Opinion: It's Too Late for Obama to Fire Up Young Voters

(Oct. 28) -- You'd think that the under-30 crowd would be displaying an unprecedented amount of interest in this non-presidential election year.

After all, an election season featuring former teen witches, bestiality-loving bigots and ex-felons, to say nothing of the impact it will have on the remainder of President Barack Obama's historic first term, should be stoking their excitement.

But it's not. Some polls suggest that the youth of America appear to be about as interested in voting this year as Charlie Sheen is invested in maintaining a low profile.

A recent study released by the Harvard Institute of Politics finds that more than 70 percent of young voters claim to be unsure whether they will participate in the midterm elections.

Even worse, only one in five tell pollsters that they're politically engaged at all.

Sure, midterm elections are notorious for drawing lower voter interest -- especially among those 18 to 29. But why the backtrack on a decadelong trend that showed many young voters were beginning to take a greater interest in the world around them and those in control of it?

It's not as though President Obama isn't trying to get them "fired up." He's spent the past few weeks aggressively courting the attention of young voters and restoring their interest in politics.

He's returned to the stadium-sized rallies of his 2008 presidential campaign, hosted MTV-sponsored "town halls", sat down with one of the most popular political icons among young people, Jon Stewart. There's even talk of bringing in rapper Jay-Z to help energize the youth and minority vote.

And it's not because the young have suddenly shifted to the right. According to a recent poll by Rock The Vote, only 26 percent of young voters have a favorable view of the tea party. By comparison, President Obama has a 56 favorable rating, while the Democratic and Republican parties enjoy 46 and 36 ratings, respectively. Sarah Palin, a paltry 28 percent.

Republican National Committee spokeswoman Katie Wright says that, "What Democrats fail to realize is that young voters are disenchanted with the White House's failed economic policies that have only increased job uncertainty and their share of the debt."

There's another, more plausible reason.

At a recent rally at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, President Obama told the crowd, "We need you to stay fired up. Because there is an election on November 2nd that is going to say a lot about the future -- your future and the future of our country."

In 2008, young voters who were "fired up and ready to go" cast their vote for what they thought would be "substantial change."

That change turned out to be slow, gradual and, to many, frustrating and full of compromise. That, in turn, has spurred disappointment.

Rather than reaching out in a better-late-than-never approach to the youth, Obama -- and his fellow Democrats -- would have been better served if he'd reached out much earlier, and in a more consistent way, to the youth. Offering simpler explanations of policy, change of plans and pleas for patience. And giving them clear reasons to keep caring and stay involved.

If young voters ultimately skip out in droves this November, it wouldn't be shocking. Still, given the severity of the times and the interest generated just two years ago, this growing disengagement from politics among young people should send a message to Democrats -- and Republicans -- alike.