College students must be educated about candidates and their policies The Howard Stern Show had an infamous interview of voters in Harlem before the 2008 election between John McCain and Barack Obama. Stern was on a mission to see if black voters were voting for Obama simply because he was black. He sent out members of his team to ask voters on the streets if they supported Obama, only to replace all of Obama's policies with McCain's.
The interviewer asked, "Now how about him being pro-life, do you support Obama in that case?" The person answered, "Yeah. I do, I support him in that case." The interviewer continued, "And if he wins, would you have any problem with Sarah Palin being Vice President?" "No, not at all," the man responded.
It was an embarrassing lesson for some and an eye opening experiment for America. The truth was, loads of Americans were uninformed when it came to the issues and were treating the whole ordeal like a high school popularity contest rather than a national election.
Unfortunately, many Americans have not learned their lesson. With Obama's approval rating hovering at an unimpressive 43%, an all-time low, the people that voted for him in 2008 are now realizing that his policies may not have coincided with their own opinions as much as they originally thought. A Bloomberg poll showed that 51 percent of Americans don't believe that the president's $447 billion jobs package will lower the nation's 9.1 percent unemployment rate.
Four years later, we have the opportunity to change fellow Americans' impressions of ourselves as voters. We have the chance to distinguish ourselves from the uniformed masses and change the stereotype that has plagued many of us ever since the last election. As college students, we strive to learn something new every day and informing ourselves about all of the political candidates and their policies should be a high priority.
Even with so many resources and opportunities at our fingertips, the majority of young Americans continue to remain uninformed and complacent. We may be knowledgeable enough to know that Obama would never pick Palin as his VP, but beyond the basics, there seems to be a detachment from the issues.
With the election a year away, now is the perfect time to get involved. The College Democrats and USC College Republicans both hold regular meetings with speakers who can help explain the main issues and spawn healthy debate.
This next election is going to be historical and life-changing for every American. It's ignorant to think that the next four years will not affect everyone on a personal level at some point. Take the time to read the news, talk with friends, or join a group on campus. College students have great potential to influence others and swing the vote. Being an informed and responsible voter will prevent repeats of Stern's interview and hopefully improve the impression that many politicians have of American youth.
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