Cornell students: No generation gap in support of Clinton, older candidates

MOUNT VERNON - Hillary Clinton told a Cornell College crowd Wednesday that the 2016 election is more about them than their parents or grandparents.

At the core of her campaign, Clinton said, 'Is to make it possible for every young adult to live up to God-given potential.” As she often does, Clinton talked about wanting to make the world a better, cleaner, more peaceful and more prosperous world for her granddaughter to grow up in.

The 2016 election, Clinton told more than 600 people on the campus PED Mall in front of College Hall, will set the stage for how the country deals with the big problems such as dealing with climate change and transitioning to clean energy, increasing family income rebuilding the nation's infrastructure.

That fact that Clinton and several others running for president are closer to the age of their grandparents than theirs seemed of little concern to twenty-something and younger students who cheered loudest when Clinton promised to make college more affordable and protect same-sex marriage and LGBT rights.

'I'll be in college next year, so I'm glad she's talking about college affordability,” said John Cooper, a senior at Mount Vernon High School.

Despite their age differences, Cornell students, for the most part, said they believe Clinton and the other sixty- and seventy-something candidates on the campaign trail understand the challenges and concerns their generation sees ahead.

Democrats Clinton, Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee, and Republicans Jeb Bush, Ben Carson, John Kasich, Lindsey Graham, Mike Huckabee, Carly Fiorina and Donald Trump are all in their 60s. Republican George Pataki is 70 and Democrat Bernie Sanders is in his 70s.

However, the students see the candidates' ages as a plus.

'Candidates should be older,” Christy Ralston of Savanna, Ill., said as she waited for Clinton to arrive. Older candidates have more experience, 'more hands-on learning.”

'Older candidates are less risky, less likely to act on a whim,” Ralston said. Of course 'older” is relative. She said 35 was 'kind of young” to be president, 'but older than that, that's OK.”

Isabella Blackburn of Twin Lakes, Wis., who was doing homework while waiting for the rally to begin, agreed that a candidate's experience is important, an advantage.

'They have more experience and know better how to run the country,” added Mount Vernon High School Freshman Lara Cooper, continuing the honor thy elders theme.

However, Susan Stacy from Des Moines finds the candidates' ages 'a little troubling.”

'Sometimes I worry that their perspective is outdated and they don't know or understand what I'm experiencing as a younger voter,” she said.

Stacy also is concerned that if America keeps electing older presidents - President Barack Obama not withstanding - 'we'll always be behind.”

Candidates' reaction to the Black Lives Matter is an example of older candidates not understanding younger voters, Stacy said.

'I think the GOP gave it like 30 seconds in the debate,” she said. 'That's disheartening. Scary.”

Sidney Boston from St. Paul, Minn., thinks it's up to the candidates to make themselves aware of her generation's concerns Clinton and Sanders, she said, 'are doing a good job learning what's important to us.”

That's why they are championing reproductive rights and responding to the Black Lives Matter movement, Boston said.

Even on a front-line issue for them - college affordability, Caitlyn St. Marie of Minooka, Ill., and Jessica Pinkham of Yorba Linda, Calif., think older candidates understand their concerns.

Older is wiser, right?” said St. Marie.

'I'm a little concerned for Bernie (Sanders),” Pinkham said, adding quickly, 'He's a good candidate.

However, she has less concern about Clinton, who is seven years younger than Sanders' 74 years.

College affordability and their civil rights aren't the Cornell students' only concerns. Freshman Sophie Meads, who introduced Clinton, thanked her for advocating for families and children. In particular, Meads, who has Type 1 diabetes, likes the fact Clinton has defended the Affordable Care Act and promises to work to improve it.

'She's been advocating for people like me all of her life,” Meads said.