John Dawson, a senior at Cros-Lex High School, is the son of Vickie and Dennis Dawson of Lexington Township and is attending St. Clair Community College, pursuing interests in politics and law. He worked actively in the Sanilac County Campaign for Change.
The Lost Generation
In the fall of 2008 I was blessed with an opportunity to work for the “Campaign for Change” and later the Sanilac County Democratic Party. It was really my first political experience and involved not only phone banking but neighborhood canvassing as well. We distributed literature and yard signs from our office in Port Sanilac and ever helped local candidates like Erin McDaid-Kelly. It was truly a surreal experience to work beside local politicians on the rise. While working at the office I found a profound lack of young teenagers like me with such a fascination with politics. While the political embers of 2008 were cooling down after the November presidential election, my interest for politics was only intensifying. In civics and current events class I often found myself alone talking to the teachers after class about different political philosophies because the rest of the class had little interest for the curriculum let along advanced ideals. I found it very difficult to find students who could discuss political platforms or current legislation and legislators. Through these experiences I have realized the most important issue facing America today is the political apathy consuming young people.
Most major legislation such as health care reform is currently stuck in political gridlock. In American History a great orator has always proposed a compromise between differing factions. We must all remember it was Roger Sherman and Oliver Ellsworth who conceived the Great Compromise of 1787, this compromise resolved the congressional representation issue and allowed the constitution to be ratified creating a United States. Throughout the early 1800’s many speakers helped stifle the sectionalism leading to civil war. John Taylor and Jesse Thomas proposed two motions that would become the compromise of 1820 which saved the union from civil war for nearly forty years. With today’s youth having minimal interest in politics, the great orators of our generation will never make the key speeches leading to compromises that will solve issues like abortion and stem cell research. These controversial issues left up for debate manifest into deep partisan divides that envelope the American public as well as national political actions.
As less young people follow and involve themselves in politics the public becomes detached from its government. Instead of feeling as though they are a part of the democratic process, many young people have an “us against them” mentality regarding government. They feel like passive recipients rather than active participants in the political process. People are losing faith in not only their own government but its democratic ideology as well. A democracy functions through the faith and consent of those it governs; this requires widespread participation in government.
The final loss America suffers due to the politically despondent youth population is the loss of a key voting demographic of the Democratic base. According to the national exit polling estimates the youth voter turnout rate was about fifty to fifty-five percent of the 2008 Presidential election. Youth voters are crucial to a democratic electoral success. In the 2008 election, Democrats received sixty-six percent of the youth vote. As we learned in 2000 and 2004, even a five to ten percent increase in youth turnout rates could early swing an election. Young people have almost overwhelmingly liberal views on many social issues such as gay rights where young voters are in favor of 3-1. A raise in political activity among young people would create a surge of support for the Democratic Party not only in the republican stronghold of Sanilac County, but nationally as well.
The politically lethargic attitude of today’s youth is hurting America by undermining out founding fathers’ democratic ideals. People no longer feel they have a government acting beside them and for their benefit. The loss of political know-how and alternate political philosophy from this generation is a danger to our democracy that has gone ignored too long. The current generation holds democratic ideals and beliefs but fail to articulate them or apply them to the political arena. To help usher in a new millennium of bi-partisan cooperation and a prevailing public feeling of governmental optimism, we must give this generation a thorough understanding of America’s current political climate while entering a new decade full of potential social and legislative pitfalls.