By Molly Niedbala

Editor’s Note: Molly Niedbala is a Sophomore at The University of Michigan double majoring in political science and philosophy, with a minor in interdisciplinary astronomy.

ANN ARBOR, MICH.– At two in the morning on January 26th, a group of friends and I joined a line that had snaked around an entire city block. About seven hundred people, the vast majority of them students, had already arrived at the scene to camp out overnight. Several thousand more would join us in braving sub-freezing temperatures over the next few hours, but tickets to our president’s upcoming speech would not be released until nine o’clock. Blankets, pillows, and pizza slices in hand, my friends and I agreed that it was worth it.

As a first-time voter among thousands of others like me, I could not help but be struck by my community’s incredible degree of enthusiasm. Barack Obama resonates with my demographic in a way that very few contemporary politicians can rival – and after listening to his speech yesterday morning, I think I can guess why that is.

Obama focused on energy independence and research, on both reducing the deficit and sustaining economic growth, and on the importance of widespread access to higher education. Behind him was a massive billboard that read “An America Built to Last,” and in front of him was an audience capable of envisioning precisely what that America would look like. Well-educated youth are not ones to be fooled by shortsighted political mottos and punch lines – and Barack Obama seemed to know that too well. On Friday he spoke to the future, and the future received him approvingly.

Young people recognize that the way we operate in this country is unsustainable. Unlike much of the political establishment, we are not entrenched in an ideology that values short-term profit above all. One of the biggest applause lines of the morning was when the president argued for a focus on “clean, renewable energy.”

His points about economic sustainability were similarly well received. Those of us who have just recently come of voting age have done so with the realization that the previous generation has essentially left us to fend for ourselves. We are more than privy to the reality that if our country’s massive deficit is not addressed immediately, we will eventually be saddled with either massive tax hikes, debilitating spending cuts, or a messy combination of both. We are also keenly aware of our personal debt crises; Obama reminded us that in 2010, college graduates who took out loans left school with an average of twenty-four thousand dollars of debt. We nevertheless agreed that getting a solid education is the only way to compete in a fast-changing global economy.

The president acknowledged this tension with characteristic flair and precision. He noted his administration’s part in both eliminating the middleman in student loan allocation and capping loan repayments at ten percent of monthly income. He asked Congress to extend the tuition tax credit and to increase the number of work-study jobs. He called for a “Race to the Top” with regard to college affordability: the states and colleges that keep tuition low and provide good educational value should receive greater federal aid; those that neglect to do so should be penalized. According to Obama, widespread access to higher education is an “economic imperative” for both individual and national growth – and more than that, it is a characteristic feature of our country.

These things do not, however, pay for themselves – a fact that my peers and I are all too conscious of. Research into clean energy, subsidization of the auto industry, federal student aid, the construction of national infrastructure – all of them come at a price. I nevertheless believe that young people generally agree that that “price” is well worth it – even if it can only be reasonably borne by a select group of Americans. We recognize that in order for our country to produce the best and the brightest, we must provide everyone with the basic resources that they need to be socially mobile. If this requires that millionaires pay a higher tax rate, many of us are okay with that. We are okay with doing what needs to be done to build an America that will continue to succeed.

Obama put it this way: “Do we want to keep tax cuts for folks like me who don’t need them, or do we want to invest in the things that will help us in the long run? We’ve got to choose… we can’t do both.” A basic understanding of economics is enough to realize that if the rich keep their tax cuts, “one of two things is going to happen.” Either the deficit will increase or somebody who can’t afford it – a struggling entrepreneur, a student, a veteran – is going to have to “foot the bill.” We are young and we are smart. We know that this is not political rhetoric, nor class warfare, nor crazy, liberal mumbo jumbo; it’s just true.

We resonate with the message of our president because we recognize that he thinks long-term. Not only does he realize that his reelection will rely largely on the youth vote; he realizes that the future wellbeing of our country relies on addressing the needs of our youth. That means providing us with the resources we need to succeed and doing so in a way that will not come back to haunt us. At Michigan we spend our days learning what we need to do to live and succeed in a future of our choosing. We find our conclusions echoed in the voice of Barack Obama, and so on Friday he reaffirmed our support.

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The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Molly Niedbala and do not represent the views of The Virgin Voting Project or its officers.

