CAUCUS '08: Is this year's caucus a youth movement?
By Bret Hayworth Journal staff writer | Posted: Friday, January 04, 2008
SIOUX CITY -- Four years ago, the Howard Dean ship took on water -- and later sank -- after his young supporters didn't turn out on caucus night.
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was the pick of many young people who are becoming politically aware in this presidential election cycle, and the turnout Thursday night at Morningside College showed a few twenty-somethings caucused for him. There were fresh faces as well for Hillary Clinton and John Edwards.
Was there a youth movement in the caucuses this year? The assessment was mixed at two Democratic Party precinct sites at Morningside -- Olsen Student Center and Eppley Auditorium.
Barbara Frey, 73, doesn't caucus every four years but does so periodically. Looking at the participants at Eppley, Frey said: "I think there is more youth than in the past. It is good, exciting, to see the young people."
Morningside sophomore Anita Bentson said the Morningside Civic Union conducted a voter registration drive that she termed successful in netting about 100 registrations. Bentson came to caucus for Dennis Kucinich but moved her support to Obama. She said the campus is "split pretty evenly" between Republican and Democratic party students.
But Spirit Lake, Iowa, native Alex Watters, 21, assessed the turnout at Eppley as "pathetic." Watters said it is one thing to get students registered, another to get them to turn out.
"College students tend to be apathetic to the political process. It is a tragedy," said Watters, who caucused for Obama. He said the turnout wasn't helped by the fact that when the caucuses were moved up from Jan. 14 to Jan. 3, that meant they occurred during the Morningside winter break.
Precinct caucus chairwoman Pat Hammerstrom noted Morningside students could have been caucusing at their homes while on break. She didn't perceive an influx of youths at the caucuses.
Angela Godfrey, 25, was taking part in her first caucus and went for Clinton. Godfrey said she turned out because of the opportunity to help Clinton become the first woman president.
Akron native Mike Parkinson graduated in November from Briar Cliff College in Sioux City and is substitute teaching. He participated in his first caucus, at the Olsen center.
"See you in four years," a woman called out to Parkinson as he readied to leave the site at 8 p.m.
Parkinson said the 90 minutes spent caucusing was time well spent. A big football fan after being a quarterback on the 2002 Akron-Westfield championship team, he noted with a broad smile that he could have watched the Orange Bowl game with one of his favorite teams, Virginia Tech but caucused instead.
Parkinson was enthused about what unfolded, including discussions in drawing a supporter of nonviable Chris Dodd into his camp of Obama supporters. Of the young Olsen participants, he said, "It seemed there was more people on the Obama side."
Said Parkinson: "(Obama) is very charismatic, you can see that in his campaign ads, as well as when he was (in Sioux City). I think he directs a lot toward young people, that is where that surge is coming from."
But reviewing the number of youthful Olsen caucusgoers, Parkinson said, "I think there definitely could be a lot more young people" participating.
But he pointed with enthusiasm to a 17-year-old who caucused elsewhere in the city -- his younger brother, who meets the requirement of turning 18 before the November general election.
"That was really neat for him to do that," Parkinson said. "I really wish I had done it last time, after doing it this time."
Frey said people shouldn't be so hard on young people who don't participate politically. She mentioned an 80-year-old neighbor who's never voted.
Read more in Hayworth's Politically Speaking blog at www.siouxcityjournal.com/blogs
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama was the pick of many young people who are becoming politically aware in this presidential election cycle, and the turnout Thursday night at Morningside College showed a few twenty-somethings caucused for him. There were fresh faces as well for Hillary Clinton and John Edwards.
Was there a youth movement in the caucuses this year? The assessment was mixed at two Democratic Party precinct sites at Morningside -- Olsen Student Center and Eppley Auditorium.
Barbara Frey, 73, doesn't caucus every four years but does so periodically. Looking at the participants at Eppley, Frey said: "I think there is more youth than in the past. It is good, exciting, to see the young people."
Morningside sophomore Anita Bentson said the Morningside Civic Union conducted a voter registration drive that she termed successful in netting about 100 registrations. Bentson came to caucus for Dennis Kucinich but moved her support to Obama. She said the campus is "split pretty evenly" between Republican and Democratic party students.
But Spirit Lake, Iowa, native Alex Watters, 21, assessed the turnout at Eppley as "pathetic." Watters said it is one thing to get students registered, another to get them to turn out.
"College students tend to be apathetic to the political process. It is a tragedy," said Watters, who caucused for Obama. He said the turnout wasn't helped by the fact that when the caucuses were moved up from Jan. 14 to Jan. 3, that meant they occurred during the Morningside winter break.
Precinct caucus chairwoman Pat Hammerstrom noted Morningside students could have been caucusing at their homes while on break. She didn't perceive an influx of youths at the caucuses.
Angela Godfrey, 25, was taking part in her first caucus and went for Clinton. Godfrey said she turned out because of the opportunity to help Clinton become the first woman president.
Akron native Mike Parkinson graduated in November from Briar Cliff College in Sioux City and is substitute teaching. He participated in his first caucus, at the Olsen center.
"See you in four years," a woman called out to Parkinson as he readied to leave the site at 8 p.m.
Parkinson said the 90 minutes spent caucusing was time well spent. A big football fan after being a quarterback on the 2002 Akron-Westfield championship team, he noted with a broad smile that he could have watched the Orange Bowl game with one of his favorite teams, Virginia Tech but caucused instead.
Parkinson was enthused about what unfolded, including discussions in drawing a supporter of nonviable Chris Dodd into his camp of Obama supporters. Of the young Olsen participants, he said, "It seemed there was more people on the Obama side."
Said Parkinson: "(Obama) is very charismatic, you can see that in his campaign ads, as well as when he was (in Sioux City). I think he directs a lot toward young people, that is where that surge is coming from."
But reviewing the number of youthful Olsen caucusgoers, Parkinson said, "I think there definitely could be a lot more young people" participating.
But he pointed with enthusiasm to a 17-year-old who caucused elsewhere in the city -- his younger brother, who meets the requirement of turning 18 before the November general election.
"That was really neat for him to do that," Parkinson said. "I really wish I had done it last time, after doing it this time."
Frey said people shouldn't be so hard on young people who don't participate politically. She mentioned an 80-year-old neighbor who's never voted.
Read more in Hayworth's Politically Speaking blog at www.siouxcityjournal.com/blogs
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Don't have Sour Grapes wrote on Jan 4, 2008 1:01 PM:
Jerry Brooks wrote on Jan 4, 2008 6:29 AM:
Caucus '08: Youth Movement? wrote on Jan 4, 2008 6:23 AM: