It’s election time again, and it’s unclear where we’re heading.
According to the polls and the pundits, Nov. 2 could bring anything from a historic Republican landslide to a come-from-behind retention of the Democratic Congress.
Throughout this election season, much has been made of the enthusiasm gap between Democrats and Republicans:
How big is it, how important is it, is it shrinking?
Just as important to this election, though, is the age enthusiasm gap.
In 2008, some of President Barack Obama’s strongest supporters were 18 to 30 year olds.
Today, 85 percent of those voters still approve of the President’s performance, yet only 44 percent say they will definitely be voting this year, according to a CBS poll.
This should be a frightening statistic for any Democratic candidate this year, who will need all the help they can get.
It’s also depressing because recent elections have seen increased youth voter turnout and it would be a tragedy to see that trend fade away.
In reality, though youth voters may disagree with Obama on some issues, overall it’s crystal clear that his presidency has been, especially for us, a success.
Take for example the little-noticed, yet highly-important, student loan reform passed earlier this year.
Previously, private lenders would act as middlemen on our loans. Now, the Department of Education will directly issue the loans.
This will save $61 billion, money that will now be used to improve Pell Grants, according to the Washington Post.
It also lowered the percentage of monthly income that could be allocated to loan repayment from 15 percent to 10 percent.
There was also the health care reform bill, which in addition to prohibiting the practice of dropping patients for pre-existing conditions, allows us to stay on our parents’ plans until the age of 26.
Thanks to the president’s initiatives, we’ll be better able to get our financial feet on the ground after we leave AU.
There are many people who assert that divided government won’t be so bad, that it might even be more effective.
A September poll from Rock the Vote, for instance, showed that 36 percent of young voters feel that it doesn’t matter who controls Congress.
Divided government, however, is far from ideal.
The last time we had a Democratic President and a Republican Congress, we spent an entire year on an intern named Monica Lewinsky when we could have been focused on health care, social security and the rise in foreign terrorist attacks.
Those who feel our politics have become nothing but a screaming match will find no resolution — in fact quite the opposite — in a divided government.
I know the last few years have been frustrating and disappointing, and that it seems like our Democratic Congress is so ineffective that it doesn’t matter whether they survive.
Despite all the difficulty, however, the president and the Democrats in Congress have still avoided a depression, ended the war in Iraq, saved the auto industry, recovered most of the TARP money, and made huge investments in green energy and education in the stimulus bill.
On Nov. 2, we should all go to the voting booth and ask ourselves: Aren’t we better off than we were two years ago?
Nick Field is a junior in the School of Public Affairs and a liberal columnist.
edpage@theeagleonline.com.