Debate Party

DSC_0043, originally uploaded by Rock the Vote 2008.

Wednesday, October 15th, 2008

Young voters registered yesterday – 15,485
Miles travelled today – 7

10:28 p.m. – Issues are boring. It’s a hard fact but true. You watch McCain or Obama trash one another and - for the political junkies and debate freaks among us - it’s like watching a fight-to-the-death cage match. You watch them speak to the future of the economy or tax rates in their economic plans and it’s like watching reruns of 60 minutes. The fundamental issues that will effect the future of our generation are pretty dull.

And yet... we do follow them. Among the noteworthy surprises of criss-crossing this country is that everyone has a base for his opinions. The lefties in New York are calling the red-state deer hunters cretins and halfwits. The right-wingers in Kentucky claim the blue-state cabal is a terrible force of arrogant fools bent on the destruction of American values. But ask any individual you encounter in a gas station or a downtown bar and he will have a personal experience or governing philosophy as to why he thinks as he does.

We are in ‘The Waiting Room’ (http://www.waitingroomlounge.com/) in Omaha, Nebraska tonight where we just watched the third and final debate of this presidential election. As I write this I am sitting at a bar as Isiah(http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=50255237), Kidz in the Hall (http://www.myspace.com/kidzinthehall), and Murs(http://www.myspace.com/murs) are readying themselves to perform and we are readying ourselves to listen.

It’s not what you might expect of us youngsters. There is no talk of which candidate looks better, who wears boxers or briefs, or who we could see ourselves hanging out with.

“That [expletive deleted] has never had to deal with health insurance in his life.”

“Yeah, well your [expletive deleted] has no [expletive deleted] idea what foreign policy is about.”

“These [several expletives] might as well just spend the time yelling at one another.”

Admittedly, the youth in this bar are a touch foul-mouthed. But listening to the chatter during the debate and the post-performance discussions, I have yet to hear mutterings of Bill Ayers, 80’s stock scandals, ACORN donations, or McCain’s crashed planes.

Instead, I have heard heated talk over health insurance, economic policy, and education. It’s not necessarily oration, but it is on point. And while the bar dwellers are sometimes overwrought, sometimes over-certain, and frequently over-intoxicated, they have all been talking about issues and, contrary to every expectation, I have yet to hear a boring conversation.

--Nick Brown