Wet babies: a refreshingly short post

Can’t help but wonder if today was a calm before the storm. Tomorrow’s the open house at the Pepsi Center, and I start my fieldwork on Satruday.

Today was blissfully low-key. Speakers wrapped up around noon — leaving time for a crew of us to hit downtown Denver for a few necessities…like, uh, shoes without four-inch heels. For a smart girl, I’m a stupid, stupid packer. (Speaking of stupid, I’ve also walked or nearly walked into several people/animals/objects during several downtown excursions, including: a map kiosk, a couple people, a baby carriage, a horse and a moving bus.)

There isn’t really much to say about today’s guest speakers. Both were engaging, to be sure, but neither spoke about anything as intriguing as the topics our own speakers chose. I wish Elbra Wedgeworth, Denver Host Committee Chair, had more time to talk about her health care work. That said, she’d be one hell of a graduation speaker; her inspirational “go after your dreams, go to the light” thing could’ve been incredibly cliché, but it wasn’t. Instead, Ms. Wedgeworth was motivating. She gave me chills…and a sense of motivation to believe that yes, I can succeed in politics and/or journalism. (Woohoo, personal DNC goals!)


Sound byte of the day: “Are we that wet baby?”

I’d never heard the adage “The only one who truly likes change is a wet baby,” but thanks to Dr. Genovese, I’ll never think of it without thinking of Barack Obama. Genovese hit the nail on the head; by all accounts, Obama should be several points ahead in the polls (more on that later) right now. As Genovese pointed out: George Bush and Dick Cheney are incredibly unpopular, the economy is completely dismal, gas prices are downright terrifying, government trust is low, and polls show the public doesn’t believe the country’s heading in the right direction. We should have a recipe for an easy Democratic win on our hands.

People want change, but when you slice through the polls and politicking, Obama might be behind in the polls right now because people just aren’t sure how much change they want — or how badly they want it. McCain’s safe. He’s a proven, seasoned candidate, but for the most part, he’s more of the same. So as Genovese asked…are we that wet baby? Are we really ready for change?

As a young, left-leaner, my answer is beyond obvious: YES. Sure, Obama’s stalled in the polls, but we learned today from Prof. Scott McClain, Quinnipiac poll analyst, that polls often don’t mean much — especially not at this stage in the game. Maybe I’m too idealistic, and maybe the forces of racism and inertia will keep enough of the older voting public from pulling the lever for an unprecedented candidate, but I truly think the polls aren’t reaching a representative audience of likely voters.

Why? Because college kids and young voters don’t have landline phones. (Nor do a good portion of low-income and minority voters, who traditionally vote Democratic.) And if a random sample of my friends offers any indication, young voters don’t answer our phones when we don’t know who’s calling. So, since the youth vote is one of Obama’s ultimate strongholds, I have a feeling polls skew in McCain’s favor — enough, I’d wager, to balance out underlying racism against Obama that might not show up in the polls.

To (once again) regurgitate a point of Genovese’s, Obama has to galvanize his Democratic base to win this election. A huge part of that base — one we haven’t had to think about in previous elections — is the youth vote. My prediction? If the Obama campaign continues to amp up the youth vote, he could very well perform beyond anyone’s expectations…even if the polls suggest otherwise through Election Day.