Does this scare you? Republicans registering as Obama democrats with the intention to unseat Clinton?

Obama's young backers twist parents' arms


By yankinulster - Apr 8th, 2008 at 5:31 am EDT


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Great article in today's New York Times: "Obama's young backers twist parents' arms". I'm still working on my mom, who was offended by Barack's comparison of his wife with Jacqueline Kennedy. Both mom and dad (and everyone else I talk to) agree Hillary Clinton's bid is finished. Yet my family focus group would plump for McCain, so there's a lot at stake!











Obama's Young Backers Twist Parents' Arms








By JAN HOFFMAN


The daily phone calls. The midnight e-mail. And, when college lets out, those dinner table declamations? Oh, please.





Senator Barack Obama’s devotees just won’t give their parents a break.





As the race for the Democratic presidential nomination continues, youthful volunteers for each candidate have been campaigning with bright-eyed brio, not only door-to-door but also at home. But the young supporters of Mr. Obama, who has captured a majority of under-30 primary voters, seem to be leading in the pestering sweepstakes. They send their parents the latest Obama YouTube videos, blog exhortations and “Tell Your Mama/Vote for Obama!” bumper stickers.





Megan Simpson, a Penn State senior, had not been able to budge her father, a Republican. But the day before the deadline for registering for the coming Democratic primary in Pennsylvania, she handed him the forms and threw in a deal-sweetener as well. “I said, ‘Dad, if you change your party affiliation in time to vote for Obama,’ ” recalled Ms. Simpson, 22, an Obama campus volunteer, “ ‘I will get you the paperwork the day after the primary if you want to switch back to being a Republican.’ ”





Thus did Ralph E. Simpson Jr., 50, construction company owner, become a newly minted Democrat. “I probably will switch my affiliation back,” Mr. Simpson said, “but I haven’t decided who I will vote for in the general election. If Meg keeps working on me, who knows?”





No poll has counted Obama supporters who made their choice at the urging of their children. But combined exit polls for all the primaries so far (excluding Florida and Michigan) show that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has edged out Mr. Obama, 50 percent to 46 percent, among voters ages 45 to 64 — those who are old enough, and then some, to be the parents of Mr. Obama’s young supporters.





But even politicians are mentioning the persuasiveness of their children, either in earnest or as political cover, as a factor in their Obama endorsements.





That list of Democrats includes Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Gov. Jim Doyle of Wisconsin, Senator Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota.





While politicians inevitably invoke children and the future, rarely have the political preferences of children themselves carried much weight with their elders. On the contrary: when baby boomer parents were the age their children are now, the ideological and social gap between generations was more pronounced. Parents were, by definition, authoritarian. Their children were, by definition, anti-.





But the sharp distinctions between generations have eroded. Parents now are exponentially more entwined with their offspring, inclined to place their children’s emotional well-being ahead of their own. Even when students live away at college, many parents call them and send text messages every day.





The Obama campaign was well positioned to capitalize on this veritable seamlessness. From the outset, Mr. Obama eagerly sought out young voters with his Internet operation and a widespread, efficient campus network. Those efforts are paying off: in all Democratic primaries to date (excluding Florida and Michigan), about 6 in 10 voters under age 30 have supported him, according to exit polls conducted by Edison/Mitofsky.





For some waffling primary voters, the relentless push by their children was good enough reason to capitulate. Eager to encourage their offspring’s latest enthusiasm, they have been willing to toss up their hands and vote for Mr. Obama, if only to impress their children.





“Our kids are probably more precious to us than any previous generation of parents,” said Dan Kindlon, a Harvard child psychologist. “We have fewer of them, we’re relativists, and we’re more swayed by them. A lot of parents are a little afraid of their kids.”





For many parents, this campaign season also feels like a fond flashback: in their children’s unvarnished idealism, many see a resurrection of their own youthful political passions.





“It’s something you can brag to your friends about,” said Professor Kindlon, who writes about child-rearing and adolescents. “ ‘My kid is involved in politics.’ ”





Donna Wall, 50, an elementary school teacher from Roanoke Rapids, N.C., had been a supporter of Mrs. Clinton. But her son, Drew, 21, a college student and Obama volunteer, would not let up until his mother switched allegiances for the coming primary.





“I’m glad they’re interested in something other than their own self-interest and partying,” Mrs. Wall said.





Curtis Gans, a staff director of Eugene J. McCarthy’s 1968 campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination, pointed out that the youthful enthusiasm in this primary did resemble that of 40 years ago. But he said that while Mr. McCarthy’s temporary success was largely due to the support of college students and middle-class mothers, they had been aroused more by the issue of the Vietnam War than by the candidate’s charisma.





“People are enthused by the fact that young people are engaged and excited again,” said Mr. Gans, director of the Center for the Study of the American Electorate at American University. “They think that’s really healthy, and they’d like to sustain it. But at this point, it is temporary and it is about Obama.”





There’s no telling whether these youthful importunings on Mr. Obama’s behalf will tip the balance for the nomination, or follow him into the general election should he be nominated. Certainly Mrs. Clinton is not without her own fresh-faced vanguard.





Rachel Mattson, 18, a freshman at Wellesley, called her mother, Michelle, in Memphis daily, pressing her to vote for Mrs. Clinton in the Tennessee primary.





“I don’t see a huge difference between the two candidates,” said Michelle Mattson, 45. “But Rachel never let it go. You’ll be sitting at the dinner table for an hour going over this stuff! Her enthusiasm and what it means to her inspired me.” She voted for Mrs. Clinton.





While Mrs. Clinton has a national network of student volunteers, Mr. Obama’s network is far more extensive. Web sites like Kids for Obama and YrMomma4Obama urge youngsters to talk up the candidate to their parents.





