CNN Features College-Age Supporters of Obama, Clinton; None From GOP

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By Matthew Balan | December 20, 2007 - 18:38 ET

NewsBusters.org - Media Research CenterCNN’s senior political correspondent Candy Crowley, in a report on Thursday’s "Newsroom" program about college student participation in the Iowa caucuses, featured two supporters of Democratic presidential candidates, one for Barack Obama, and the other a supporter of Hillary Clinton. While host Kyra Philips, in her introduction to the report, highlighted how "all presidential supporters want all the support they can get, and that includes the under-30 crowd," the report did not feature any young supporters of Republican candidates.

Crowley’s report, which aired 16 mintues into the 1 pm Eastern hour, focused on the Obama campaign’s outreach to the "under-30 crowd," and described him in glowing terms. "Barack Obama is a hit on college campuses. He's young. He's new. He campaigns against status quo politics."

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The report also featured two sound bites from John Mahoney, a Obama supporter at the University of Northern Iowa, and one from Chris Hasstedt, a "Clinton man" who is a senior at Iowa State University.

The full transcript of the report from Thursday’s "CNN Newsroom:"

KYRA PHILLIPS: It's an irony of politics. The group with the biggest stake in the future is often the least likely to vote. In Iowa, with the caucuses now exactly two weeks away, all the presidential hopefuls want all the support they can get, and that includes the under-30 crowd. One candidate in particular is counting on a big caucus turnout from college kids. Here's CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley.

CANDY CROWLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Josh Mahoney, a junior at University of Northern Iowa, is caucusing for Obama. It's a logistical nightmare.

MAHONEY: I'm going to drive 4 and a half hours from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in my Toyota 1993 model. It's terrible, and I'm embarrassed. I'm going to come all the way down here, and I'm going to caucus.

CROWLEY: If they'll be 18 by the 2008 election, and are registered to vote where they will caucus, Iowa college students, regardless of where they're from, can participate.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D-IL), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: If you're going to be out of state for the holidays, come back on January 3.

CROWLEY: Counting on students to trek back to college in the middle of winter break, two days after New Year's, is an iffy proposition. Even in-state students who can caucus at home are a tough get.

PROFESSOR ARTHUR SANDERS, DRAKE UNIVERSITY: You have to identify where they're going to be on January 3 and somehow, communicate that to your field offices there, here's some people who you won't be able to contact now, because they're not there yet, but they're going to get there soon.

CROWLEY: Barack Obama is a hit on college campuses. He's young. He's new. He campaigns against status quo politics. More than any other campaign, Obamaville counts on the Joshes of Iowa.

MAHONEY: And I think we're, you know, at the right age. We're kind of get on board with, you know, a new strategy.

CROWLEY: One Obama strategist says the under-30 crowd is possibly the most highly-motivated bloc of Obama supporters. The campaign has spent the better part of the year collecting cell numbers and e-mail addresses.

John Edwards is targeting proven caucus-goers. Hillary Clinton aiming at middle-aged women, considerably safer bets than the under-30 set.

KRIS HASSTEDT, IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY STUDENT: I just called to invite you to a...

CROWLEY: Twenty-two-year-old Chris Hasstedt, an Iowa State senior, is a Clinton man himself. But he does sense that maybe the younger vote is coming of age.

HASSTEDT: I work at one of the grocery stores, which is mainly college students, and a lot of them, every time I go in there, it's a buzz about the candidates: who they're supporting, why -- where they're going to caucus, and stuff like that.

CROWLEY: Some Iowa colleges are planning to open up part of campus over the break so students can caucus.

OBAMA: Thank you so much, Cornell (Cornell College in Iowa, not Cornell University in New York).

CROWLEY: At Camp Obama, they believe -- they hope -- if college is open, they will come.

CROWLEY (on camera) A cautionary note of which the Obama campaign is well aware. In 2004, just 17 percent of caucus-goers were under 30. Candy Crowley, CNN, Des Moines.

—Matthew Balan is a news analyst at the Media Research Center.

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Now that is a great example of investigative reporting!

In Iowa there are hundreds of young Republicans on college campuses. They had to work hard to find the two who are supporting Democrats.

;-)

The day that "politician" became a career choice is the day we started losing the Republic. Let's get it back! Alan Keyes '08.

Surprise, surprise, they

Surprise, surprise, they don't look to CSU.

The Rocky Mountain Collegian: Illustrating Idiocy

Ah, but that wouldn't fit

Ah, but that wouldn't fit in with their propaganda. Being a college student myself, I see this all the time. They claim that we are all peace loving neo-hippies torn between the She-devil and Barack-Hussein. And as for those others that don't lean far enough left, well they are just bigots.... so why even give them a voice? And so the struggles of us conservative college students continue without a voice.

