MTV got Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie and his Democratic counterpart, Terry McAuliffe, smiling together on the same stage Monday–which is kind of like pairing up Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera or Toby Keith and the Dixie Chicks.
What brought the bitter political foes together is the 20 million potential voters below the age of 30 whose ballots are up for grabs in the November presidential election. MTV’s Choose or Lose 2004 campaign is pushing to get these often politically indifferent young Americans out to the polls. Each party wants to grab the bigger share.
A Harvard University poll last week showed Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, leading President Bush by a 48 to 38 percent margin among college students, with Ralph Nader getting 5 percent and the remainder undecided. The poll indicated, however, that Kerry’s support is “soft” among the nation’s 5.1 million college students.
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On Tuesday, MTV announced that both parties will sponsor essay contests to find a speaker between the ages of 18 and 24 who will address their national conventions in prime time this summer.
Reaching out to GOP youths, Republicans have labeled their contest Stand Up and Holla!
More conservatively, the Democrats dubbed their contest Speak Out for the Future.
The subject of the Republican essay will be to answer the question: “Why is the president’s call for community service important and how have you demonstrated it?” The Democratic entrants will answer the question: “Why should politics be important to youth and how can you get more involved in the political process?”
Contest details
Democratic National Convention: www.dems2004.org
Republican National Convention: www.2004nycgop.org
MTV: www.mtv.com