Circum Spective

obama-mania dying down as reality sets in

 
CHICAGO (AP) -- Young Americans [mostly college students who hadn't experienced REAL life yet] showed their collective power when they helped vote President Obama into office. Inspired by his message of "change," they knocked on doors, spread flyers, voted for him by a 2-1 margin, and partied like rock-the-vote stars when he won.

Since the election, though, that fervor has died down - noticeably. And while young people remain the president's most loyal supporters in opinion polls, a lot of people are wondering why that age group isn't doing more to build upon their newfound reputation as political influencers.
"It's one thing to get excited about a presidential candidate. It's another thing to become a responsible citizen," says Jennifer Donahue, political director for the New Hampshire Institute Of Politics. She and other political analysts thinks they have yet to prove themselves.

Erin Carroll, a 19-year-old sophomore at LaSalle University in Philadelphia, blames the lack of engagement on her generation's short attention span. They want change - right now, she says - and haven't gotten it. "I feel like everybody walks around with their cell phone and their laptops. We feel like we need everything immediately. "We're the 'me-me-me' generation."