Maybe they think all college

Maybe they think all college students are Liberals (Democrats) because of the old saying that "if you're not a liberal when you're 20 you have no heart; if you're still a liberal after 30 you have no brains." LOL

"I'm Embarrassed"?

MAHONEY: I'm going to drive 4 and a half hours from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, in my Toyota 1993 model. It's terrible, and I'm embarrassed. I'm going to come all the way down here, and I'm going to caucus.

Embarrassed? I'm not sure what he is embarrassed about but you would think that a Dem supporter would be all proud of "the struggle" of life. And, yes this is picky, but the "Toyota 1993 model" just comes across as awkward. Most people would say, "...in my 1993 Toyota Corolla" or "...my '93 Toyota Corolla" or "...my '93 Corolla." And it will be interesting to see if Mr. Mahoney, presumably an Iowa resident going to school in South Dakota, decides to do what many college students do and vote in their home state AND the state where they are going to school.  As far as the SD primary probably not because the nomination should be sealed by then but a distinctive possibility in the actual November election.

My Blunder Makes My Point Even Better

And it will be interesting to see if Mr. Mahoney, presumably an Iowa resident going to school in South Dakota, decides to do what many college students do and vote in their home state AND the state where they are going to school.  As far as the SD primary probably not because the nomination should be sealed by then but a distinctive possibility in the actual November election.

Whoopsie! I missed the fact that Mr. Mahoney IS going to school in Iowa. So I am presuming he is a resident of South Dakota going to school in Iowa. It would seem then that CNN would ask, "Why are you caucusing in Iowa if you are a SD resident?" Or is Mr. Mahoney an Iowa resident only visiting relatives or friends in SD? Or is he a SD resident but Iowa allows college students (after a certain time frame) to caucus in Iowa? Either way it is illuminating that CNN shows no curiosity in reference to Mr. Mahoney's statements of attending school in Iowa and yet needing to drive 4 1/2 hours from one state to caucus in Iowa. Instead CNN concentrates on how the college population is supposedly excited about the presidential race.

Now I Feel Like An Idiot

After Mahoney's statements Crowley says:

CROWLEY: If they'll be 18 by the 2008 election, and are registered to vote where they will caucus, Iowa college students, regardless of where they're from, can participate.

So I feel like an idiot. I really do try to completely read the source material before commenting but not only did I rush this one but after I made one noticeable mistake I didn't review the whole source material before commenting again. What a goof.

So having gone off on my own tangent I will concur with the original premise of contention: In commenting on the "excitement" of college-age political participation, CNN was quite comfortable in quoting two Democrat supporters to the exclusion of Republican supporters.

 

Nuff' said!

IH, are you enjoying the

IH, are you enjoying the conversation? you are working on a whole thread talking to yourself ;-) 

"Too bad Ignorance isn't painful..."

Well, that's it for

Well, that's it for you....40 lashes with a Post-it note!

LOL Don't feel bad, we've all stepped in it on occasion.

At least you lived up to your name ;-)

CNN is no different

than this week's Time issue - runs from page to page, always trying to figure out which democrat is going to be the next president.  You'd swear there were no republicans even considering a run!  Jonathan Alter's will it be Hillary or will it be Obama was a hoot!  Goodness knows, I sure hope they wake up next November to a republican president...they won't know how to write the story!  Oops, I forget, they do have lots of practice writing NEGATIVE articles about our republican president.

Oh well, guess I won't ever know.  Subscription is now CANCELED!!!!

CROWLEY: Barack Obama is a

CROWLEY: Barack Obama is a hit on college campuses. He's young. He's new....

....suddenly, out of nowhere Joe Biden crashes in and yells...."and he's CLEAN!"

Clean......

and articulate!

Ah, yes

Candy Crowley of CNN featured students from both sides:  Obama and Clinton.

The Republic of Plato

Plato didn't want anyone to become a "full-time" philosopher until they were at least fifty years old. For Plato, politics and philosophy were almost one and the same. When I was twenty and majoring in philosophy, that was something to scoff at. Now that I'm in the neighborhood of fifty myself, I can begrudgingly see what he was talking about.

And from that perspective, I don't necessarily disagree, or even mind, that young people tend to be Democrat. It's OK. They grow up.

 

We got both kinds...

We got both kinds of music here...country AND western.

Sheesh, Crowley's ugly.

Sheesh, Crowley's ugly.

I heard that she was the

I heard that she was the illegitimate son of Hellen Thomas and Roger Ebert.