Amherst College and a Time of Change

Amherst College and a Time of Change

By Newt Gingrich

Something new and interesting is beginning to happen among America's young people.

I experienced the change first hand this week.

What if I told you a conservative speaker could have a packed house at a very liberal college (with 750 in the auditorium and over 200 who couldn't get in).  What if I told you that a conservative speaker could get a standing ovation both going in and coming out.

What if I further told you that after a 45 minute speech, there were an hour of questions and only three were negative.  That is exactly what happened when Callista and I had a remarkable visit to Amherst College this week.

I had been invited to speak that night by the College Republicans and the Young America's Foundation. Our host was a remarkably entrepreneurial student named Robert Lucido. He had brought together three colleges and the Young America's Foundation to make the event possible. Then he made a YouTube video explaining why people should come to the speech. He also made two short videos to open up the question and answer session with a lively set of questions. (He had never made a video before.) Finally he created and put up posters all over campus telling people about the event.

Robert's 21st birthday was the day of the speech and he had the most hectic birthday of his life. By the end of the evening the size and enthusiasm of the crowd had made it all worthwhile. He was one happy young man.  The extraordinarily positive response at Amherst reflected a recent pattern reported in a poll by Harvard University.

Young people are becoming very disillusioned with President Obama. In the Harvard poll a plurality of those under 24 said they would vote to recall President Obama if that were an option.

My sense from the Amherst students was that they were disillusioned and uncertain. They were coming reluctantly to the belief that we need a new and better politics.