Conventional wisdom holds that Indiana will back whoever theRepublicans nominate for President. And if that's the will of themajority of Hoosiers, I say awesome. That's the beauty ofdemocracy. Unfortunately, our predictability has the nasty sideeffect of discouraging participation on both the right and theleft.
Indiana would be better off as a battleground state, with thewinner of our 11 electoral votes not being a foregone conclusion.The spirit of Kerry supporters would be immensely higher if itdidn't seem they were blowing against the wind. Ironically,Republicans would also be energized if painting Indiana red onelection day required effort. In short, individuals would havegreater incentive to participate in the political process, and thestate would be a higher priority on the national stage.
Envisioning such an Indiana (where the presidential vote ofHoosier Democrats would be more than a gesture), I checked onlineto see if President Bush really has Indiana as locked up as peoplesay. He does. According to a poll conducted last week bywww.usasurvey.com, Bush leads Kerry 59 percent to 37 percent amonglikely Indiana voters.
For now at least, it appears Indiana will remain a slam dunk forRepublican presidential nominees. Therefore, the dream of apolitically energized Indiana must be deferred, as Hoosiers lack agood reason to head to the polls.
Or do we? Even if Bush's victory in Indiana is certain, youngvoters still have an opportunity to change the face of politics inthis state. If Indiana is ever to be a battle ground state forpresidential nominees, two things must happen. First, the Democratsmust nominate presidential candidates that independents andunsatisfied Republicans (and there are many this year) can stand tosupport. (By the way, if Bush wins next week, Democrats will haveblown an election they could have easily won, and the blame shouldfall squarely on the far left's inability to grasp this.) Andsecond, Hoosier Democrats must defy the polls by going out andvoting even in an election that looks hopeless.
An even more compelling reason for young Hoosiers to hit thepolls, is the slew of non-oval-shaped offices which must be filled.Governor Joe Kernan and Senator Evan Bayh - both of whom prove thatthe right sort of Democrat can win in this state -- are both vyingfor reelection.
Bayh has a seemingly insurmountable lead over Republican MarvinScott, but the race for governor is intense. According to anotherpoll by surveyusa.com, Republican Mitch Daniels leads Kernan amonglikely Indiana voters 51 percent to 43 percent, with a margin orerror of four points. If suspense is required to get students tothe polls, then here it is.
Another reason that young voters in particular should bemotivated to vote, is that politicians are largely indifferent toour concerns. Considering that population naturally increases,young people should have tremendous political influence.Unfortunately, the traditional failure of college students to votein large numbers has cost us.
Will enough young voters turn out to give America's youth a sayproportionate to our numbers? No way. But has anyone everaccomplished something great with that kind of attitude? Even if wecan't eliminate the problem in one election, as individuals, we canat least strive to not be part of the problem.
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
