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My son informed us at dinner last night that the entire third grade at his school voted in a mock presidential election. The result? Obama by a landslide -- 68 to 14. We chuckled and cheered, 'round the table, and talked about how we'll head to the polls as a family and vote for Obama.
So yeah, I'm pro-Obama. But when I talk about politics with the kids I do my best to explain why I feel the way that I do, and also to explain that other people feel differently. We may not agree, but that's okay. We try to answer the kids' questions. (In case you're wondering, the only thing more interesting than trying to explain the electoral college to a couple of elementary-schoolers is explaining why it's still important to vote even when you live in a red state and are voting blue. Ahem.) Never once has it occurred to me to say "You will be a fan of Obama because I said so," or "Obama is great and McCain is the devil." I share my opinion. The kids, as it so often turns out, have opinions of their own. Both of them happen to be declaring themselves pro-Obama.
They're not alone -- in the recent Nickelodeon Kids Pick the President poll, over two million votes were cast, and the race was close (51% to 49%), but Obama won.
The argument could be made that Obama is more appealing to kids because he's younger than McCain. The argument could be made that Obama's message of change is more exciting to kids. The argument could be made that Obama has sparked election enthusiasm in minority and impoverished kids who typically don't feel involved in the presidential process. Or, the argument could be made that Obama is drawing young fans because he's actually reaching out to kids.
In fact, Barack Obama's website has a dedicated section for kids, including goodies such as a Kids for Obama Starter Kit and a list of ways to get involved. Me, I happen to think this is brilliant -- why not give kids their own section, if they're interested enough to want to do their own investigation and/or get involved?
Dr. Slogan says these are dirty tactics, plain and simple:
Make no mistake: this is not about reaching out to the supporters. Sen. Obama openly goes after the kids of people who don't plan to vote for him. He and his staff see the minds of children as a backdoor to get to the voting parents and grandparents. So, yes, it is bad. It is wrong. It is despicable. And there's no excuse for this.
To be fair, the site does include tips on influencing the adults in your life. But I've seen similar sites where kids get tips on how to talk Mom and Dad into a toy or privilege that they want, too. How is this "despicable," exactly?
And further down, there's this:
Neither voting fraud nor accepting donations from untraceable foreign donors is as low as using kids to get to their parents. And the obsession that's been sweeping the nation has gone too far if most adults in America don't see it this way.
So, I have a few simple comments in rebuttal, here.
1) Your child's internet usage should be monitored by you, the parent. If you find the Obama Kids site (or any site) offensive, you shouldn't be allowing your kid to visit it.
2) Children can't vote.
3) Offering children an empowering experience -- one where they're told that their opinions matter -- is something I'm going to have difficulty finding fault with, on any topic. The fact of the matter is that we as adults push our own opinions on our kids all the time, to varying degrees. The difference with this site (and others like it) is that it suggests that kids have the power to do likewise. Is that bad?
4) The assertion that this is a site to train up children to convince adults who never would've voted for Obama to do so is... well, patently ridiculous. I hope it may result in some kids sharing information with adults in their lives who were on the fence, and who subsequently became more open to hearing more about Obama. But legions of kids somehow stealing votes from McCain? I don't think so.
The Headmistress at The Common Room agrees with Dr. Slogan:
It's one thing for parents themselves to talk to their children about who they are voting for
