Obama our generation's candidate

By Stuart Poulter

When we, as the next generation of Americans, go to the polls on Nov. 4, what is it that will be driving our decision for president?

From our strained and costly military commitments in Iraq and Afghanistan to the recent financial crisis to our role in shaping policy toward renewable energy, young people more than ever have a stake in the outcome of this year's election.

With so much to digest and think about and so much uncertainty facing our nation's future, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the decision.

However, as a young senator from Massachusetts once stated, "The true democracy, living and growing and inspiring, puts its faith in the people."

While many politicians have espoused to such an ideal before and after him, John F. Kennedy's words are particularly poignant at this moment in time when we are once again at a crossroads in our nation's history.

Undoubtedly, both Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain find strength in the notion of putting faith in people and government.

Yet the recent rejection by the House of the $700 billion government bailout of the financial market has proven that what the people want and what the people need can often be at odds with each other.

It will be our job to decide which of these two men, from very different backgrounds and believing in very different strategies to right America's course, will best be able to lead our country on a path toward prosperity and respect.

Obama has risen from the most unlikely of circumstances and has managed to stand for something simple yet profound:

No matter your politics, race, religion or age, we all deserve the opportunity for advancement, respect and dignity as Americans and as members of the global community.

That global community calls for a new leader who can bring a consensus and a sense of connection, inspiration and direction in navigating the ever-growing complexities of our world.

Obama has been proven time and again to posses those qualities.

His message has reached younger Americans most poignantly because it evokes the past, the present and the future while harnessing the political power of grassroots organizing, social networking and the latest technology.

Obama approaches most policy issues with a refreshing degree of intellect and pragmatism.

He has surrounded himself with some of the most savvy and innovative political advisors seen in any presidential campaign.

Perhaps this is why so many people marvel at Obama's capacity to weigh complex issues and provide a unique brand of leadership.

For a generation shaped by 9/11 and President Bush's War on Terror, Obama's message provides clarity and vision without the usual political rhetoric that has become outdated and out-of-touch with today's society.

Most importantly, Obama's message has allowed people of a new generation to assert their own ideals and dreams separate from that of their parents or grandparents while remaining faithful to the quintessential aspects of American values and ambition.

While "Change we can believe in" and "Yes we can" are slogans that are often thrown around by the Obama campaign, the essence of the phrases are genuine and are meant to make us reevaluate what we stand for, what we want out of the next president and where we want our country to be headed.

Calling upon a sense of duty and service, Obama has laid out a plan to include the youth of America in his policy-making process as few politicians have before.

As Obama noted in a recent interview, "I want people to feel connected to their government again, and I want that government to respond to the voices of the people."

"That's real change. I want us to think intergenerationally, something we used to do more of and we have lost. I want us to rediscover our bonds to each other."

Ultimately, Obama is promising to put our faith back into each other so that we can accomplish the unprecedented.

What Obama has reminded us of is that we must look beyond the generational, racial, economic and political differences that have traditionally held this country back from fulfilling its promise.

We must look back on our roots as a country truly based on the principles of equality and diversity.

Stuart Poulter is a Santa Clara alumnus.