The Virgin Voting Project caught up with Huntsman’s daughters, Abby, Liddy, and Mary Anne, or @Jon2012girls as they are known in the Twittersphere, for a sit-down interview at the last CNN Republican debate right before Thanksgiving. We had a great discussion about young people and voting, and each of them even shared their stories with me about their first time voting. We also talked about some issues important to our generation, such as paying for college, getting a job after graduation, and how to make it easier for all young people to vote when they turn 18. Of course, they support their dad’s candidacy, but were open about offering their own views and opinions, from their perspective as young people. Thank you to the Huntsman girls for their willingness to chat with us for half an hour (in between taking their dad to the airport and picking up their sisters from school), and for their support of the mission of The Virgin Voting Project.

Here’s the interview with the “Huntsman girls,” in three parts:

Part one:

Part two:

Part three:

Not surprisingly, questions about the economy and jobs were the first to be raised. Several candidates, including Mitt Romney and Herman Cain, have already laid out their detailed plans for fixing the economy earlier this month.

Questions about immigration, health care, and Israel also produced heated exchanges. Education, a topic that concerns many young voters, was briefly discussed. Most of the candidates supported giving power back to the parents, as Rick Perry argued that the “federal government has no business telling us how to educate our children.” They also supported the fight against teachers’ unions, and advocated for reallocating money for schools back to the states.

Many of these topics affect young adults on a variety of levels. However, very few college or high school students posed YouTube questions, and the audience mostly consisted of older voters.

Regardless of the issue, there was generally a negative coalition against Obama throughout the night. Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico, said that “My next door neighbor’s two dogs have created more shovel-ready jobs than this current administration.” Others pointed to Obama’s now 41% approval rating.

Indeed, the atmosphere was raucous at times, and the ongoing sparring match between Mitt Romney and Rick Perry – who were once again positioned next to each other on stage – continued unabated.

In the most recent Gallup poll, Perry is backed by 31% of potential voters, while 24% favor Romney. While these results have been expected, long-shot candidates like Rick Santorum and Herman Cain continue to make their presence felt at GOP debates. Barring a major surprise, their efforts may be in vain.

Nick Fedyk is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University.

“I hope I’m wrong, because, I think some of the issues [in this election] impact you all,” Robert Gibbs said, as he addressed a room packed full of American University students Monday night. “If you don’t get involved, somebody will and it won’t be on your behalf.”

The former White House press secretary, who currently serves as an outside adviser to the Obama administration, changed posts in January of this year. Gibbs gave his take on the 2012 election to AU students, and even made some bold election predictions.

“I think in the Republican side of this, there are a lot of twists and turns that are left to go. Though I will say this: I think there’s a 95-99 percent chance that the Republican nominee is either named Rick Perry or Mitt Romney.” He does not think anybody else will have the money, organization, or intensity to capture enough of a following to gain a foothold.

“I think this is going to be an enormously close election.” Gibbs revealed that he’s had that thought since the beginning of 2011 while he was still at the White House, when a number of Republican candidates chose not to run, and when he heard Osama Bin Laden had been killed.

“It’s been enormously fascinating this far,” Gibbs said as he referenced the 2012 election. “We’ve already watched on the Republican side, an enormously fascinating race. The calendar says September and it’s getting to be a little cooler in the air. It sort of feels like we’re getting toward the end of this thing. It’s remarkable, I was struck the most of all by how much this campaign, as fascinating as it’s been, how much it’s still in its infancy.”

Gibbs is one of the people responsible for the targeted messaging that brought young Americans out to the polls in record numbers in 2008. He expressed both hope and doubt that the Obama campaign would repeat those numbers in 2012.

According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, 52% of Americans between the ages of 18-29 voted in the 2008 presidential election — 68% of them, turning out for Obama. With Obama receiving 52.7% of the aggregate popular vote in ’08, young people who make up 21% of the voting populous still play a crucial roll in the re-election or defeat of President Obama.

To break that down – if 21% of eligible voters are between the ages of 18-29, 68% of that group voted for Obama, and the 2008 election was decided by about 10 million votes, then young people could make or break the president’s chance at a second term in the White House.

“This is going to be a very very very close election. It is likely if you average it all out, it will be decided by a few votes here and there, per precinct all over this country,” Gibbs said.

Like many of the Republican candidates for president have told The Virgin Voting Project, Gibbs also asserted, “there is more at stake for you than just about anybody else… And I think if you’re a college student and you’re about to head out into the economy that we’re in, there might not be a more important group that is interested in that issue more than you are.”

“They don’t send 40-year-olds to Iraq and Afghanistan – they send 18-year-olds,” Gibbs concluded. “There is nothing about our democracy that propels itself each day without involvement and participation.”

