Guy Benson, a radio talk-show personality, shared his opinions on the prospects of conservative youth Monday night to a crowd of 30 students and community members.Initially the event, hosted by Northwestern College Republicans, was supposed to be a joint discussion with Mary Katharine Ham, a conservative blogger, but she was called on a trip to Iraq and could not make the event, College Republican leadership said.

Benson’s speech, titled “The Obama Generation: Lost to Liberalism?” highlighted the possibility of a sustained conservative force in the age group between 18 and 29 years old. Benson (Medill ’07) discussed the hidden conservative trends among the youth that seem to oppose the idea of a Obama generation in which young constituents have forever moved to the left.

“Guy Benson is an NU alumnus, and we always like to support a fellow Wildcat,” said Weinberg junior Brittany Bull, president of College Republicans. “We believe that Guy Benson, being from the same generation as us, would be someone that Northwestern students could relate to, and he can send a very relevant message to us and carry on a conversation at the same level.”

Benson highlighted specific poll reports that suggested young Obama supports had moved toward more conservative legislation and candidates, citing the elections of conservative leadership in Virginia and Massachusetts as examples.

Audience members said they agreed with many of Benson’s points, and several audience members shared their opinions on health care and the importance of the younger generation in the upcoming election.

“His speech was really targeted toward a college audience in a good way,” said Leif Foged, a McCormick freshman.

Bull said she found his speech influential in changing her opinion on the prospect of conservatism among youths.

“I had a much more pessimistic viewpoint like Mary Katharine Ham did, so hearing the statistics that Guy Benson shared made me much more optimistic about the future of the conservative movement in America,” Bull said.

Benson also provided some advice to young conservatives who wished to get more involved on campus and express their opinions.

“As trite as it sounds young voters, young Americans are the future, and we need to understand what policies today will inflict upon us a decade from now,” Benson said. “Sometimes it’s difficult to have this perspective, and I think its important to talk about these things and to have a thoughtful interaction.”[email protected]