Obama's First 100 Days

Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s first 100 days as president, which produced 15 pieces of legislation including the first New Deal, set a high bar for future presidents. The first 100 days have become a milestone on which to judge a presidency. 

President Barack Obama has done a good job, according to many Boston University students, but all realize that he has a lot more to work towards.

“Whether it is 100, 50 or the first day, President Obama has made strides to better represent young people, America abroad and the economy,” said Katie Maranjo, president of the College Democrats of America.

The largest number of young voters in history voted in the last presidential election, according to the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement. Republicans and Democrats agree that many young voters supported Obama because of the contact his campaign made with young voters via email and social networking sites.

“I think it’s cool because he makes direct contact with people by email and Twitter instead of feeding into a news organization,” said Kelly Hall, a senior in the College of Communication.

Boston University College Republican Campaign Coordinator Liz Simson agreed that the Obama campaign was “amazing.”

“This election has shown us that there is no red and blue if you run the right election,” Simson said.

The day after the elections everyone from sorority girls to hipsters were casually chatting about politics, which has not been matched since, but Obama inspired political excitement on campus.

“People are excited about the new era but people have a lot of issues going on in life,” said Biko Baker, executive director for the League of Young Voters Education Fund. “There is a lot of hope and a lot of problems.”

Because they are excited about Obama, students are paying more attention to political news.

“I’ve been catching news clips criticizing policy but it doesn’t effect me because I’m not really into politics,” said Tony Juncaj, a sophomore in Sargent College who voted for Obama because he seemed “cool.”Tony felt as though he and Obama would have a lot in common because they share a love of basketball.

The quality of information that students get is questionable because the focus of these news stores may not be as educational as entertaining.

“The only thing people notice is Michelle’s fashion sense and the dog, all of the celebrity hype, not the policy,” said Jackie Nagel, a COM junior.

The economy is the number one issue for students, like in the rest of the country.

“We are running up the bills,” said Ashley Barbera, the national communications director for the College Republicans National Committee. “We are going to pay the bulk of the debt. As young people we should be worried about the economy.”

Because the economy also affects the job market college students are particularly worried. Many graduating seniors are already encountering difficulties finding jobs; they understand that it will take time to see the results of the Obama administration’s stimulus package.

“It’s going to be a long time before we can tell if it will effect the economy,” said Hall.

Simson, a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, learned in her economics class that the approach that the Obama administration is taking toward the economic debt is one held only by a small minority of people.

“You can’t spend your way out of debt –- it is fiscally impossible,” Simson said. “The New Deal is not something we want to emulate.”

Simson admits that the Republican-led presidency and Congress caused problems and made way for spending packages because they lost sight of Republican views on conservative spending.

In addition to sour economic times, students are faced with more and more loans and increasing tuition prices. The Obama administration has proposed and passed legislation to help students for both, said Maranjo.

“Obama has stuck to supporting young people because he realized that we are the future,” Maranjo said, citing an increase in the Pell Grant, tuition tax credit and cutting out the middleman for loans. “You can’t get good jobs till you get a good education.”

Some students may feel that their needs are overshadowed by the economy.

“There is a lot more that he could do especially in getting loans and affordability,” said Allison Glass, the secretary for BU College Democrats. “But I am optimistic for the future.”

Younger voters are less focused on social issues that define the way many older voters align themselves. This allows for more political involvement from students. Students are particularly active in the issues of climate change, creating green jobs, social security reform and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which have recently been pushed to the back burner in the news but not for the young people serving or those who have family or friends at war.

Engaging young voters makes way for a generation of politically active Americans.

The Obama campaign was a catalyst for many BU students to jump into politics because “when he speaks people listen,” said Nagel.

“He has a very inspiring personality and a certain presence that can make people excited,” said Hall.

The Republican Party also saw record participation in the last presidential campaign. They hope to build off of this momentum for future elections, Barbera said.

The future of the Obama presidency looks bright because he is still supported by many students and young voters.

“When it comes to young people we see a new direction that we are excited about and we have a seat at the table,” said Maranjo. “What the president has been able to do in his first 100 days has been thoughtful and forward thinking.”