Super Tuesday nears, energy peaks

Below are some great anecdotes of young people and others who are really fired up about Election 2008.

It's hard to see how every state won't have record turnouts on Super Tuesday. There is a buzz in the air that may exceed any I've seen (granted, I've come of age in a historically apathetic time).

Anyway, below are excerpts from rich stuff that happened over the weekend and should make its way into tomorrow's paper.
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By Robert Rogers

San Bernardino High School student Mirr Ramirez in many ways typifies two of the driving themes of this year's election: youth and change.
“We can make a difference,” said Ramirez, 18, who spent last weekend canvassing impoverished Westside communities and encouraging people to vote. “Together, as a generational movement, I think we feel we can have a major impact on our nation's future.”
But Ramirez, like many young people treading onto a fertile political landscape where change is en vogue and turnouts have been heavy, retains an almost starry individualism.
Asked whether he, a high schooler, can make a difference, Ramirez recites a parable. An old man finds a boy on a beach throwing drying starfish back into the water, Ramirez said. The old man tells the boy he can't make a difference, the beach is to long, the starfish too many.
“It made a difference to that one,” Ramirez said, neatly linking the principle to the dozens of people in the Westside he contacted.

Ramirez is not alone. Another 18-year-old and first time voter, Blanca Ortega, is poised to make her presence felt in a presidential election for the first time. Like many area youths, the Cal State San Bernardino freshman has already gained experience impacting local political issues before even being old enough to cast a ballot.
In February 2007, Ortega, then an Arroyo Valley High School student, publicly confronted a San Bernardino City coucilman who had questioned the decision making ability of youthful residents during a showdown over how to spend city funds.
Ortega, who argued that some tax proceeds should go to youth programming, spoke her mind.
“I will be 18 soon and I can assure you that you won't have my vote,” a then 17 year-old Ortega said to applause that Febrary evening.
Today, Ortega said that pledge still drives her, along with the momentous historical shape 2008 has taken.
“I feel like I took a stand that night when someone told us we didn't matter,” Ortega said. “I feel like I'm taking that same kind of stand by doing outreach and voting myself.”

Tom Dolan, a community organizer for Inland Congregations United For Change, said this year is one of not only greater turnout, but greater understanding, especially locally. Dolan's youth-led groups worked over the weekend as part of a statewide network, People Improving Communities through Organizing, or PICO.
They deliberately targeted West side voters who had voted at least once in the last five years – but not on every opportunity they had.
He estimated that about 70 teens and organizers reached more than 2,000.
“What we're doing is teaching and learning with young people about how to drive greater voting, more participation,” Dolan said.
Dolan said he marveled at the idealistic youths traipsing through one of the city's most impoverished areas. The whole episode played out with a verve and hope that harkened an earlier era, Dolan said.
“We broke down a lot of stereotypes just by getting into the community and speaking with people,” Dolan said.