STAFF EDIT: O'Brien acts a fool

New Hampshire House Republicans are pushing a law that would prevent out-of-state college students from casting presidential ballots in the state, a move that would prevent thousands from participating in local elections. This has rightfully mobilized students to protest outside the state house in recent weeks. But in an even more alarming move, House Speaker William O’Brien expressed his personal disdain for college students in a speech to a Tea Party organization, making it quite clear that the bill is being proposed as a reaction to the liberal tendencies of youth today.

In his speech, O’Brien refers to college kids as “foolish.” He then goes on to generalize, “voting as a liberal. That’s what kids do…they just vote their feelings.” Usually, America’s college-age population is criticized for its apathy toward politics. Apparently, O’Brien thinks this generation cares too much.

The idea that college students shouldn’t have the right to vote for the state government to which they are subject for the majority of the school year is a blatant infringement of rights guaranteed in the Constitution. In regards to O’Brien’s comments, he seems to believe that only students vote with their feelings, even though all presidential candidates have always used impassioned speeches to win over voters. After all, even former President John F. Kennedy might not have gotten elected if he hadn’t looked and sounded better on TV than former President Richard Nixon. And the people to whom he was speaking to, Tea Party members, are certainly not known for their even-keel temperaments when it comes to health care or immigration.

There have been a number of ventures by different politicians to play the game in a way that allows them to win, and as will happen in any government, some amount of self-interest plays into those ventures. It’s hypocritical for O’Brien to say that college students vote based on emotion when his obvious contempt for their generally liberal ideals is what is driving him to enact this fraudulent legislation, a breach of ethics if there ever was one. At the end of the day, America is in a crisis: more people vote for American Idol contestants than they do for presidential candidates. The biases of one state House Speaker shouldn’t be allowed to feed the flames of this downward spiral.