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| |  |  | VOA Online Discussion: New title here | Guest: Adrian Talbott, Youth Activist & Jon Barela, Delegate from New Mexico
Date: 02 Sept. 08
Moderator: Erin Brummett |
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Erin: Welcome to a special edition T2A webchat from the Republican Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, where things are starting to return to normal with damage from Hurricane Gustav thankfully less serious than it could have been¡Kthe youth political voice in the United States has been steadily growing and the Presidential campaigns have noticed. We¡¦re discussing this first in today¡¦s webchat ¡V and then we¡¦ll catch up with New Mexico Delegate Jon Barela, who is joining us each day of the Convention to share his experiences. Right now, though, let¡¦s talk about efforts to recruit young American voters who do not attend university with Adrian Talbott. He is Executive Director of Generation Engage and he joins us from Washington.
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Erin: Adrian at a youth rally in St. Paul Monday, former Arkansas Governor and Republican Presidential hopeful Mike Huckabee said, (quote) Obviously, the youth vote is the critical vote, because they are the ones most affected by how this thing turns out -- a lot of them understand that , they get it, and they need somebody who is not so much young, but who understands the future of this country and that is why John McCain is the best pick. (unquote) What is Generation Engage learning about where young people stand right now and what¡¦s most important to them in this election?
Adrian: I think first and foremost we're all understanding that young people don't suffer from a lack of interest. They are most certainly not apathetic. They suffer from a lack of access. But this election cycle is demonstrating that when you give young people the opportunity to step up to the microphone, they not only do so in large numbers -- they do so with great resonsibility.
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Erin: Tell us more about Generation Engage¡Kis it a non-partisan organization? How did it start? Talk about its website and of course its grassroots organizing work¡K
Adrian: Generationengage.org was founded by a group of young people three years ago. We service the 52% of young adults who are off four-year university campuses. We hire young leaders in local communities and pay them a fulltime salary to reach out to their peers. We then ask them to organize social gatherings at social venues; bars, pool halls, places of worship, etc. And then we connect them over a technology called mega meeting which is a video conference and allows groups of young people in otherwise disparate, disconnected locations to have interactive conversations with national and international civic leaders.
Adrian: Adding that we're absolutely committed to non-partisanship. We either host events with both Republicans and Democrats, or follow an event with a Republican guest, with an event with a Democratic guest -- or visa versa. It's important to note that though we're non-partisan we see partisanship is a healthy thing at the local level, when it's not two heads yelling at each other on a tv screen -- rather different viewpoints represented in a local forum.
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Erin: Talk more about how websites like generationengage.org are influencing the U.S. electoral process...
Adrian: Organizations like ours are not technology-based or technology-focused. New technologies are amplifying the collective political voice of traditionally marginalized demographics, so with organizations like generationengage.org, the web provides an alternative to 30-second-long television ads -- a web that is genuinely interactive, one that is free and one where young people are more facile than any other generation.
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Erin: Adrian, thanks...Adrian Talbott is Executive Director of generationengage.org. Let's turn now to Jon Barela, a first-time delegate from New Mexico. Welcome back Jon...tell us about your first day as a delegate, Monday...and what are you doing today/Tuesday?
Jon: It was great honor Monday to stand on the floor of the arena to get a sense of the responsibility we all have as delegates to help elect the next president. So it was a great honor but we also were thinking of those people in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region affected by Hurricane Gustav.
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Erin: Talk more your impressions of this Convention and what is New Mexico bringing to the table here in St. Paul?
Jon: The delegates are eager to get back home and work for a true American hero and a candidate who has put service before self. New Mexico is a very important state in electing the next President because the election is very close in New Mexico. The American system of electing a President is not done through a direct vote. Instead, each state has electoral votes based on their number of congressional representatives. If a candidate wins a respective state, they collect all of those state's electoral votes. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. Thus, even small swing states like New Mexico become very important in close presidential elections.
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Erin: Talk about what the people of New Mexico want from the next administration and how they may have influenced the Republican party platform¡K
Jon: Energy prices, general economic conditions and national security are the 3 most important issues to New Mexicans in my opinion. New Mexico is an energy-producing state so we are sensitive to and understand that issue very well. We also believe that the general economy is based upon what happens in the energy field. The delegates and most New Mexicans believe a balanced energy policy which relies on drilling immediately and rapid development of alternative energy sources is critical to achieving energy independence and lower energy prices. Thus, we believe that Senator McCain's position on energy independence is the best option in this election. We also understand the connection to energy independence, a strong economy and national security are all inter-related.
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Marcien FOSSUO: What could be the impact of Sarah Palin's family issues on the Republican National Convention?
Jon: It's irrelevant and even Senator Barack Obama agrees it's irrelevant. A candidate's family, especially their kids, should be off limits for discussion.
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Erin: What are you doing today / Tuesday?
Jon: Today / Tuesday we'll hear from former Presidential candidate Fred Thompson and a couple of other surprise speakers.
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Erin: That wraps T2A on Immigration with expert Gloria Roa Bodin. Our thanks to Gloria and to you for joining us. If we did not get to your question, please visit us at voanews.com or go to Gloria¡¦s website www.gloriaroabodin.com or you can email Gloria at gglobo@aol.com We hope you can come back on Wednesday, May 28th at 1800 utc when we spend some at a new interactive museum in Washington dedicated to the news. The Newseum is a place that takes visitors through history to the present using artifacts, photography, exhibits, films and interactive experiences. That¡¦s Wednesday, May 28th at 1800 utc right here on voanews.com See you then!
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