Since the end of Bill Clinton's presidency the most politically active Democratic voters have been trying to move the party in a different direction. The Clinton presidency was a disappointment to these voters not only because of Clinton's self-sabotage, but also because it moved the party further to the center (the Clinton's seem interested in fighting with Republicans, but not so much over the issues). These are the people who started the political blogs, who took Nader's outsider campaign seriously in 2000, and who were involved in Howard Dean's campaign in '04. For lack of a better term you could call these people the "wonk" class of the Democratic party.

These are the people who spend the most time reading and writing about politics and getting involved. While this year's election is attracting more interest and engagement from voters, in fact they are all playing catch up to those who have been trying to figure out who best to lead to the Democratic party since 2000. These wonks were never going to pick Hillary, but in Obama they saw someone who could finally lead their movement.

I think that many Obama voters are preplexed by the way his candidacy was branded as more words than substance. We don't demand that his speeches be filled with policy because we look up all of that information ourselves. We've done our homework and we know what he stands for and what his character is. We are all about substance and we vetted him long before Iowa.

Similarly, we knew why Hillary wasn't the person we wanted to lead the party. The criticism thrown at Obama supporters that they are anti-Hillary is only partially true. It certainly isn't that we're sexist--we're far more liberal and progressive than average (at least the "wonks"). You could say that it's a bit personal, but really only in that we already know what Hillary's politics are and we don't approve. It's true that we also note some of her weaknesses as a candidate unrelated to idealogy: she doesn't have Bill or Barack's political gifts, which does make her a less bankable candidate. I personally see her as someone with her heart in the right place, but too compromised and divisive to really affect great change.

Obama's larger share of the young and the "educated" voters illustrates that he more than Clinton represents the future of the Democratic Party. Obama's supporters are not naive or easily swayed by a poltician's charisma. Their judgments are made through their own experience as serious, involved, and informed citizens. They are the party leaders of tomorrow.

Educated young voters? More like brainwashed young voters. Young people these days in America are lacking big time education and culture-wise. Just compair them with other young people in other countries. Its pretty sad when an average young person from another country can speak several languages and know more about American / World history than these so-called "educated young Americans" chanting "Obama-Obama! Change-Change!

Educated Indeed! Yyyyawwnnn.....

Old Farts with Old Ideas. Typical Hillary supporter. Over the hill and out of touch.

"We don't demand that his speeches be filled with policy because we look up all of that information ourselves. We've done our homework and we know what he stands for and what his character is."

But most voters haven't, and that's a challenge Obama is going to have to address. Most people weren't going to take the trouble to sit down and Google the candidates' positions - especially not if they're working two jobs, doing what they can to stop foreclosure, etc. Let's face it - the "wonks" you're talking about (and I am one) have the luxury of time to do the research. Many people voted for Clinton simply because she was a known quantity - and they assumed that since their lives were reasonably decent under Bill Clinton's administration, that they'd be okay again.

Now that it's just him and McCain, he's going to be a lot more specific with his policy stances and his plans, and I hope that people can see for themselves that voting for McCain out of anger would be a huge mistake...if they care about the traditional Democratic platform, that is.

"Old Farts with Old Ideas. Typical Hillary supporter. Over the hill and out of touch." Old people vote. Hopefully Obama is brighter than you are and doesn't denigrate one of the largest voting blocs there is. It's hysterical that you actually think a bunch of college kids are going to vote Obama in...without the 'old farts' help, eh? Good luck with that.

I'm hoping the Dem party leaders of tomorrow will really be different but I'm not very hopefull since Obama supported that bogus corporate welfare farm bill along with the rest of the Dem leadership.

When I see Dems no longer support this type of Washington as usual Farm bill or earmarks THEN I'll believe that change is really coming to Washington.

But lets be clear; Obama is clearly a better choice for the future than McCain.

Young, Dumb and full of Cumb American voters who think they have all of the answers. Good Luck! Not all non-obama supporters are old. But hey; your American cultural hip-hop propaganda lessons paid off. YOUR IGNORANT!

@redleopard--Umm... yeah. Did you even read my post? I'm not talking about young people in general. Also, those studies on how young people don't have basic knowledge don't apply to young people who are in college, and those who can't find Iraq on a map aren't the ones who are voting. But if you're going to hate on the young then by all mean vote for McCain and flush the future down the toilet.

aristonice:

"We don't demand that his speeches be filled with policy because we look up all of that information ourselves. We've done our homework and we know what he stands for and what his character is."

But most voters haven't, and that's a challenge Obama is going to have to address. Most people weren't going to take the trouble to sit down and Google the candidates' positions - especially not if they're working two jobs, doing what they can to stop foreclosure, etc.

Does talking about policy detail in a speech really serve that well anyway? Those same people that aren't going to turn to Google will likely just get lost in those details regardless. A leaders' judgment, ability, values, and vision are far more important than any specific plan, because plans must always change on the fly when confronted with reality and other actors. Good laws aren't written top-down by policy advisers, they are built ground-up through consensus. Obama promises to be a great bridge maker and consensus builder, in my opinion.

apropos1:

"Old Farts with Old Ideas. Typical Hillary supporter. Over the hill and out of touch." Old people vote. Hopefully Obama is brighter than you are and doesn't denigrate one of the largest voting blocs there is. It's hysterical that you actually think a bunch of college kids are going to vote Obama in...without the 'old farts' help, eh? Good luck with that.

That is a good point.

Although I'm not that old, listening to Obama often leaves me feeling young and optimistic - like a college student again. :)

Hey now...there's no need for that. We need to come together as a party and that kind of sentiment doesn't help. Since "over the hill" has been defined as over 35, then I too am "over the hill." And I supported Obama. The challenge is for Obama to appeal to a broad range of people and that includes HRC's traditional base.

To paraphrase Sinead O'Connor, "fight the REAL enemy." Which is McCain and Bush's third term.

Hi, brainwashed young voter here, nice to meet you. I wouldn't consider myself to be lacking (big time) education or culture (I'm a scientist with a master's degree), but I'm relatively young and an Obama supporter, so it was nice of you to stereotype me. Since we're "compairing" my generation's education with other young people in other countries, I was curious how many languages the average Boomer spoke (or speaks) relative to the number of languages spoke by Gen X and younger? I'm assuming from your comment that Boomers were a virtual Tower of Babel back in the Good Ol' Days. How many languages do you speak? Also, we were mostly educated by Boomers, so you can pat your generation on the back for our education, or lack thereof. Yyyyawwnnn......? More like "Puke", as in, your post makes me want to...Puke.

Oh, allons, redleopard, cen'est pas que mai. : - >

redleopard:

I have lived in Europe for 20 years, and most young people in the five countries I have called home don't speak "several languages", and they get their views of the US as most Americans do: through the media.

And if you're whining about uneducated youths, you might want to spell "compare" correctly.

redleopard:

Young, Dumb and full of Cumb American voters who think they have all of the answers. Good Luck! Not all non-obama supporters are old. But hey; your American cultural hip-hop propaganda lessons paid off. YOUR IGNORANT!

Um, it's "you're ignorant"...