Los Angeles 10/13/2010 10:35:51 PM
News / Politics

Obama Seeks The Support Of Young Voters For Nov Elections

In an attempt to gather the support of young voters three weeks prior to congressional elections, US President Barack Obama said on Tuesday that they were the ideal “messengers” to convince voters to choose his policies rather than Republican agenda.

"When they hear those things from you directly, that has more credibility than any television ad", the president told a gathering at George Washington University. "You are the most powerful messengers possible. And that's how democracy ultimately should work".

Obama provided campaigning guidelines to youngsters on how to prepare the speech, telling the audience to focus on choices that the voters face. Republicans are trying to exploit voter anxiety and fear over continued high levels of unemployment to turn the voters against Democrats who are in charge of the White House and both chambers of Congress, he said.

"We have to make sure that we are delivering a choice to people, and so the most effective message is to say that this is what Democrats stand for", the president said, listing issues such as providing tax breaks to US firms that create domestic jobs rather than outsourcing them overseas, extending tax cuts to households earning up to 250,000 dollars annually, helping workers improve their skills and investing in education.

Responding to a question about how to get his message across, Obama advised the youngsters to talk to friends, family, work colleagues and fellow students about the issues, while tailoring the message to their particular situation.