No matter what you think of the presidential candidates, you have to respect the enthusiasm that the tight Democratic and Republican contests have sparked, which played out in results from the Super Tuesday primaries.
The youth vote is proving crucial, particularly in the Democratic primaries, where voters have the opportunity to elect either the first woman or African-American to the White House. Exit polls from the primary states that voted yesterday show just how involved young people are.
In Georgia, for example, 11 percent of young people ages 18-29 voted in 2004. This year: 18 percent.
In Tennessee, 7 percent in that age group voted in 2004. This year: nearly double, or 13 percent.
In Massachusetts, 9 percent voted in 2004. This year: 14 percent.
The day of the American University rally in which Massachusetts Sen. Ted Kennedy endorsed Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, an early version of a Washington Post story noted:
The stamp of approval from much of the Democratic Party's most legendary political family was significant even to the many young people in the crowd, including Rachel Haas, Wynne Anderson and Casey Thevenot, 17-year-old students at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, Md., who walked out of class at 9 a.m. to come to the rally.
While skipping class isn’t unusual, skipping class for politics is another story. And even a civics teacher might appreciate that.