Student political change group discusses candidates

Young Democrats: Students for Political Change, a student club with about 25 members, discussed presidential Democratic candidates during their monthly meeting Nov. 6 at Douglas High School.

"I think Barack Obama is politically too young. I don't think he should be running," said Douglas junior Dalton Tutt. "He'll be easily manipulated. He needs more experience."

Other students disagreed.

"I think it's a good thing," said junior April Wood. "He can see things from a younger person's perspective."

Senior Dorothy Sliva concurred.

"Older politicians get set in their ways and have a hard time changing," she said.

Sliva is one of many students who will be old enough to vote in next November's general election. When asked who she was going to vote for, she said Obama.

"I like how he focuses on healthcare and pulling out of the war in Iraq. He seems more peaceful," she said.

Students discussed other candidates, including John Edwards and Hillary Clinton, and also discussed the upcoming Nevada caucus.

"We want to learn about the voting process and change things locally," said junior Andrew Solomon. "A lot of us here are environmentally conscious, and we want to learn which candidates would be beneficial."

But special education teacher Sunny Murphy, one of four teachers advising the student organization, said most of the students were not yet old enough to vote and that the club was primarily about education.

"Many students here are exploring their political identity," she said. "We hope to visit different candidate rallies and have students be open and listen to all."

Students also discussed the club itself and how they could better encourage their classmates to become politically active.

Sliva and fellow club member Danielle Soto volunteered to work on a bulletin board where meeting notices could be posted.

Students also suggested that the board could be used to post information about the upcoming election and possibly student essays for or against political candidates.

Students for Political Change meets the first Tuesday of each month in room 228 of Douglas High School. For more information, contact Sunny Murphy, Jim or Martha Mathews at 782-5136.