New Voters and Youth Vote

In reading online about the primary, I think that not enough is being made of a couple of factors in Obama's Iowa victory.

Independent voters (in decreasing order of significance) turned out in large numbers, voted in the Democratic primary, and voted for Obama. How they voted may, however, be indicitave of why they turned out so their votes being for Obama may be more important than it would seem.

First time caucusers participated in large numbers, and they too voted in the majority for Obama.

Young people turned out in unusually large numbers and voted heavily for Obama, and I believe that is by far the result of most significance.

For too many years the quality of governance of this nation has suffered from the lack of participation by citizens. The number of people who go to the polls on election day is a national disgrace, and the state of our government, the lack of accountability, the arrogance and corruption reflects just how uninvolved the citizenry has become.

If Obama does nothing more than reinvolve people, particularly young people, reactivate citizen participation in governing this once republican (small 'r' ) nation, then he will establish himself as one of the men that history books will write great things about.