A project of conservative organization American Majority Action (AMA) posted a video Thursday that attacks President Barack Obama for supposedly failing to follow through with his promises of hope, change and jobs. The video is set to the song “Forever Young” by Jay-Z, an Obama supporter.
The spin-off group, called Students Against Barack Obama (SABO), was founded on Oct. 1 by AMA’s campus director Celia Bigelow. This is the second video that SOBA has launched.
“We chose the song ‘Forever Young’ because for one, it’s kind of ironic that Jay-Z is one of Obama’s top celebrity fundraisers,” the 22-year-old Bigelow told The Daily Caller. “And two … the policies of President Obama are leading our generation down a path of dependency and entitlement for our future, so we wanted to really depict the reality that young people are facing nowadays with that song.”
AMA press secretary and spokesman Ron Meyer said the three big issues that affect young people today are high unemployment, Obamacare and student loans.
“Of course, Obama goes around saying he lowered the rate of student loans, but in reality, his policies really drove up tuition, which is the biggest driver of student loan debt,” Meyer told TheDC.
The video begins with scenes and statistics from 2008 — an average tuition cost of $6,585; excited, cheering Obama supporters; toasts made to the president. Then, it cuts to 2012 — news reports of record-high unemployment; well-dressed graduates with “looking for a job” and “hire me” signs; students with massive loans; protests and discontentment.
Afterward, the video flashes to the viewer: “Are you better off?” and “Obama broke his promises to you. Stand up for your future: Fire Obama.”
University of California, San Diego alumna Inez Feltscher said she struggled to find a job after she graduated in 2010. Feltscher landed two internships and went through several months of unemployment before managing to nab a part-time job.
“I couldn’t get in on the entry-level because there are so many people with masters’ and Ph.D.s looking for work,” Feltscher told TheDC. “I know some people who did six to seven internships before they got a job … they’re not slackers. No, they work hard and they’re smart people.”
Feltscher now attends law school to improve her chances of getting a decent job.
“I did what I was supposed to do,” Feltscher said of her undergraduate and work experience. “[But] it didn’t matter.”
“I just think we need a change,” Principia College graduate Brian Wold told TheDC. “I don’t think that Obama is getting the job done, and I don’t think that four more years will get anything done, either.”
Wold has been searching for a job since before he graduated in May. He is unemployed and lives at home with his parents.
“I really hope for that change in leadership, that [it] can bring about an upturn in the economy and bring more jobs for people like me.”
Obama supporters and undergraduate students Kevin Stamper and Connor McClain said that although the job market is tough, Obama is not to blame.
“It’s not that he’s not creating jobs, it’s just that they’re not being created fast enough…he had four years to fix what eight years have caused,” Stamper said to TheDC. Stamper is a Mount Vernon Nazerene University student and supporter of the student group Students For Barack Obama.
McClain, a student at Hope International University, described his support for Obama amid the current struggles for young Americans.
“It’s a work in progress and it’s going to take time,” McClain told TheDC. “I am excited for the election. This is something I am really ecstatic about.”