There have been quite a few articles devoted to the high degree of interest among college students in Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama.  Here is an exchange I had with a student at Brigham Young University recently on Facebook.  She comes from a good conservative family so I was taken aback when I saw one day on Facebook that she had joined a pro-Obama group.  I will just call her E for the pupose of this post.

 

 

Don: Obama? Have you lost your mind?

 

E: i suppose you’re backing mccain then huh? hmm, you’re the one who’s lost their mind–going for a candidate who doesn’t have one of his own. besides, you know me. i’m all for progress, and if obama wants to bring it, i, like all the other self righteous college students in america, am going to help him do it.

 

Don: I won’t say I am enthusaistic about this election when it comes to McCain. Obama is a very smart, clever and charismatic politician which I can see has swayed lots of students. Yet he is slow to ome up with specifics on how he would run the country. His change message sells but there is no substance behind the message. This piece written by my senior staff writer is disconcerting and will certainly get little or no media play. The writer is not a McCain supporter either.

 

E: regardless, i don’t think this election is really about the substance. it hasn’t been for years. what it does come down to is who is going to bring the most change. as it stands now, the administration is a mess, and none of the candidates are going to make it better. thus i’m going for the one that i know i will support. he is the one i trust the most, and the one i will follow as a leader when it comes down to it. that is why he has the college kid’s vote. he is the one they trust, and as my friend elisa says, “mccain gives me the heebie-jeebies, hillary gives me the heebie-jeebies. obama doesn’t so that is who i’m voting for.” i think sometimes its about who will follow, and not about why.

 

Don: Change? The Dems have been in control of congress for two years and we are still no better off. Anyway I will be praying for you. lol

 

This brief exchange underscores in my opinion just how persuasive Obama has been with his ‘change’ message.  It doesn’t have to mean anything, it just sounds good.  If Obama can convince an intelligent conservative like E who goes to a Mormon church operated school that he is the better candidate even though he doesn’t stand for anything, then the GOP and John McCain are going to have a real problem.  At this point there is no guarantee that student enthusiasm will translate into actual votes in November, but due to the historic nature of this election there is a greater likelihood that they will get off their apathy train and vote compared to previous elections.

 

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