The Young'ins are looking at the choice ahead and how it will affect their future. Bear with me folks, this is my first diary. I'm still learning the curve here.
So I'm working on a project here at work/home when my wife tells me that I need to ask my daughter to repeat what she had just told her mother. Granted, this is a kid who hates politics (Probably because her parents live and breathe the stuff lol). I learn that her boyfriend will turn 18 on Nov 2nd. He is excited that he will cast his first presidential vote for Obama that same week.
His best friend turns 18 in late October. He too is excited for the same reason as he will also cast his first presidential vote for Obama as well. Both of these young men already have all of their information in place for registering in time for the election. Nothing like being prepared!
A little background on our area. We're in East Central IL, a very Republican area running rampant with Apostolic (New Amish) churches. We relocated here several years ago to grow our business. It turns out that we were in the vanguard. There are many who had similar thoughts of relocating from the cities to get back to the quiet serenity that country living brings. It seems to be a growing trend as we have met over 20 families like ours who have recently 'arrived' in the sticks.
The only problem is that country living usually contains lots of 'family values' voters i.e. uninformed Republicans. While many of these folks can be pleasant when they want to, you can tell from their behavior and stated opinions that they're conservatives. You can also see that they're disappointed in the choices that their kids are making.
Many from the younger generation are running away from the churches as soon as they reach the ripe old age of 18. They've seen the light and are tired of the BS coming down from the pulpit. They leave for college, go to work wherever they can find it, or just leave to find a new happier life.
In the case of the two young men whose birthdays are just weeks away, they plan to go to college next year. They know that this election is one of the most important decisions in their lives and that it will possibly affect them for decades.
Since the time when I began this diary earlier in the day, I found out that there are many from the local senior class who are already registered as Democrats or will register as soon as they are eligible this fall. These kids want Obama as their president. The two young men mentioned earlier stopped by to hang out with our daughter and a few other friends tonight. We started discussing the election. All of these kids want to see a government that either works for them or with them. The only mention of McCain was that they're afraid of what he could do if he lives through a term or even worse, what Palin would do. What they fear most is the sum total of failure that McPalin represents.
I have to wonder just how many other high school students and recent graduates are out there who are registered to vote. How many are looking at Obama as someone who will facilitate change? I'll bet that none of them are within the poll samples as they're all either living at home or recently moved out and have cell phones instead of lan lines.
Based upon what I disovered today, I think that we're moving in the right direction. No, this is not a reason to rest on our laurels. We must keep pushing, working the phones, canvassing, and donating for Obama. Relish the fact that these kids are giving us confirmation on our efforts. We cannot stop until all of the votes have been safely and legally counted on election night! It's our future and the Kids know it too!