The two adult sons of Governor Doyle, 62, both black and both adopted, spoke to him with fervor about Mr. Obama’s vision of a multiracial country. Then Mr. Doyle’s young grandson piled on.





“He’s a complete Barackomaniac,” Mr. Doyle said in a phone interview. “When I asked him why, he said, ‘I think he’s really going to work hard for us.’ I thought, that’s it through the eyes of a 7-year-old. ‘He’ll work hard,’ and ‘for us.’ ”





The stealth campaigning was more persistent in the home of Senator Casey, 47. Mr. Casey, who was going to remain neutral, noticed how excited his four daughters, ages 11 to 19, were about Mr. Obama. The autographed Obama posters on the bedroom walls. The self-imposed hush in the living room when Mr. Obama would give a televised speech.





His daughter Julia, 13, would say, “Dad, when are you going to endorse Obama?” Mr. Casey recalled in a phone interview. “My response was, ‘I’m thinking about a lot of things, Julia.’ And she’d laugh and say, ‘Dad, answer my question.’ ”





Not all parents have been overjoyed to see their children donate countless unpaid hours to Mr. Obama. Bader ElShareif, 52, who immigrated from Gaza 31 years ago, was appalled that his daughter Ami, 20, a student at the University of Wisconsin, worked almost seven days a week last summer in Chicago for the candidate. Mr. ElShareif, who was leaning toward Senator John McCain, was annoyed that she did not have a salaried job to defray college expenses.





“I’d be exhausted, but I’d still want to debate with him,” Ms. ElShareif said. “Then he’d start calling me up and saying, ‘Hey, did you hear this about Obama? So and so endorsed him!’ ”





In the Illinois primary, Mr. ElShareif voted for Mr. Obama. His daughter, thrilled, sent him an Obama sign, which he displays in his convenience store near the University of Chicago.





“The neighbors and the students come in now and say, ‘We like your sign,’ ” Mr. ElShareif said. “Maybe these young people know something we don’t.”





Dalia Sussman contributed reporting.

Does this scare you? Republicans registering as Obama democrats with the intention to unseat Clinton?
Does this scare you? Republicans registering as Obama democrats with the intention to unseat Clinton?


--------------------------------------...


It's been very disturbing. Ever since January.





The evidence is mounting: the BIG BUSINESS-owned media's nonstop 24/7 Obama coverage, Obama's unusually deep pockets outspending Hillary 3-to-1 in each state, all of these Democratic caucuses he's strangely won in predominately Republican states - states that ALWAYS vote for Republicans in every Presidential election no matter what....





Yep - I think "the fix" is definitely in...
Reply:I simply can't buy that anyone would let their children bagger them into voting for Obama and then vote for Hillary. The republicans may want the race to continue which at least makes sense. Many were no doubt upset at his preacher and elitist remarks so it may not be accurate to label it as purely trying to monkey with the democrat race. It doesn't make sense for a Republican to vote for Obama because Hillary has no seat to be unseated from.
Reply:I think you have it wrong - Republicans are registering as Democrats in order to vote FOR Hillary, as she has less of a chance of beating McCain than Obama.





"Operation chaos," which people like Rush Limbaugh have been advocating conservatives to do.





Signs of it showed up tonight in PA... they are hoping to do the same thing in the remaining primaries....
Reply:I second that emotion (by Wolf).... incidentally, how does one candidate "unseat" the other before an election? *rolls eyes* If you know anything about election law, you would know that Hillary is - and has been - done. D-U-N-N- (done!)





In addition to winning PA, which she did today, she must win all the remaining states, AND win by a whole lot in each state... It's almost a mathematical impossibility for her to win at this point, and has been for several weeks now....





My own parents were Reagan Democrats who have finally come (back) to their senses.... They switched back to the Democratic Party so they could vote for Obama, but no matter who gets the nod, they are NOT voting for McCain.
Reply:Rush Limbrough has encourage individuals to register as Democrats in order to offset Obama's wins, by voting for Hillary. There are reports of these individuals, depending on their states regulations backfiring, with possibilities of jail, voter fraud, and fines. Overall; its very disturbing in the democratic process for our country.
Reply:I read some of the top and all of the end. It does not upset me in the slightest, as a matter of fact, I think it is one of the best things that could happen these days. The younger people are coming into a world that has been messed up by the guy from Texas. I don't want anyone fighting for a worthless cause and I can see the younger people wanting to correct that mistake we all made 8 years ago.
Reply:Who's ready to jump of HRC's superconic jet to victory and Peace and Prosperity?





Let's rock and roll Rocky!!!





When someone loses SOOO overwhelmingly DESPITE overspending by 4 to 1 in the last 4 major contests: OHIO, TEXAS, RHODE ISLAND, PENNSYLVALIA (%26amp; 3 of those were before Rev. Wright and other issues being revealed!!!!)


this person needs to DROP OUT and stop wasting tax payers' money.





Not to mention Florida and Michigan. When you count all the votes: HILLARY HAS BEEN AHEAD all this time!!!!





Can you believe the Bush-Sposored media who are full on supporting this Osama dude! In fact, even FAUX and MXNBC and CNN ,...





Power to the People!!!
Reply:I'm in family with republicans who will vote for Obama if he is the Nominee and no one twisted their Arms,the one guilty is Bush !
Reply:You should be drinking decaf at this hour...and no it does not scare me...on to Indiana and SC
Reply:beep beep boop beep beep bop boop
Reply:Scares me that people are stupid enough to fall for Obama's con!
Reply:No it does not.


I'm not gonna read all that.

cabbage