Difficult times ahead but youths bullish on Obama

 The election of 2008 captured the hearts and minds of young people like no other prior election, but it was not so much the cult of candidates that drove them to the campaign stump as the urgency of unfolding world events.

 Perhaps because of the rhetoric of the Barack Obama campaign, Jessica Tibbs-Tacke, 17, a Yuma High School junior, says the country needed a change and she was excited by his ideas.

 "We're in a terrible economic situation," Jessica said. "And of course with the tensions in the Middle East, now there are so many problems in Israel, something needs to be done."

 Jessica is president of the Young Democrats of Yuma High School, which she launched during the fall and worked with the Yuma Democratic Headquarters to register voters for the Nov. 4 election.

 The economic crisis will make it difficult to get loans. Since she is a junior, she is already looking to secure financial assistance to attend college, and the issue is a critical concern of hers.

 Jessica continues to meet bimonthly with the Young Democrats but is not as engaged with issues as during the fall campaign. If she could meet with Obama at the inauguration, she would let him know the country is behind him and though she knows it will take time, she is optimistic the country will come out of the recession.

 "It seems like Obama is very sincere, and I like sincerity a lot," Jessica said.

 The election also held promise for first-time voters such as Nicole West, an Arizona Western College education freshman.

 "The country was going into recession and I wanted to take a stand on the issues," West said.

 What she especially liked about Obama was a proposal for young people to do community service to earn money for college. West has a scholarship at AWC but it expires next semester. She hopes Obama's proposal will become policy so she could afford to attend a major university.

 But what motivated her to campaign for Obama was his longtime community organizing that she said showed his sincerity and honesty.

 "He's not like most politicians, he's in it for the people," West said. "I wanted to get the word out to other students about Obama and hopefully he'll make a difference."

 One student who will attend the inauguration is Cheyanna Thundercloud, 16, a Cibola High School junior. Cheyanna is an alumna of the National Young Leaders Conference, a nonprofit that helps leaders of tomorrow meet leaders in Washington, D.C., where she attended as a nominee.

 She received an invitation through the organization that will host keynote speakers Inauguration Day, and one of those she was looking forward to hear is former Vice President Al Gore.

  Cheyanna watched the conventions on TV in the summer and recalled she preferred Obama but was uncertain what he could do for the country.

 "It's exciting because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Cheyanna said.

 But there was also significant numbers of young people who supported Republican candidate John McCain. It was the faltering economy, especially the plummeting stock market, where her sister lost a substantial sum that motivated Amy Duncan, an AWC general studies sophomore, to vote for McCain. She was also concerned about the health care issue.

 "I don't want to pay for other people's health care since it's expensive enough to pay for your own," Duncan said. "Canada's national health care, for instance, has them waiting in long lines to see doctors and I don't want to see that here."

  Duncan said it was ironic that Obama talked about change and brought back most of the Clinton administration into his Cabinet.

 "I know he's got a lot on his plate and I think it's difficult. I wish him the best and hope he's capable. Even if you didn't vote for him, you should stand behind him and give him a chance at least."

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William Roller can be reached at
wroller@yumasun.com or 539-6858.