In 2008, young people in America -- including many who voted in
their first presidential election -- rallied behind a youthful
senator from Illinois campaigning on the promise of change and
hope. Now the incumbent in the White House, Barack Obama faces a
difficult challenge in recapturing the youth vote for his
reelection. Early this month, The New York Times reported that
enthusiasm for Obama among voters aged 18-24 has fallen sharply
since the last election cycle. And many of the young people
interviewed in the article spoke of feeling alienated from
politics. So what is behind young peoples' disaffection? And
what must President Obama do if he is serious about winning back
the country's youth? Young People Face a Broken American Dream
Young people are not acting irrationally when they report
growing cynical. They are responding to the reality of an
American Dream that lies in fragments at their feet.
Traditionally, the promise of prosperity in this country has
rested on three foundations: good jobs, decent