Jindal’s endorsement came just hours after former Presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty endorsed Mitt Romney for President of the United States. “T-Paw,” was not in the spin room voicing his support of the former Massachusetts Governer to reporters.

We asked Governor Jindal why young people should be involved in the political process and what the Perry Campaign will be doing to drive young people to the polls. He says young people “have more at stake in this election than anybody else.”

When asked by CNN political reporter Shannon Travis how much she and the DNC are spending to study the style of the candidates who could be up against President Obama, she shot down that notion in its entirety.

“Actually what we are focused on right now- as a member of Congress and as a party, is focusing like a laser on passing the American jobs act, getting people back to work. At the end of the nominating process, President Obama will have a Republican nominee to run against and at that point we’ll be analyzing whatever it is that individual’s style is. Right now, we’ve got a job to do, and that’s to focus on getting people back to work and trying to get the Republicans to step up to the plate and work with us.” The chairwoman added that “[The Democratic Party] is focused on what the American people’s priorities are: helping the middle class and working families get back to work.”

The largest group of Americans without jobs also happens to be a key voter demographic for the 2012 election. With the nation’s unemployment rate holding steady at 9.1 percent, Americans ages 18-24, hold a majority share of the statistic: 17.2 percent of those unemployed.

We heard a lot from the GOP candidates about creating jobs and boosting the economy Monday night, but will this crucial group of potential voters actually show up to the polls this election season?

In 2008, young people played a crucial role in electing Barack Obama, and in 2012, we have the potential to make a difference as well. According to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement, 52% of Americans between the ages of 18-29 voted in the 2008 presidential election — 68% for Obama, and 32% for John McCain. Despite the majority’s preference for Obama, only 45% of all young voters identified as Democrats, the Center found.

But the Republican hopefuls are not targeting young first time voters, as Obama did in 2008, and it will be interesting to see if young people show up to the polls at all this time around. When asked by The Virgin Voting Project if she was concerned that young people wouldn’t come out to vote in 2012, Chairwoman Wasserman Schultz said, “We aren’t taking anything for granted but we definitely have seen enthusiasm from young people- continued, sustained enthusiasm …I’ve traveled the country and seen a tremendous enthusiasm from young people and we’re gonna work hard to add to their ranks.”

To those young Americans who say they’re not interested in politics, she adds: “It is extremely important that you [as young people] get engaged and involved, because the decisions that are made by whoever is elected President are going to affect your life for generations, so don’t sit on the sidelines. Roll up your sleeves, get involved, and help America’s voters make a choice next fall.”

You’ve probably heard about his jobs plan, or what he likes to call, the “999″ plan, which has some people saying it sounds like a pizza deal. That’s not so much a far-fetched thought- Herman Cain is the former Chairman and CEO of Godfather’s pizza. But when asked about people calling his 999 plan a pizza deal, Cain takes offense.

“It’s not a pizza deal. The plan is a very serious plan. Its not a 999 pizza plan. That just shows you how rather narrow [people] are thinking,” he told The Virgin Voting Project’s Noah Gray. Cain then proceeded to explain his deal.

The 999 plan is based upon 3 economic guided principles, Cain says.

1. The Business sector is the engine of economy

2. Remove barriers that would allow people to take risks, thus allowing the American people to create jobs.

3. Sound money. Stop deflating the dollar.

Q&A WITH HERMAN CAIN

Why should young people vote?

“Young people should vote and take a look at me and my proposals, number one, because my proposals are bold. We can’t keep trimming around the edges on some of these programs that are going to bankrupt this country. We can’t keep pretending that you can drive this economy with good economic growth with another speech. Young people have a lot that they have at stake going into the future. So, my plans are bold, but they’re bold because this economy is on life support. We are a nation of crises, and I have an approach or a solution for every one of these crises. Or this nation is not going to be the nation that i grew up with to be able to achieve my American dream.”

What do you think about a national voter ID law?

“Now that sounds like something that I could support without looking at in detail and here’s why. If you need a license to get on an airplane, why shouldn’t you need one in order to be able to vote?”

What about for college students not living in their home town?

“If you have the other rules right, you can’t just take that one idea and start doing reiterations on it until you know what the whole package is. I favor more honest elections. And if a picture ID helps to achieve that, I can go along with a picture ID.”

The Virgin Voting Project is here to cover it all. Follow our live coverage of the debate on Twitter @virginvoting, and on Facebook.com/VirginVoting.

The Virgin Voting Prjoect’s Joshua Lapidus will be tweeting the debate live and Noah Gray will be  the spin room afterwards with his camera to speak to the candidates.