Young voters: Obama's "change" message still resonates

WASHINGTON -- While pollsters detect a disconnect between how the public feels about President Obama and his policies, there's no split among young people: a new poll shows 70 percent of voters between ages 18 and 29 say president has lived up to his message of change so far.

"In the expanded under-30 demographic, nearly two-thirds of young voters say that Obama’s policies as President have jibed with with his campaign rhetoric—that fervent trumpet of 'change we can believe in,' " according to a statement by Scoop 44, a youth-oriented news website specializing in coverage of the new administration. The web site, along with Zogby International, a political polling organization, conducted the poll earlier this month.

"Seven months after Obama’s election, more than 80% of Democrats and a majority of independent voters agree that their votes for change translated into tangible action," according to the statement. "Amid a chorus of recent criticism from the left, including comments by popular comedian Bill Maher, that the President has abandoned campaign proposals on health care and environmental reform, corporate regulation, and military redeployment, the poll renews confidence in the 'change President.' "

Maher, host of the HBO political-talk series “Real Time with Bill Maher,” backed Obama on his show during the 2008 presidential campaign, but recently chastized the president for not moving more quickly or boldy on issues more important to liberals. When he voted for Obama, Maher said, he was "hoping for a little more audacity" and a little less "television celebrity."

The youth vote was crucial to Obama's historic win in last year's election, in which the number of registered voters under age 30 surged to near-record levels. Obama's rallies drew large numbers of young people, and those ages 18 to 29 voted for Obama by a wide margin over Arizona Senator John McCain, his republican challenger: 68 percent to 30 percent, according to a Newsweek Magazine post-election report.

This week, two new polls show that among the general public Obama's popularity still remains at about 60 percent, but a growing number of people are concerned about his plans to handle the economy, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and his proposals to overhaul health care.

Read more: http://www.scoop44.com/2009/06/19/zogbyscoop44poll/