Some of Nothing

Obama's Geek Appeal: Economists are now hip?
Wednesday, April 30, 2008

First, it was technology geeks--well-known early adopters--that took a liking to Obama. Now, it's economics geeks (h/t BryAnn again):

Is Obama's economic street cred part of his electoral appeal among the youngsters? From the WaPo:

Election after election, when all the obvious story lines are exhausted, the media tend to turn to an oldie but goody: "Will this be the race where young people finally start voting?" Youth vote advocates insist that young people are more dialed in than ever this year, while political hacks who have been in the business for decades roll their eyes at the notion.

Given that, The Fix recognizes the danger in making the following statement: The youth vote will matter in 2008. A look back over the last few months shows a massive increase in youth (people ages 18 through 29) voting; the number of young people voting quadrupled in Tennessee and tripled in states such as Iowa, Missouri and Texas, according to a new study by Harvard University's Institute of Politics.

The report goes on to say that the growth in young people's participation in the electoral process is not a "one-time phenomenon" but, rather, represents a "civic reawakening of a new generation."

[...]

The economy was by far the most important issue to the [young voter] group -- a noteworthy development that suggests the concerns of young voters are not so different from the worries of the older electorate. [emphasis mine]

I'm not an economics geek myself, so I find high-level (mostly theoretical) discussions on the subject fairly useful. That's why I enjoy reading Paul Krugman's musings on the subject. Since Krugman is a straight-up Hillary man (once Edwards dropped), it is sometimes a challenge to read his columns without irritation. But the economy is bigger than politics. And for those who know very little on the subject--such as myself and John McCain--it helps to get a variety of perspectives. Glad to see some big economic names come out for Obama and glad to see the youngsters getting hip to both the economy and politics (and possibly by extension, to Obama).

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Nothing New byslag at 10:59 AM