Keith Reed
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On Thursday, Hillary Clinton is slated to have an event in the IMU, and pop star Demi Lovato is scheduled to appear alongside her. This appears to be an attempt on Clinton’s part to attract young voters to support her campaign, efforts I believe are forced and contrived.
According to poll numbers released by the Des Moines Register/Bloomberg Politics Iowa Poll in late October, Clinton is the leader in the race for the Democratic nomination, being the top choice for 48 percent of people likely to attend the Iowa Democratic caucuses. Sen. Bernie Sanders, Clinton’s top competitor, is polling at 39 percent among those voters. These poll numbers make sense, given the relative popularity of the candidates.
The poll shows that Clinton attracts 64 percent of Iowa Democrats 65 and older. Sanders, on the other hand, polls 58 percent of Iowa Democrats younger than 45. Youth represent an untapped opportunity for these candidates. For the Clinton’s people, it is wise for them to pander to the young voters by enticing them with celebrity supporters.
This seems to be a good idea for the Clinton campaign, but there is a downside of hitting the road with celebrities; the presidential hopefuls forget about the things that the celebrities have done in the past. This generation especially is more socially conscious than past generations. Many teenagers and 20-somethings are getting involved in social movements, and their voices are being heard.
Because this generation is socially aware, they are knowledgeable about a celebrity’s past transgressions. For example, on Oct. 24, 2015, Clinton hit Des Moines with Katy Perry, and the latter displayed fervent support for the candidate. The issue with this is that Perry is a known cultural appropriator and culturally insensitive based on some of her music videos, where she makes light of various cultures. The youth of today do not forget about these things, and that she is associated with the presidential nominee is very problematic.
On Jan. 10, Lena Dunham hit the trail for the Clinton campaign, visiting the Iowa City Java House to speak to a crowd. Dunham has a successful television career in which she has mentioned the famous Iowa Writers’ Workshop. She also released a book in which she detailed how she sexually abused her younger sister when she was young. This account is indicative of the people that Clinton wants to be the face of her campaign. This is unsettling to the people who have experienced sexual incidents in their lives. I find this startling, and I think that there are better people to stump for her who do not have such problematic histories.
Young voters are necessary and vital to the process, because they are a key demographic of America. As voters, it is our duty to research our candidates and the people that they align themselves with. That would ensure the voters have a firm grasp on the campaign.