Pleasing Generation O

You might not expect the under-30 crowd to queue up for a cap-and-trade hearing on Capitol Hill. But there they were, all last week, many wearing green shirts with environmental slogans, waiting patiently for hours to get seats for a public meeting on the American Clean Energy and Security Act. At times, fully one quarter of the room appeared to be in their 20s.

Whatever obstacles the young activists face in Congress, they believe they have a friend in the White House, where climate change and green energy legislation are top priorities. "We've been so impressed and pleased with what Obama has done for us in the first 100 days," says Jessy Tolkan, executive director of the Energy Action Coalition, a consortium of 50 youth organizations. Tolkan praises Obama's appointments of a White House climate czar and prominent environmentalists at the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy. "We elected a president," says Tolkan. "We think we're going to be able to swing the votes we need to get this legislation passed." (It should be noted that some green activists were unhappy with the pick of Ken Salazar as interior secretary.)

 

NEXT 100 DAYS

Now, The Hard Part

Howard Fineman

For Obama, the next 100 days could be the real test.

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Smart politicians naturally reward supporters, so Obama is no doubt closely watching young adults who were energized by his youthful, tech-smart campaign. When 57 percent of Iowans under age 30 who participated in the Democratic caucuses went for Obama, it put him over the top in that crucial first contest. In the general election, voters under 30 chose Obama over McCain by an astounding 66-32 margin.

Beyond green issues, the new administration had youth on its mind during its first 100 days when it included college affordability in the stimulus bill and signed an expansion of national service into law. And young people, who are more likely to be uninsured, are among the potential beneficiaries of health-care reform, which Obama hopes to enact this year.

On the quintessential youth issue, making higher education more affordable, Obama has already taken decisive action. Average tuition has risen faster than inflation in recent years, and government aid has not kept pace. In 2008, Money magazine reported that the amount families pay for college is up 439 percent since 1982. With more parents out of work and students losing their part-time jobs, Obama sought to ensure that the economic downturn would not prevent students from attending college—by putting $8.5 billion for each of the next two years (a more than 50 percent increase in annual spending) into the Pell Grant program. "The economic recovery package demonstrated a commitment to college access issues," says Christine Lindstrom, director of the U.S. PIRG higher-education program.