Wanted: Active leadership for Gen Y

In your most recent post, Wes, you ask me if I "blame young people" for their lack of enthusiasm in the electoral process, particularly given the nation's ever partisan and polarized politics (and what is almost sure to be a nasty general election campaign).

Even under those circumstances, it's inexcusable whenever young people refuse to empower themselves. I think the civics recession is devastating the body politic, even if today's generation is participating just as sparsely as ones before it.

Last presidential campaign, I reported on efforts to create a youth convention to specifically address young people's concerns. That never happened in earnest. And, moreover, it never garnered the public scrutiny it warranted. Perhaps, Gen Y will revitalize such efforts soon.

Let me pose my two-part question to you, Wes: Besides a Paul candidacy, how can young people channel their energies constructively in the run-up to November? (Slate explains here why Paul appeals to twentysomething men.)

What vehicles, be it in journalism or public policy, should be employed to encourage eligible young voters to register and to vote this cycle? One matter with which we are sure to grapple here is reform to this fall's commissioned presidential debates to ensure they are far more dynamic and interactive than they have been in recent years.