Looking back on the Republican and Democratic National Conventions, you can’t help but think these sorts of events mean little to college students besides a good laugh at the YouTube clip of Clint Eastwood talking to a chair.
The lack of debate and sheer one-sidedness of it all makes the conventions seem more like a three-day infomercial than a time to rally around the parties. And the conventions are merely symptomatic of a more general sentiment: There is little to encourage students to vote in this election.
To begin with, the format of political stumping does little to catch or hold the attention of our sound-bite generation.
I can only imagine the number of students who went online to check out Bill Clinton’s speech, only to see that it was 50 minutes long and, thus, definitely not worthwhile. But in 2008, the format of the conventions was the same, and Obama still managed to rally the youth vote.
This suggests a deeper problem in the 2012 elections: the substance of today’s political debate does little to entice youth to be civically engaged. According to a Gallup Poll, this November election will likely see a significant drop in youth voter turnout.
We can’t be accused of apathy ““ this past year has seen plenty of activism across the UCs and other American universities such as the Occupy protests.
Justifiably, youth are disillusioned with the entire political process. The conventions somberly confirmed that neither party will do much to change the trends of current legislation.
Granted, the Democratic National Convention did address some issues that are critical to college students, most notably student loans and civil liberties. There was also a strong embrace of the DREAM Act and a firm stance in support of marriage equality.
But actions speak louder than words. Obama’s administration has continued the worst of Bush’s policies including the escalation of the war in Afghanistan, bombings in Yemen, Somalia, Pakistan and Libya, the Patriot Act and National Defense Authorization Act, continuing the War on Drugs and out-of-control spending.
None of these policies are in the best interest of our generation.
Needless to say, the Republican counterparts are not much better. Perhaps the only issue throughout the convention relevant to youth, and everyone else for that matter, was saving the economy.
Both major parties do acknowledge the problem of rising tuition, which has risen five times faster than inflation and twice that of health care costs.
But the truth is, both parties would continue policies of guaranteeing student loans, which ironically would only exacerbate the issue by raising tuition.
So, where do the youth go?
Surveys have shown that college students are increasingly turning to libertarianism.
Ron Paul’s base has always been known to be the younger Internet generation. After all, this is the base actively fighting for the many social issues college students generally support, such as ending American intervention abroad.
When I vote in this election, I want to make a statement about the charade that is mainstream U.S. politics. Personally, I find myself supporting Gary Johnson and the Libertarian ticket this fall. Like Paul, Johnson supports ending the wars, domestic and abroad, that attack our civil liberties, violate the constitution and endanger our lives.
Furthermore, realizing the limitations of government, I see electing a libertarian as the only possibility of balancing the budgets and debt reduction.
Sadly, the libertarian viewpoint has been excluded from the dialogue surrounding the election. For instance, the libertarians, who constitute a large chunk of Republicans, were essentially shut out of any discussions at the convention.
The stakes in this election are high ““ there is record unemployment and a debt of $14 trillion with a looming $222 trillion in unfunded liabilities such as social security and Medicare.
Our wars abroad are increasing international tensions and America’s reputation in the world has steadily declined.
It’s time to drop the curtain of American politics, and demand better from our government. This election, we can make a difference by leaning away from the conventional candidates and voting for those who truly represent our interests.
Email Ugarte at rugarte@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to opinion@media.ucla.edu or tweet us at @DBOpinion.