MADISON, Wis. - This time last year, Galen Milchman was celebrating the election of Barack Obama to the White House, a victory he had worked for and believed would change the world.
Today, the 19-year-old pizza deliveryman is wondering what happened to the transformation he thought would have come about by now.
"It's not all up to the president, I know that," he said. "But the Democrats are in control of the House and the Senate, and so we were going to get all this change. Where is it? It makes me feel very cynical."
A year after hopeful liberals and young people demanding "change" helped Obama win the White House, some of them say they are feeling somewhat deflated. The universal health care they wanted isn't looking so universal. They haven't seen dramatic action to slow climate change. Instead of dialing down the U.S. commitment to war, they're hearing talk of escalation.
Their declining enthusiasm leaves the Democratic Party with an important question: Should it try to energize its base by more firmly pushing for liberal policies--or would that hamper its efforts to seize the political middle ground and win independent voters?
The question only became sharper after Tuesday's off-year elections for governor in Virginia and New Jersey, where independents, who often hold the key to victory for either party, sided heavily against the Democratic Party.
The Republican candidate for governor drew 60% of independents in New Jersey and 66% in Virginia. In the presidential election last year, Obama had won both states.
Republicans are also debating among themselves about whether to play to their conservative base or the moderate middle. So-called "Tea-Party conservatives" want to drive the GOP to the right, but party leaders want to make sure the candidates they nominate can win general elections.
The conundrum for Democrats is especially obvious here, the liberal bastion around the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where Obama chose to mark the one-year anniversary of his election Wednesday with an appearance. On campus--described by one Wisconsin politician as an isthmus of liberalism surrounded by reality--students and other young voters said they see a dwindling of enthusiasm.
Will Bradley, a senior in Spanish and economics, said likes much of Obama's pragmatic, methodical approach to passing his agenda.
But, Bradley said, "he does need to come through on what he promised."
Milchman, who moved to Madison from Vermont earlier this year, said he doesn't feel angry about the lack of change, just disappointed by it.
"I'm just not that impressed by how things are going," said Milchman. "It's not that I would go vote for some other party. It's just that I feel disheartened about the whole thing."
That speaks to the potential threat for Democrats, said Charles H. Franklin, political science and pollster at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Obama won in 2008 by turning out young and minority voters, and a drop-off in enthusiasm is a problem if it means a drop-off in their motivation to vote in upcoming elections.
"When you take them out, you're going back to lower turnout levels in the groups that were key to putting Obama over the top," Franklin said.
The weak economy has also left some younger Obama supporters feeling anxious. The year since the election has been followed by crushing unemployment, at a record rate for those under age 24. Almost half of those with college degrees hold jobs that don't require them.
When Obama took the stage here in Madison, he went directly to a message about how his administration had saved jobs and had plans that he said would increase wages and improve employment rates.
"We are going to keep on fulfilling our obligation to do every single thing we possibly can to pull this economy out of the ditch and to make sure that people can find jobs that pay good wages. That's our top priority," Obama told students and teachers at a local middle school.
Bradley, who works in a dusty book store along the string of coffee shops and vintage clothing stores near campus, is watching his friends struggle to find jobs as they graduate.
"I really wanted change, and it was easy to get wrapped up in the idea and think that things are going to get better right away," said Bradley, who backed Obama in last year's election. "But I didn't expect things would be this bad with the economy."
cparsons@tribune.com
Today, the 19-year-old pizza deliveryman is wondering what happened to the transformation he thought would have come about by now.
"It's not all up to the president, I know that," he said. "But the Democrats are in control of the House and the Senate, and so we were going to get all this change. Where is it? It makes me feel very cynical."
A year after hopeful liberals and young people demanding "change" helped Obama win the White House, some of them say they are feeling somewhat deflated. The universal health care they wanted isn't looking so universal. They haven't seen dramatic action to slow climate change. Instead of dialing down the U.S. commitment to war, they're hearing talk of escalation.
Their declining enthusiasm leaves the Democratic Party with an important question: Should it try to energize its base by more firmly pushing for liberal policies--or would that hamper its efforts to seize the political middle ground and win independent voters?
The question only became sharper after Tuesday's off-year elections for governor in Virginia and New Jersey, where independents, who often hold the key to victory for either party, sided heavily against the Democratic Party.
The Republican candidate for governor drew 60% of independents in New Jersey and 66% in Virginia. In the presidential election last year, Obama had won both states.
Republicans are also debating among themselves about whether to play to their conservative base or the moderate middle. So-called "Tea-Party conservatives" want to drive the GOP to the right, but party leaders want to make sure the candidates they nominate can win general elections.
The conundrum for Democrats is especially obvious here, the liberal bastion around the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where Obama chose to mark the one-year anniversary of his election Wednesday with an appearance. On campus--described by one Wisconsin politician as an isthmus of liberalism surrounded by reality--students and other young voters said they see a dwindling of enthusiasm.
Will Bradley, a senior in Spanish and economics, said likes much of Obama's pragmatic, methodical approach to passing his agenda.
But, Bradley said, "he does need to come through on what he promised."
Milchman, who moved to Madison from Vermont earlier this year, said he doesn't feel angry about the lack of change, just disappointed by it.
"I'm just not that impressed by how things are going," said Milchman. "It's not that I would go vote for some other party. It's just that I feel disheartened about the whole thing."
That speaks to the potential threat for Democrats, said Charles H. Franklin, political science and pollster at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
Obama won in 2008 by turning out young and minority voters, and a drop-off in enthusiasm is a problem if it means a drop-off in their motivation to vote in upcoming elections.
"When you take them out, you're going back to lower turnout levels in the groups that were key to putting Obama over the top," Franklin said.
The weak economy has also left some younger Obama supporters feeling anxious. The year since the election has been followed by crushing unemployment, at a record rate for those under age 24. Almost half of those with college degrees hold jobs that don't require them.
When Obama took the stage here in Madison, he went directly to a message about how his administration had saved jobs and had plans that he said would increase wages and improve employment rates.
"We are going to keep on fulfilling our obligation to do every single thing we possibly can to pull this economy out of the ditch and to make sure that people can find jobs that pay good wages. That's our top priority," Obama told students and teachers at a local middle school.
Bradley, who works in a dusty book store along the string of coffee shops and vintage clothing stores near campus, is watching his friends struggle to find jobs as they graduate.
"I really wanted change, and it was easy to get wrapped up in the idea and think that things are going to get better right away," said Bradley, who backed Obama in last year's election. "But I didn't expect things would be this bad with the economy."
cparsons@tribune.com
