Obama works hard to woo Iowa high school students

[babylonsister]

Obama works hard to woo Iowa high school students
By Margaret Talev | McClatchy Newspapers


DES MOINES, Iowa — Amina Kader is only 17, but as the leader of the Barack Obama student group at Hoover High School, she's a foot soldier in the Democratic presidential candidate's infantry in the first state to vote.

All the major candidates in both parties are courting young voters to varying degrees, especially on college campuses. But Obama — who polls indicate has the most to gain if students show up to caucus in Iowa — appears to be building an unmatched network throughout Iowa's high schools.

His campaign Web site lists 144 Iowa high schools with Obama student groups. That's 40 percent of the state's public high schools, and it translates to thousands of teens who say they're committed to caucusing for Obama. The group at Hoover High has about 25 active members.

On the Web site, students can check out a map and a pull-down bar with contact information about their schools' Obama groups or how to start one. Iowans as young as 17 can caucus provided they'll turn 18 by next year's general election.

It's a significant pool: An estimated 38,500 high schoolers are eligible to caucus in the state's 1,784 precincts, including in rural areas where a handful of unexpected participants can sway the results. That's comparable to the combined student populations of Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa.

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http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/23105.html

[Vickers]

1. I'd love for this election to hinge on the 26th Amendment.

:thumbsup:

[ClarkUSA]

2. Obama is doing a GREAT job converting an entire generation into Democratic voters

People normally crystallize their political affiliation in youth and never change, so he's bestowing on the Democratic Party a gift that
will keep on giving for generations.

I like this part:

But high school students?

Their winter breaks are much shorter and they live with their parents, so they're more likely to be home to caucus.

"It might be easier to get those kids to caucus than college students," said David Redlawsk, a political scientist at the University of
Iowa.

Some Iowa high school civics teachers are requiring that seniors caucus or volunteer a certain number of hours with a campaign of
their choice. That includes Kader's second-period government teacher, Kirk Stevens... In national and state polls — and in Stevens'
classes at Hoover High — Obama is the students' favorite.

[babylonsister]

3. Yes! He's inspiring a whole generation to at least consider

political activism. I think it's great! :patriot: