If you find yourself lamenting the youthful following of presidential contender Ron Paul, take heart that young Democrats who support smart, good-government candidates such as President Obama are alive and thriving on the University of Texas campus.

UT’s University Democrats, comprised of progressive and engaged young voters, stand in stark contrast to UT’s Republican student group, which has made national news more than once because of its leaders’ shockingly racist comments.

Recently elected UDems President Huey Fischer is proof positive that the future of the Democratic Party is in good hands. Only 19 and a sophomore government major, the Rockport native boasts the enthusiasm of youth along with the political IQ and instincts of someone decades older.

With Republicans young and old spewing so much negativity these days, we thought it was time for a conversation with UT’s own President Fischer!

QUESTION: Last month you were in the news condemning the president of the UT College Republicans for her racist Tweet about President Obama. Unfortunately, her predecessor also made inappropriate comments about Obama. What’s your take on all this?

FISCHER: My initial take was that they made really stupid mistakes and should have corrected them right away. When Lauren Pierce, the first one, made that assassination joke, I thought we could move on from that because I never assumed she meant it, and she apologized.

QUESTION: But then came Cassie Wright’s “My president is black, he snorts a lot of crack!” only a month later. Kind of shocking.

FISCHER: Right. Cassie would not apologize for what was blatantly a racist comment. I knew when she started defending herself that we had to take a stand, and we did it with other groups on campus. We would have called her out even if it had been a Republican president, because racism isn’t a Republican or Democratic issue. As the president of the Black Student Alliance said, this takes us backward instead of moving us forward. It really does harm the political dialogue.

QUESTION: OK, enough of that unpleasantness. What issues do you think are the most important to young people today?

FISCHER: When it comes to students, it’s mostly tied to economic issues. We’re all worried about tuition and student loans and finding employment after we graduate. We’re also concerned with our voting rights, now that the Republican Legislature has forced the new Voter ID laws through (currently being challenged in court). As students, our school IDs may not match up with our home IDs, so we might be denied the right to vote. That definitely has the potential to hurt us. Also, students at the collegiate level are worried about how the conservative agenda in grades K through 12 is manipulating the curriculum.

QUESTION: You’re taking the UDem reins during a presidential election year. What are your goals for UDems in ’12?

FISCHER: We need to increase voter turnout at UT. It’s been pretty abysmal over the past two to three years. The next gubernatorial race (’14) is something we can improve upon. We need to have an impact in local elections this spring. Tied to getting out the vote will be voter education on candidates across the board. We’ll be doing issue advocacy, including pressing for more equitable cuts in the budget when it comes to university issues. And we need to build relationships with other campus groups, like the Black Student Alliance, as well as with the larger Democratic community here in Austin.

QUESTION: How about the presidential race?

FISCHER: We’ll definitely be working to get President Obama reelected. He’ll be rallying us to the polls and helping us down the ticket. We’re excited about his race and the potential for the Senate race. We definitely want to get students involved in internships on campaigns and in local politics. We want to match them with a group that can help them in their future.

QUESTION: I’ve read a lot lately about how disenchanted many young people have become by the extreme partisanship and gridlock in Washington. What can you do to convince your generation that government and politics are still important?

FISCHER: Honestly just the nature of UDems makes it easier for us. We focus on student issues and try to be the authoritative voice on student issues. We want to make politics relevant and show students how it will affect them if so-and-so gets elected. We need to tie all these stories about the issues to them and get them reengaged. The job of UDems is to build that connection. We have speakers to bridge these gaps, to reach out to all UT students, not just the 100 or so who come to our meetings. Right now is a ripe opportunity to have a voice and an impact on politics.

(diane@traviscountydemocrats.org)