Time for a Change?

Disappointed in President Obama, some students are turning toward Republican candidates like Mitt Romney and Rick PerryBy Siddiq Mohammed.Barack Obama promised hope and change when he was elected president almost three years ago. But given the troubled economy and high unemployment, many Americans are wondering if the president will ever live up to the hype. “Yes, in 2008 I supported Obama,” says recent CCNY graduate Yan Kaner, 22 “He promised so much to the public, and that is the reason why I voted for him. Now that's a different story. As time goes by I get more unhappy. He promised so much but has done so little.”Like Kaner, many young people feel like Obama has let them down, and some are turning to other possible candidates for president. Republican candidates like Mitt Romney, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul are gaining traction.According to a recent poll conducted by ABC, when asked who they would support in a general election Mitt Romney or Barack Obama, voters choose Romney 49 to 45 percent. When the same poll pitted Obama and Perry, respondents chose Perry 47 to 46 percent.There is no telling who will be on the Republican slate or who these same people will actually choose in 2012, but as Perry, Romney and the other candidates duke it out in a series of Republican debates, Obama’s supporters are worried. “I tell you if a Republican gets in and wins in 2012 it will be more depressing that when Nixon got elected,” says MCA professor Susan Yule.Former CCNY student Daniel Lynch also supports Obama, but not staunchly. “If Romney and Obama go toe-to-toe and Romney has a legitimate vice president, I'll have to do some soul-searching,” says Lynch, 25. “I'm a huge fan of Romney's No Capital Gains, Dividend and Interest tax for those making under $200,000 a year,” he adds.  “It's a legitimate redistribution of wealth that tackles income inequality while insuring that only the most proactive and deserving of the lower class get pulled up.”Students especially are paying close attention to the upcoming 2012 elections, as their employment futures rest upon job creation. Yasser Toruno is one of them. But he’s not pleased with either Obama or any of the Republicans. “I feel like I am the average middle class American being manhandled,” says Toruno.He can rest assured that he is not the only one who feels that way; apparently, a good majority of people agree.