It’s about the youth
Story Transcript
Listening to Texans at the polls
JOAN LITTLE: First and foremost what got me involved in politics was my concern over the fact that we went into the war in Iraq, and I didn’t think that was something we needed to do. And for me Barack showed very good judgment about the war in Iraq. So that really propelled me to look at him. And I also think that he’s someone who can bridge party lines and actually help stop some of the gridlock in DC. I’m tired of nothing getting done. And he’s generated excitement among the youth. We’ve seen youth out here. I’ve seen that in other areas. And I am so encouraged when I see the youth finally getting motivated to get involved in politics, I mean, drawn to someone. And I like his positions on the issues. But primarily for me, repairing the damage with our relationships with countries abroad is very important. I think that’s important for us economically, and also for national security reasons. And I see in him an ability, partly because of who he is and his multicultural background to be able to do that and reach out in ways that other candidates might not. And I think we’re at a point in time where we really need someone like that, because the view of America and the American government, at least, abroad is so low, we need to change that and turn that around.
MATTHEW PALEVSKY, JOURNALIST: Do you think Hillary Clinton wouldn’t be able to follow through on her promise to get troops out of Iraq?
LITTLE: I think that she’s very qualified, but I just feel that part of what this country needs right now is to move beyond the very divisive partisan politics we’ve had from the 90s onward. Unfortunately, if she were to be the nominee and be president, I’m afraid that we wouldn’t be able to get as much done, because there’s still too much baggage from all that divisiveness. And we don’t have time. We’ve got environmental issues, economic issues, national security issues. We can’t be spending time, you know, spitting fire like two football teams. We’ve got to move this country forward. And she’s accomplished a lot. I think she’s been a great senator. But I just think we have two great candidates, but Barack Obama, I think, is a better fit for what we need right now.
PALEVSKY: And what do you say to people who argue that Barack doesn’t have the experience required to take the job just yet?
LITTLE: You know, I kind of agree with what Barack says, that, you know, sometimes there’s people have too much of the wrong kind of experience. And I look at the administration we currently have. We had Dick Cheney and Wolfowitz and other people around Bush who had tons of experience in Washington and politics, and look where they’ve taken this country. So I think sometimes it’s good to have a fresh face. Even if he doesn’t have this long record of history in DC, he’s sure done a lot in a short period of time. And, like, I point back to look at the youth, getting the youth involved, and that’s going to be so important when we start talking about social security and the environment and national security and economic issues, ’cause it’s going to impact this generation. And to see them have somebody that they can be so excited about is very meaningful to me.
PALEVSKY: Thank you. What was your name?
LITTLE: I’m Joan. I’m sorry. Joan Little.
PALEVSKY: You’re getting emotional about this.
LITTLE: I know, ’cause I’m—seeing young people out is just very exciting.
DISCLAIMER:
Please note that TRNN transcripts are typed from a recording of the program; The Real News Network cannot guarantee their complete accuracy.
Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license.
