Last Tuesday, Pres. Barack Obama addressed a joint session of Congress to garner support for the American Recovery and Investment Act and other forthcoming policies. The speech was filled with your typical presidential discourse ‘mdash; describing threats to our prosperity, making promises to citizens from all walks of life and displaying plenty of good ol’ American patriotism. While all of this may be expected from a presidential newbie, Obama took a unique angle when he spoke of how every decision he and Congress will make plays an important role in shaping the challenges future generations will inherit. For better or worse, when a leader refers to future generations, he is talking about college kids. That’s right, when you look around at your fellow Tritons you are gazing at people who are (hopefully) willing and capable to dig us out of this current mess.
With this in mind, I was happy to have a flyer shoved into my hand advertising a debate between the College Republicans and Democrats mid-Library Walk last week. Apparently, the respective leaders of the major political clubs on campus were ready to heed Obama’s call; possibly to debate new ways our society could handle global warming, the economy and civil rights.
I arrived at the event not knowing what to expect. While my loose affiliation with the College Democrats had taught me they were well intentioned, I had never seen any proof they could handle the rigors of a political debate. And the only College Republican contingent I have ever seen is one lonely dude sitting by himself at a booth on Library Walk.
I was shocked to walk into Warren Lecture Hall and find there was only standing room. Both sides had done a good job of advertising the debate and it was encouraging to see students taking an interest in politics. The moderator began with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Democratic team spoke first. It agreed with Obama’s decision to move several brigades away from Iraq and into Afghanistan to beat back the Taliban. The Republican side responded with a typical GOP argument about the situation in the region: it was important to maximize forces in Iraq to finish what we started.
Next was the economy ‘mdash; the issue currently dominating all government discussion. Surprise, surprise, the Democrats advocated Obama’s plans to spend lavishly and the Republicans suggested eliminating taxes rather than raising them. The questions moved on to health care, Proposition 8 and the military’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. Sadly, both teams stuck to their respective scripts, rehashing typical CNN and Fox News debates between politicians. The Democratic side bashed George W. Bush’s policies. The Republicans did everything possible to distance themselves from their disgraced former president. By the time accusations of lying, racism and bigotry started flying around, it was officially a true American political spectacle.
As I excused myself from the Q’amp;A session featuring audience members who wanted to join the debate rather than ask actual questions, I worriedly remembered Obama’s statements about the future being in the hands of coming generations.
I believe the most important thing about Obama is his ability to inspire political participation in our nation’s youth. Here and now we’re given the chance to take control of our country ‘mdash; not with the worn-out ideologies of current politicians, but with fresh, innovative ideas. The students who were
involved in the debate deserve credit for taking the initiative to create a forum where these issues can be discussed. Many of the participants were well-informed and passionate. They had the chance to show that youth on both sides of the ideological spectrum are brimming with new ideas and ready to leave failing policies behind. But instead, they recreated the same old partisan battles that limit our political system and hinder what our society can achieve. That’s not to say there are plenty of young people who are volunteering for outstanding programs like Teach for America or dedicating themselves to nonprofit groups that are on the brink of solving pressing problems.
It’s important to have a forum for young people with differing views, but we should be conscious that soon enough we’ll be the ones coming up with new ideas. That’s why I’m looking forward to the next event. I just hope that next time somebody will have something new to say.