Today's youth can learn much about the political world through the use of technology, according to politician Howard Dean.
The former chairman of the Democratic National Committee and former governor of Vermont, who also ran for president in 2004, spoke at Kendall hall following an invitation from the College Democrats.
"With the net, information became available to virtually anyone who could afford a computer," Dean said. He said America's younger generation can now organize over the Internet and learn more about politics with the click of a button.
He also talked about his campaign experiences and what he learned. While many have speculated that Dean was forced to drop out of the election due to his infamous yell during a speech in Iowa (which can now be found easily on YouTube), Dean told the audience that he believed he lost because he never made the transition into a true presidential candidate.
"That's not why I lost. I lost because I never made the turn. When you get to a certain point in the campaign you have to start looking and acting a certain way," Dean told the audience. When asked if he would consider running again, he said that he could not say for sure, but that it is a lot easier to run the first time because, "you don't know what you're getting into."
Despite remaining serious most of the time, Dean also incorporated some humor into his address.
"Does this thing work? I understand Ann Coulter might have been using it," Dean said while having some initial trouble with the microphone. He made some other references to Coulter, who spoke at Kendall Hall in February. Unlike Coulter's lecture, however, security was minimal and limited to Campus Police.
In answering questions from the audience, Dean touched on the values of the Democratic Party as opposed to those of the Republican Party. One difference between the two parties, he said, is that Democrats tend to keep quieter about their values.
Dean said Republicans, on the other hand, often keep bringing up controversial issues like gay marriage and abortion because they tend to feel so strongly about them. The politician then urged young Democrats to "speak up for your issues."
Despite the differences between the two parties, Dean said he does not disagree with everything Republicans stand for. One thing that he agrees with, for example, is the Republican stance on the welfare system. The welfare system ultimately ends up hurting people and those on welfare should be moved off, he said.
Dean concluded with a message for the younger generation. After congratulating them for coming together and electing a president who understands them, he said "This is your president, your first one. Don't blow it."
Brianna Gunter can be reached at gunter2@tcnj.edu.
