Ageism in the political environment

Anyone who has played a game in the Street Fighter Alpha series knows that one's -ism heavily influences how they approach the game. The same is arguably true about one's relation to various -isms in society. Under the premise that this is true the significance of the various -isms being thrown around during this election cycle becomes increasingly more pronounced. One of the undercurrents which is really beginning to become a potentially tidal force is ageism.

Age has played a distinct role in this election, more so than any election I can readily bring to mind. It should come as no surprise that I am inherently naive on this subject, but as far as I am aware this is the first time it has become a political issue. Again, don't correct me if I'm wrong, as I plead no expertise of the topic. Nonetheless, it is a very real issue in this election cycle as we move on into an uncertain future.

The two dominant candidates are deploying their age in a very pronounced fashion. Sen. John McCain is touting his experience, brandishing it like a trophy of political conquest. Sen. Barack Obama is showcasing his inexperience as an opportunity to take a new direction from "failed economic policies of the last eight years" as he has so clearly inundated us with. He has also taken this opportunity to highlight the need for sound judgment to be the driving mechanism for America in the next era, grounds which he criticizes McCain on through his experience. McCain, aptly contends that it is precisely Obama's inexperience that should be feared. According to the McCain camp, Obama is riding on the coattails of opportunity in this election, but as soon as he gets in office he's going to steer us astray from the principles that American trust the most, like capitalism and global military authority.

Both candidates have established very clear territories for their respective platforms, and I believe it is nice to see this distinction because it really raises a large host of the concerns we face in the next era. Even though I voted for Obama, I find somethings very compelling in McCain's experience. McCain exudes a very real degree of certainty and conviction in his ability, and I can't completely deny the possibility that he may be onto something because of the major points of contention he has had with the Bush philosophies. There's a large part of me that wishes McCain had won back in 2000, because I don't believe he would have gotten us into this mess to begin with. This point is disputable, but my belief stems from the idea that legislative experience is not completely, and probably has very little correlation with executive ability and execution Regardless, since the two candidates are senators, decisions based on their experience does have merit.

The same judgments can be made on the two candidate's vice presidential selections as well, and we can see how much age at least appears to have played a role in this process as well. I don't believe it is a coincidence that the vice presidential choice balances out the age of the major party tickets. Obama, on the grounds of experience, selected Sen. Joe Biden to temper his judgment, and that complement is possible because of Biden's experience. McCain chose Gov. Sarah Palin because she's young and hot, and adds much needed sex appeal to his ticket. She also adds gubernatorial experience to McCain's campaign, something coupled with McCain's military experiences creates a very formidable, and powerful ticket, which is what Obama would have had a far more difficult time dealing with if Palin had not stumbled blindly into the media spotlight. She has recovered a fair amount of ground in the last few weeks, but it has done an influential amount of damage to the McCain campaign. I will unequivocally acknowledge that Palin is a good vice presidential choice, even beyond what appears to be a political agenda. I think she got really nervous being in the media spotlight for the first time, and the media decided to make a spectacle of it. If the pair does get elected, I'm not so sure it will be the end of the world. At the very least she would make for four more years of good political satire, or even an awesome Disney movie (check College Humor for more on this possibility).

Duke's campus, and potentially all college campus, are considered liberal bastions. The obvious amount of support on campus leads me to wonder if as college students we are inherently ageist? Is part of the reason we support Obama because whether we realize it or not we have a prejudice against old people? I think this might be a possibility. Obama has resorted to unprecedented campaign strategies in this election, some of which involve his appeal to young voters. Every time I log onto Facebook there is this almost pestering Obama ad somewhere on the page. There are Obama ads all over the Internet in fact, even on Weather.com. Obama isn't solely resorting to the internet in his campaigning either. This proliferation of ads has begged the question of campaign finance reform as Obama is really dominating media outlets because of how much campaign funds he has at his disposal. This would not surprise me as the motivation for the amount of support Obama receives in the media, which indisputably, has profound political impacts. Now in Obama's defense, his management of his campaign is a testament to his ability to run a campaign. McCain has received criticism about his managerial ability because at one point he exhausted all of his campaign funds while campaigning for the Republican candidacy. This raises some issues about what he would do when he is responsible for national finances, a point the Obama camp hasn't really contended, at least from this perspective.

The inspiration for this guest commentary was Gen. Colin Powell's endorsement of Obama under the umbrella of "generational change." In that respect we have a medium for unraveling just how much thought went into Powell's endorsement. Those who can recall the Steele-Ford debate will remember how much contention the two debaters held over the idea that Powell's endorsement had racial motivation. I personally agree with the Maryland governor, even though he's a Terrapin, in that there was some influence. Obama represents a change in American political history. He's not the first change, but he is a change, and that change is racial. I think Powell found to be more important was change in the generational sense. I'm fairly certain that we, as Duke students, are familiar with the major constitutional representation of elderly people in the polling places. I've talked to some of them, and the feedback is almost always about how much it warms their heart to see young adults taking an interest in the democratic process. I think that is where Powell is grounding his endorsement. Powell recognizes how much of an investment Obama has been able to draw out of our generation. As a member of the old political avant-garde, Powell understands that eventually he, along with his generation, will have to make way for the new avant garde. It's partially about new politics, but more importantly it's about new politicians. Eventually, Congress will have to fill retired seats, and judges will have to be replaced, and the only pool of applicants to draw from is young American citizens.

Elections represent a political coming of age for young men and women all over the country, and rightly so because their impacts will effect them the most. In this sense I find Powell's endorsement of Obama to be the most appropriate. Its like a political passing of the torch in the sense that new times will call for new directions, and according to Powell, Obama represents that in the closest capacity possible. In voting we have to keep that in mind, because this shouldn't be just a popularity contest, or a historic opportunity because those perspectives don't take into account the consequences of our vote. As young adults, as college students and very specifically as Duke students, we are the future. If we are going to have an impact on this election it must be a responsible one. That calls for all of us to make our democratic contribution because to not do so would be an endangerment to ourselves. If you don't believe me look up P. Diddy's "Vote or Die" campaign. He has a very persuasive argument for why we should vote which I at least buy into for my own personal safety and well being.