“This is a wonderful thing,” he said, as students milled about, offering their thoughts on the upcoming presidential primary and the issues they most care about.
Most students supported the candidacy of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, a candidate who many said was the reason they entered the political fray this year.
“Young people support Obama because he appeals to us,” said Dalar Abolin, 17. “He’s smart, and he reaches out to us. I think everyone here likes Obama.”
For these high school seniors — including Michael Bishop, 18, who has knocked on doors in support of Obama — this is the first election in which they have had the opportunity to take an active role.
“It was a new experience,” he said. “More people came out [to vote in Iowa] than ever before. As a young adult, we’re looking for someone to talk with us, not at us. He’s a decisive and good leader.”
While students waxed political outside the 45-foot mobile production studio, Schiff, a Burbank resident, spoke to the class inside the bus about the important role young people play in the political process and why he lent his support to Obama, whom he officially endorsed in January.
“There is so much excitement,” said Schiff, who went door to door in South Carolina with his family on Jan. 19 to help deliver a primary win for Obama.
“This is a wonderful phenomenon where as many 30-year-olds and younger are voting just as much as 60-year-olds and older. You’re proving the pundits wrong.”
While the economy weighs heavily on the minds of most Americans, with a recession looming and a housing crisis affecting many parts of the country, students at Burbank High reflected a mixed bag of concerns.
