In a packed Newcomb Hall Ballroom yesterday morning, former First Lady Barbara Bush appealed to students and community members to involve themselves in politics, reminding them to "pay attention, get involved, and never stop saying, 'Yes, I can.'"
Bush, accompanied by Virginia's first lady, Roxanne Gilmore, spoke to a standing-room-only crowd on issues like her experience as a first lady and the role of today's youth in politics.
"I came to encourage you to learn as much as you can about this great democracy," Bush said. "This election is more about your future than your parents'" future.
She also addressed the issue of public disillusionment with politics and politicians.
"I think people are very turned off by politics," she said. "They think very strongly that they can't make a difference."
Bush urged the young people in her audience to participate and make a change in today's politics.
"We need energy, ideas and youthful enthusiasm," she said.
"Politics are only as successful as the people who participate in them," Gilmore reiterated.
Bush spoke only briefly of her son George W. Bush's campaign for the presidency, which has met with success. George W. Bush won Tuesday's Delaware primary.
But in a press conference following the speech, she fielded questions regarding her son's potential to lead the country as the next president.
"One of the biggest jobs you have as president is working with Congress," Bush said. "George already has a hands-on feeling of dealing with congressmen and senators."
Bush also spoke of the importance of Virginia's Feb. 29 presidential primary to the Bush campaign.
"It is very important that he wins Virginia with a big majority of people to show the Democrats in the fall that he has support," she said.
Bush spoke as a part of the Youth Leadership Initiative Symposium Series, a series founded two years ago by the Center for Governmental Studies at the University.
The program initially was started "to do something about the decline in political activism," said Larry J. Sabato, center director and professor of government and foreign affairs.
The program now reaches many of Virginia's school-age children through student debates, a Web site and mock elections - including the nation's largest Internet election in history, held Oct. 27. By appealing to the younger generation, the Initiative hopes to get the parents of the students involved as well.
"Most of our activities are designed for younger people," Initiative Director Ken Stroupe said. "However, the events are designed to attract members of the older community as they see the younger people getting involved."
The Initiative's next major event will be a mock Virginia primary election held on the Internet on Feb. 28.
University students had mixed reactions regarding the former first lady's speech, some saying they were impressed but others saying she was ineffective at encouraging her audience.
"She came off as more human than you expect and that helped her toward getting younger people to be involved," first-year College student Sarah Hosford said.
But others said they thought Bush's speech had little impact on promoting participation in politics.
"I think that most of the people that showed up were probably already interested and participating in government," third-year College student Vicky Carter said.
University students, along with younger children involved in the Initiative at their local schools, were invited to attend the former first lady's speech. The program was designed to heighten their interests in politics and and promote voting.
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