Posted by
Megan on Thursday, June 05, 2008 11:19:02 AM
Now that the Democratic nominee is all but definite, it’s time to start looking forward to the general election! Election Day is by far my favorite day of the entire year and I’m excited that the time has finally come for McCain to begin his official push to the finish line. I’ve been seeing lists here and there about how McCain can beat Obama and I’m pretty optimistic about the possibility. At the same time, this talk about Hillary being the VP is kind of starting to scare me – I’m finding myself doubting the GOP against the two celebrity-esque candidates. Both of them appeal to different demographics and I’m worried that they might become a dynamic duo and collect tons of votes. With that being said I’m hoping Obama defies half of the Democratic Party and selects someone besides Sen. Clinton. In that case, I think it’s highly plausible that McCain can win, mostly for the reasons that others have cited like swaying some Democrats and shedding light on the real Obama, but will McCain be able to win over any groups who are “in the bag” for Obama? Can McCain, with his old age, perhaps win over young people? I don’t think he can win the majority of young people, but I think he can gain some ground with them if he explores a few different venues.
- Take advantage of Obama’s anti-gun stance. The incidents at Northern Illinois University and Virginia Tech have spurred college groups across the country to push for the right to concealed carry on campuses. The moment isn’t huge yet, but it is affecting a lot of campuses and I think that if McCain touches on it, it will show college students – whether they agree or not – that he’s in tune with the topics concerning them. Even students at Penn State are rallying behind the cause.
- Get some pointers from Ron Paul. Everyone knows by now that the only candidate’s whose student following rivaled Obama’s was Paul’s. Somehow Ron Paul, who is older than McCain, managed to stir up colleges and universities with his libertarian rhetoric. Paul is known for his strict, to-the-letter view of the Constitution. To win over more young voters, McCain should play into this idea more by promising to follow the Constitution as it was intended.
- Yell and scream about Obama’s connections to Tony Rezko. Young people always care about volunteering and helping out the world. They also want a president who will help the poor and automatically assume that the Democratic nominee is the one for the job. Now that the general election is underway, McCain needs to educate young voters about Obama’s biggest fundraiser. A lot of my friends support Obama – little do they know about his connections to a now convicted, corrupt slumlord that did everything but help the poor of Chicago. Do the Peace Corps volunteers want a president who benefited from money extorted from people and forced his poor residents to live in horrific situations? Doubtful.
Like I said, I’m aware that despite these reasons Obama will still probably win the majority of young voters, but McCain can at least try. The youth in this country think that Obama is some kind of savior which is so absurd that it’s actually sad. Hopefully, John McCain can open the eyes of at least some college students by proving to them that just because Obama is “young and hip” (or whatever) just like them does NOT mean he will make a good president. It especially doesn’t mean that he automatically shares their views. I know young people are notorious for not getting out the vote, but I’ve always been very optimistic (perhaps falsely) about my generation and this year, I’m praying they open their minds and come out to vote – for John McCain.