Kids Pick Kerry to Be the Next President

[diatribe]

Kids Pick Kerry to Be the Next President

31 minutes ago

NEW YORK - Kid power! Democrat John Kerry (news - web sites) is the winner, and the rest of the country should pay attention because the vote on Nickelodeon's Web site has correctly chosen the president of the United States in the past four elections.

Nearly 400,000 children and teens voted, and the results were released Wednesday. Kerry received 57 percent of the vote; President Bush (news - web sites) got 43 percent.

Nickelodeon has been airing information on the Nov. 2 election, plus sponsoring debates where kids could put forth their views on the environment, the war in Iraq (news - web sites) and terrorism. Some animated shows on the cable channel also have been focusing on the election.

Linda Ellerbee, who writes and hosts "Nick News," says their voting usually reflects their parents' views — but not all the time.

"Every so often you get a kid that says, `My parents are voting for X, but I'm voting for Y,'" she said. "It's amazing, the point when kids start forming their own ideas about issues."

Ellerbee said Nickelodeon has been traveling the country teaching about the election and the importance of being socially informed. Seven-year-old Anthony Viggiano of Baldwin, N.Y., won a contest for the best song lyrics about freedom of speech and performed it with rocker John Mellencamp (news).

"If we can get kids interested earlier in voting, when they can legally vote, they will," she said. "They will run for office, they will be the candidates (that) people want to vote for."

Ellerbee, who will announce the results on "U-PICK Live" Wednesday night, said many children wonder why they can't vote in the real election.

"Kids aren't dumb, they're just younger and shorter," she said. "In fact, last election, a boy came up to me and said, `We picked George Bush (news - web sites) to win, and he didn't really win. Al Gore (news - web sites) won the popular vote, so we were kinda wrong.' Quite an observation."

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=494&u=/ap/20041020/ap_en_tv/nickelodeon_president&printer=1

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

1. My sig line says it all

[rocktivity]

2. 57-43? I have a feeling that's what the grown-up tally is going to be.

:)
rocknation

[rock]

6. Very close to my prediction of 60-40

Which I have been posting for months.

[cidliz2004]

24. What is your prediction for the adult Presidential Race?

[qanda]

3. My kids didn't vote

But they both LOVE John Kerry and despise Bush*. They usually visit nick.com but we must have missed that-- so count two more votes for John Kerry.

[Beetwasher]

4. The Pic W/ The Story is Pretty Cool Too!

n/t

[Pachamama]

5. My 4 yr old says Kerry will win and Bush will...

...go to Jail!!!

:bounce:

Kids know....

[Dem2theMax]

27. May I nominate your son for the Supreme Court?

He's way ahead of the one's sittin' on the bench right now. :)

[booksenkatz]

7. But kids' issues are sooooooo different

My 5-year-old voted in the Nick poll, with gusto, for Kerry. I asked him what he likes best about Kerry, and the most important issues for him are: a) Kerry's microphone at the debates was taller; and b) he rides a motorcycle. (My son also says that it's cool if Kerry really plays a guitar, but at this point, he finds that hard to believe.) But hey, lots of adults vote for similarly strange reasons (hair, clothes), so I'll take a Kerry vote any way I can get it!
:)

[0rganism]

17. Your kid has *better* reasons than some adults

There was a recent survey showing that about 50% of adult voters didn't know shit about the candidates. Like, 25% thought that bush was the one advocating an increase in taxes for those making $200,000+, and another 25% said they didn't know.

How many adults even watched the debates or know John Kerry rides a motorcycle and plays classical guitar? You have a well-informed 5-year-old. Tell him that Kerry windsurfs, and he might volunteer for a phone bank.

[Dem2theMax]

28. After one of the debates, a woman who called in to CSPAN

said she would NOT vote for Kerry because he waved his hands around too much. Cross my heart and hope to die, I heard it with my own Democratic ears!

Your son is WAY ahead. I used to ride motorcycles and play the guitar. Darned good reasons for a vote I'd say! :)

[AspenRose]

8. *sigh* Out of the mouths of babes....

"In fact, last election, a boy came up to me and said, `We picked George Bush to win, and he didn't really win. Al Gore won the popular vote, so we were kinda wrong.' Quite an observation."

There is hope for the future....

[meow2u3]

9. I babysit a kid who DESPISES Bush

He said he wants Bush out and Kerry in at any cost!

You can't fool kids, and you can't fool animals. When will grownups learn that? I know the Bushbots never will.

[Moonbeam_Starlight]

23. Which must have been why I had

an inherent distrust of Reagan when I was a teenager and liked Carter though I knew next to nothing about him. My vibes were right then, too.

[dubyaD40web]

10. This is really HUGE when you think about it.

Most of the time, the kids usually predict the winner in every election. Why you ask? Because they're hearing good things about Kerry from their parents.

[VegasWolf]

11. Unfortunately, the kids didn't vote with a Dieblod 'voting machine'

New Information Shows Bush Indecisive, Paranoid, Delusional

[Bread and Circus]

12. Yay !!! That's so cool.

[mulsh]

13. my 6 year old niece says "Bush is stupid"

The other day I asked her who she would vote for, she said Kerry, I asked her why she said "bush is stuipid" I asked her what made her think that, she said " every time he talks he sounds retarded." then she mimiced him, saying things like 'evil-doers and freedom haters." and rolling her eyes, it was funny and really surprising.
then we started talking about the shark movie.

her parents are both voting for kerry but they don't really talk much about politics.

[Old and In the Way]

14. Freepers must have missed this one.....

[Soth]

15. Not so much...

I've seen this particular article on some other boards, and the Repunklickers have already said the typical things:

"Kids don't know jack anyway."

"Yeah, kids also think poo jokes are hilarious!"

Etc.

You know, making kids out to be simpletons despite the fact that they've already proven to be more in touch with reality and far more sensitive and insightful than most grownups.

[Anaxamander]

16. Those kids hate us for our freedoms...

...like the freedom to stay up past 9.

[leftchick]

18. Junior Scholastic kids voted as well and picked....

idiotboy*. Saw it on MSRNC this afternoon. They played it up big like it was a prediction of who would win this election since the children voting in this every year since 1940 have gotten it right everytime except twice. One of the times they got it wrong was 1960 and they predicted Nixon over Kennedy. That tells me all I need to know... :eyes:

[cvoogt]

19. Bush is mean!

We kids know a bully when we see one.

[noamnety]

20. Kids have good instincts

What kind of kid would vote for the guy that yells and spits, when they could pick this guy instead?

[Sequoia]

21. I posted this thread this morning

how did you steal it?

[ava27]

22. in 2 weeks

adults will pick Kerry to be the next President.

[proud patriot]

25. My son voted for Kerry

:-)

[CreekDog]

26. My HS picked Dukakis over Bush 57-43 (but that was here)

Which pretty much mirrored the vote around here (just outside San Francisco). I remember voting in that, but I voted for Bush, thank goodness I wasn't old enough to have voted Republican for real!

If Kerry has that large a margin among kids nationwide, that's pretty amazing.