President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney have answered countless questions about the economy and health care, but they were faced with questions about heartbreak and embarrassment on Monday night’s “Kids Pick the President” Nickelodeon program.
Nickelodeon filmed adolescents asking questions of the Democrat and Republican presidential nominees through the beginning of August, and on Monday night, they got their answers.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney declined to participate, so the program used clips from his speeches and talks and a short biography of Romney, alongside President Barack Obama’s answers.
Linda Ellerbee, “Nick News” veteran and host of the program, told The Associated Press that by participating, candidates “show respect for kids.”
Voting results from the website have correctly predicted the results of the presidential race five out of six times.
Questions posed by participants to Obama included whether his heart had ever been broken—it has; what helps him decide between right and wrong—the golden rule; and what his most recent embarrassing moment was — walking out of an event before he was supposed to leave.
“Michelle [Obama] thought I was an idiot,” the president said about his embarrassing moment.
Both candidates answered questions on their policies on immigration, same-sex marriage and gun control.
The clips of Romney showed him saying the border between the United States and Mexico should have more patrols, marriage is “between a man and a woman” and laws that restrict guns hinder the rights of sportsmen.
Obama said he wants to continue the tradition of immigration that “makes us stronger, not weaker,” the United States should legalize same-sex marriage and the nation does not need weapons that are designed for soldiers on the streets.
Teens gave many reasons to vote for both Obama and Romney.
Those who would vote for Romney said it’s because he believes in smaller government, he is trustworthy and he is a family man. Those who would vote for Obama said it’s because he has integrity, he supports green energy and he brings greater unity to the country.
One of the program’s goals is to get young people involved in the voting process at a early age, an experience some University students say they didn’t have.
Electrical engineering senior Matthew Loupe said when he was in eighth grade, his teacher talked about the election in class, but he wasn’t interested.
Anthropology junior Haley Kennedy said she didn’t start caring about voting until she moved away from home to go to college.
“My parents weren’t really into it, so I never was,” Kennedy said.
Associate professor of political science David Sobek said he was always interested in politics as a child.
“That might be why I have this job,” he said.
Sobek said it’s important for as many people to vote as possible. He said introducing children to the political process early on improves voting literacy.
But he also has a 6-year-old daughter, and he said there aren’t many details about politics he can go into with a first-grader.
“We talk about it, and I answer her questions,” Sobek said.
Online, child-accessible polls for the presidential election opened on Nickelodeon’s website last night and will last until Oct. 22.
