CAMPUS CORRESPONDENCE : Choose or Lose: New MTV Message Hits Youth Vote

Like many young Americans, I “met” Bill Clinton on Tuesday night, sitting in my living room, on MTV, the music-video station better known for its coverage of pop icons than politicians. It was the highlight of the campaign so far.

The network’s trademark irreverence, reflecting the detached cynicism of today’s youth, was everywhere. Each segment opened with a shot of the White House with the MTV logo graffitied over it. In the background, an electric guitar screamed the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Statistics flashed against a psychedelic background. This alliance of high-tech entertainment and earnest political inquiry shows that a true democratic conscience can emerge in the most unexpected of places.

The most compelling of the “Choose or Lose” features was its segment on voter apathy. It reminded the over-30 set that the earliest memory of today’s young voters was of Watergate, not of the New Frontier. And because no President since John F. Kennedy has bothered to challenge young people by tapping into their energy and idealism, the alienation from politics has grown with each successive generation. Now, too many of our nation’s young people view government with distrust and pessimism. Our leaders are too old, or worse, out of touch. With a dismal job market, we are left to ponder the future with a $4.1 trillion deficit or how to clean up our severely damaged environment.

Some politicians say we are part of a “cultural erosion.” But it is our leaders who are responsible for the malaise, for the paralysis. They failed to address the issues that affect our quality of life: AIDS, crime, education, the environment, health care and unemployment.

Clinton is one politician who has bothered to reach out, from donning Ray Bans and showing off his sax appeal on the “Arsenio Hall” late-night talk show, to dealing earnestly with America’s youth on cable. Clinton’s appearance on MTV shows he cares enough to coax disenchanted American youth back into the political process.

Young people are frustrated because they do not get direct answers. Given the opportunity to get some, about 200, for the first time, got to see Clinton as something more than the best of the worst. (George Bush and undeclared candidate Ross Perot have been offered equal time, but neither has accepted.)

The power of TV in determining this country’s future is frighteningly apparent. The Republicans have been quick to learn its power and to capitalize on it, to the detriment of Democrats. Witness Ronald Reagan’s adept use of the medium in mobilizing a huge bloc of loyal voters. Clinton’s move to MTV--the inner sanctum of a generation that has worshiped the tube--was a logical and necessary step for Democrats to take in trying to regain the presidency.

Clinton’s chances for victory will depend on his ability to present himself as a human alternative. This includes the monumental task of getting people out of their living rooms and into the voting booths. This year’s voters are in an unforgiving mood. They are throwing incumbents out of office and falling in love with Perot, telling the system that its best isn’t good enough. While there is some justification to this criticism, people must go farther, asking hard questions of all the candidates, both newcomers and veteran politicians. Am I making judgments based on information that is substantial? Or, am I buying media images built on either empty flattery or a hunger for scandal?

When it comes to selecting the leader of this country, people need to ask the kind of questions that were raised by young people on last week’s MTV program. Questions such as: What will you do to create jobs for all the young people that have not been able to find them in the recession?

Detractors say Clinton has no comprehensive agenda, but Tuesday night he presented a blueprint. As a student facing huge registration-fee hikes, I was impressed to hear that he wants to create a national trust fund that will allow young people who go to college a chance to pay off their debts according to their salary, or through two years in a domestic Peace Corps. These are promises that will make me feel I’m accomplishing something when I cast my ballot.

So, now America faces a collision of innocence and experience. The young Arkansas governor who dares to show he’s accessible and tell people exactly what he will do in office is squaring off against an experienced Republican incumbent and possibly a billionaire software mogul. Many people have given up: Older voters have become jaded because of an increasingly corrupt and distant political system, while many young people feel voting cannot make anything better. Now is the time to drop the cynicism, jump out off the couch, get out of the living room and grab on to the best chance that you get. Because if you don’t vote, you deny everyone the possibility for change. As MTV said, “Choose or lose.”