When Jared Christiansen began campaigning for governor of Wisconsin, more than a few heads turned. The baby-faced 18-year old seems a more likely candidate for student body governor than a state one. With men and women twice their age running against them, what is spurring these younger people like Christiansen to take matters into their own hands? What has seized the nation and suddenly made politics so "cool," when just a few years ago any type of civic engagement was deemed laughable by the same generation?

“Spurred into action by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the war in Iraq, youths 18 to 24 years of age have dramatically accelerated their participation in politics, both at the ballot box and on college campuses. After a steady decline in youth voting since the close of the Vietnam War, young voter participation increased from 36 percent in 2000 to 47 percent in 2004, representing a huge jump” reported The Boston Globe.

Meanwhile “the Internet has accelerated the trend, giving young people a cheap and efficient tool to organize rallies, recruit volunteers, and exchange information about candidates. With passions high over the war, national security, and global warming, young people today are shaping up as a political power bloc that could exceed the influence of antiwar protesters in the late 1960s and early 1970s, pollsters and analysts predict.” And the pollsters are correct … at least in one respect. As The Chronicle of Higher Education pointed out, “About two million more young people voted for president … than in the 2004 election, raising the percentage of people under the age of 30 who voted to 51 percent, according to a new report by the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement.”

As for why the youth turned out en masse to vote,  is not as much about the cult of Obama or the first African American running for president as liberals would have you think.

"The reason so many people are loud and energetic is that they're happy … It seems like it's been a long drought since any one of us have heard from someone who speaks for us,” Michael Nystrom told The Boston Globe referring to Ron Paul. The feisty, libertarian-minded Congressman from Texas began energizing conservative and libertarian youth voters to the same extremes liberal youth were being energized by Obama’s campaign. The difference of course was that while Obama worked hard at targeting youth, Ron Paul attracted the young voters like moths to a flame, and it was they who did most of the campaigning for him. In the same article from the The Boston Globe young student Meghan Walker bragged about “spending all her free time campaigning for Ron Paul.”

"I don't really see my friends anymore," she said. "My new friends are the Ron Paul Meetup group" she casually told the reporter. While Ron Paul may not have won the election, he continues to energize youth in the political sphere to the point that they are clambering for a new campaign in 2012.

While more young adults are getting involved in political affairs and popular comedy shows such as Saturday Night Live, as well as left-leaning YouTube skits, that take aim at Obama's broken promises and the corruption in government, the liberal faction of youth is beginning to realize that no matter what you promise, without honesty and transparency everything is meaningless.    

“History has shown, as with Abe Lincoln, that experience doesn’t necessarily always go a long way. With inexperience you bring in new ideas, and with inexperience you’re not able to be bought by public interest groups,” Jared Christiansen, the 18-year-old Democrat running for Wisconsin governor stated to WKBT.

But if taking on a governorship doesn't daunt an 18-year old, what is to daunt a 32-year old with no governing experience from taking on Congress? Apparently nothing, as Joel Pollak from Illinois is proving.

“I went to the town hall meeting at the end of August on healthcare, and what I saw there was pretty striking. We were treated to hundreds and hundreds of bussed in supporters, who were organizing to suppress criticism of the healthcare reform bill … and I was so struck by the deliberate attempt to stifle descent inside the district, that that was what really clinched it for me and made me decide to run for congress, Pollak told NTNM.org. Because of the recent political fireworks, Pollak, a YouTube star who questioned Barney Frank (D-Mass) about his accountability for the financial crisis, not only decided to run for the representative seat in Illinois’ 9th district against incumbent Democrat Jan Schakowsky, but also transformed from a liberal Democrat to a conservative Republican. 

Last year, the youngest city council member in history, JeremyYamaguchi was sworn in at age 19 in Placentia, California. According to Yamaguchi, "It is important to keep the morals and ideals of what this country was founded on foremost in every decision we make."

Whether or not these young men win or are capable of winning is not the point. Christiansen, who has at the time of writing accumulated 250 followers on this Twitter account faces an uphill battle in his campaign, and Pollak has an incumbent democrat in a heavily democratic state as his opponent. But whether they win or lose, their demonstration of willingness to get involved for their country is a shining example of how we all need to stand up and fight, young and old, to restore and preserve our freedom under the United States Constitution.

Catherine Mullins is a freelance writer and essayist.

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DDW said:

	Bravo, young people!! Keep it up!! Perhaps y'all can clear out some of the old, useless dead wood. Keep your eyes on the Constitution.
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December 23, 2009
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Pat Henry said:

at least give it a sober analysis At the very least, these people will not be as experienced in drinking, and will therefore be less likely to think they can address the Senate coherently while intoxicated, as did Sen. Max Baucus (or should we say, maxed Bacchus?), an architect of Obamacare's attempt to centralize government yet further: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5Y9X5ggxzA Obviously, we need to look to a more sensible generation. Both sides of the aisle have fallen off the Constitutional wagon.

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December 28, 2009
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i4freedom said:

	ARTICLES OF FREEDOM at www.cc2009.us (1) Download and print your copy of the Articles of Freedom here: http://www.cc2009.us/images/pd...0.2009.pdf (2) Read the Articles of Freedom online and sign the pledge here: http://www.cc2009.us/aof/76-de...d-resolves
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December 30, 2009
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2010 Registry Cleaners said:

	Thanks Thanks for this post - it's been very eye-opening and has brought a lot of information to the world of youth politics
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January 10, 2010 | url
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best registry cleaner review said:

	... thanks for your post.
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February 05, 2010 | url
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