Kennedy's lead with the group in 1960. Do the math on that and you find that Obama received 7.8 million more 18-29 year old votes than John McCain. Obama's total popular vote margin over McCain? 7.1 million.
From Politico: "In other words, never in post-war American politics have youth voted so differently than older generations as they did in 2008... Obama's lead with the group this year is easily the largest of any newly elected president in the era of modern polling."
At Coretta Scott King's funeral in early 2006, Ethel Kennedy, the widow of Robert Kennedy, leaned over to a fairly new Senator Obama and whispered, "The torch is being passed to you." "A chill went up my spine," Obama later told an aide. On Tuesday, the young voters of America ensured he'll have to run with the torch for the next four years - it had indeed been passed.
Sources:
CIRCLE: http://www.civicyouth.org/
NY Times: http://elections.nytimes.com/2008/results/president/exit-polls.html
Politico: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1108/15441.html
Newsweek: http://www.newsweek.com/id/167582
Sunday, September 7, 2008
UC Admissions; Affirmative Action
On the off-chance any of you are still checking it to this blog now that you've moved on to college, I thought I'd post a short update on this issue.
The L.A. Times on Sunday 9/7/08 posted a pair of opinion pieces on the new UCLA admission process which the university contends is legal, but critics decry. The process has successfully doubled African-American admission.
Read all about it here:
Pro --> http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-hunt7-2008sep07,0,4419624.story?track=rss
Con --> http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-mac_donald-2008sep07,0,1237273.story
~ MJG
The L.A. Times on Sunday 9/7/08 posted a pair of opinion pieces on the new UCLA admission process which the university contends is legal, but critics decry. The process has successfully doubled African-American admission.
Read all about it here:
Pro --> http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-hunt7-2008sep07,0,4419624.story?track=rss
Con --> http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-mac_donald-2008sep07,0,1237273.story
~ MJG
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
It's Over
High School, AP U.S. Gov, and the Primaries. They're all over.
Congratulations to you as you move on to the next stage of your life. Meanwhile, the selection process for the next President of the United States moves on to its next stage. Though it seemed the Democrats might never decide, they figured it out just in time for your graduation.
I wish all the best to you and I hope you'll stay engaged in the process of making our community, country, and the world more just.
Congratulations to you as you move on to the next stage of your life. Meanwhile, the selection process for the next President of the United States moves on to its next stage. Though it seemed the Democrats might never decide, they figured it out just in time for your graduation.
I wish all the best to you and I hope you'll stay engaged in the process of making our community, country, and the world more just.
Friday, May 30, 2008
Final AP US GOV Update - Policy Project
Seniors,
Your final update for AP U.S. Government & Politics is a reminder about the Policy Project - the last assignment in the "gradebook".
To reiterate what we discussed in class:
1. Choose a general policy area corresponding to the policy chapters in the Wilson text (economic, environmental, social, etc.). Carefully read the chapter with an eye to how politics plays into the process of policy-making. The goal here is to enhance your understanding of why what seems the best policy isn't always what is enacted - politics affects everything!
2. Here's where you have nearly complete flexibility. Choose any specific contemporary policy issue related to your general policy area (e.g. carbon-reduction : environmental policy). This can be something that you noticed during the Current Events Blog Project or simply something about which you're interested. Research a little what is being done policy-wise about your issue.
3. Formulate and produce a statement of position. Essentially you're making a policy recommendation. Again, here you have wide latitude to say whatever you want in the way you want - the only requirement is that it appears on your blog site. It could be written, drawn, spoken (audio/video), whatever. It simply needs to make a policy recommendation. It must be substantive and I expect your recommendations will be robust. In "student-speak", it needs to be as substantial as you might make a statement of position essay in CritComp.
Due Date: I'll be checking your blog at the end of Senior Finals. Please have your policy statement posted by the end of the day on Friday 6/6. If you have questions about the project, email me.
It's been a pleasure working with you this year. All the best to you as you wrap up the year and move on to university study.
Mr. G.
Your final update for AP U.S. Government & Politics is a reminder about the Policy Project - the last assignment in the "gradebook".
To reiterate what we discussed in class:
1. Choose a general policy area corresponding to the policy chapters in the Wilson text (economic, environmental, social, etc.). Carefully read the chapter with an eye to how politics plays into the process of policy-making. The goal here is to enhance your understanding of why what seems the best policy isn't always what is enacted - politics affects everything!
2. Here's where you have nearly complete flexibility. Choose any specific contemporary policy issue related to your general policy area (e.g. carbon-reduction : environmental policy). This can be something that you noticed during the Current Events Blog Project or simply something about which you're interested. Research a little what is being done policy-wise about your issue.
3. Formulate and produce a statement of position. Essentially you're making a policy recommendation. Again, here you have wide latitude to say whatever you want in the way you want - the only requirement is that it appears on your blog site. It could be written, drawn, spoken (audio/video), whatever. It simply needs to make a policy recommendation. It must be substantive and I expect your recommendations will be robust. In "student-speak", it needs to be as substantial as you might make a statement of position essay in CritComp.
Due Date: I'll be checking your blog at the end of Senior Finals. Please have your policy statement posted by the end of the day on Friday 6/6. If you have questions about the project, email me.
It's been a pleasure working with you this year. All the best to you as you wrap up the year and move on to university study.
Mr. G.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
It's Coming...
The AP Exam is nearly here. Monday, May 5th will arrive soon enough. Are you reviewing?
We have in-class review Wed, Thur, & Fri this week, as well as after-school sessions on Wed & Fri. Be sure to also set aside your weekend - we're meeting as a group on Saturday at 9am and Sunday at 3pm. See you there!
If for some reason you can't make the out-of-class review sessions, hit the lecture notes page for the outlines and audio/video.
Mr. G
We have in-class review Wed, Thur, & Fri this week, as well as after-school sessions on Wed & Fri. Be sure to also set aside your weekend - we're meeting as a group on Saturday at 9am and Sunday at 3pm. See you there!
If for some reason you can't make the out-of-class review sessions, hit the lecture notes page for the outlines and audio/video.
Mr. G
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