By Max Reibman

I recently read an article in the New York Times Magazine about how more and more young people are attracted to conservative youth organizations on college campuses than ever before. As a young liberal, I wondered why. And who better than Joe Scarborough, one of the foremost conservative leaders in America today, the host of MSNBC’s “Scarborough Country,” and a former Republican Congressmen from Florida’s first congressional district to help me gain perspective. Somewhat to my surprise, Mr. Scarborough agreed to speak with me. Even more to my surprise, he turned out to be very charming and personable. If nothing else, his attractiveness and the attractiveness of other conservatives like him is certainly one explanation as to why so many young people are drawn to conservative organizations.

In recent years, conservative political television shows such as “Scarborough Country” and “The O’Reilly Factor” have permeated the prime time airwaves, creating a political climate among otherwise non-political viewers. This phenomenon is indeed surprising since so many Americans have been indifferent towards politics in general. Scarborough believes that the main reason young people today are attracted to conservatism is simply because of the cyclical nature of American politics. “Young Americans belong to a generation that grew up after the 60’s and the 70’s after the political and social revolution that took place,” said Scarborough. “America is now swinging back towards the center and more towards basic conservative values.” There’s a new generation of Americans who are proud of their country, love their military, and put their faith first “with the basic values that made this country great in the first place.”

But is the cyclical nature of American politics the only reason why so many young people are conservative? That’s unlikely. It is difficult to understand, but many young people seem quite comfortable associating themselves with the aggressive foreign policy of Republicans, with the conservative stance on affirmative action, and with Republican solutions to the poor state of our nation’s economy. “There are stereotypes of young people that don’t necessarily hold,” says Scarborough. “There’s always been the belief on college campuses that all young people are pro-choice or anti-war and I don’t think young voters, any more than old voters, go down neat demographic, ideological lines.”

So perhaps not all young people were liberal to begin with, but what has really caused the anti-establishment to become conservative? Why, all of a sudden, is it cool to be conservative? One reason is that young people associate Democrats with big government and higher taxes while the Republican Party, Scarborough says, “ is more libertarian than conservative” and is less willing to reach “into the pocketbooks” of the American people. Scarborough contends that one event that could have possibly precipitated the change in the political views of young America has to do with the impact that Ronald Reagan had on American politics and American society. “Ronald Reagan revolutionized the way American political thought and debate was conducted,” Scarborough said. Like Ronald Reagan, Scarborough believes, “Conservatives today are optimistic about America, believe America is a great place, believe that we have the greatest form of government in the world - and too many liberals just seem pessimistic to middle America.”

After contemplating the issue for quite some time, it occurred to me that I could name very few friends who protested military intervention in Iraq or who believed that the Republican tax cuts will do more harm than good. Ben Cirlin, a junior at The Dalton School in New York City, is a prime example of a young conservative. Cirlin helped me understand the tidal wave of political change occurring amongst young Americans by pointing to the state of our economy, saying, “I think the fiscal conservativeness exemplified by Republicans is attractive to young people who feel that it’s key to achieving fiscal stability. Young people will most likely have to bare the brunt of balancing our nation’s budget and the Republican method seems like a good alternative to raising taxes, which is what Democrats would do.” Cirlin also shed new light on affirmative action remarking that “it [affirmative action] annoys most young people because as our nation becomes more culturally diverse there is less of a need for affirmative action. And, as our nation grows older, affirmative action will be unnecessary and seem frivolous to most young people.”

Harry Schoenau, a junior at Rye Country Day School in Rye N.Y., echoes Cirlin’s beliefs saying, “The overwhelming majority of young people I know are conservative and their opposition to affirmative action definitely plays a major role in their conservativeness.” Schoenau further opined that “most young people feel safe with the Republicans at the helm” and that young people enjoy our nation’s success in waging the war on terror.

Ricky Bellovin, a sophomore at the more racially diverse Mamaroneck High School in Mamaroneck N.Y., presents a very different opinion. Bellovin believes that young people are impressionable, saying, “Kids don’t really know what’s actually happening but they are influenced by what they see in the media. When young people see glamorous images of our troops in Iraq hailing our President they believe that they should do the same. They are attracted to the Bush administration and the Republican Party.”

Whatever the reason may be, conservatism has exploded onto the college and high school scene and seems as popular among young Americans as N’SYNC was to pre-teen girls. Television shows like Joe Scarborough’s “Scarborough Country” unquestionably augment an interest in politics, especially conservative politics.

And while Scarborough readily admits that Democrats are more fun to hang out with and that they understand pop culture better than Republicans do, he also says it’s no longer the 60’s when Democrats were associated with the excitement of sex, drugs, and rock and roll.

Joe Scarborough, host of “Scarborough Country”