Obama for America campaign caused quite a stir on Twitter and Facebook on Friday when the campaign launched its latest fundraising gimmick – asking that those getting married “let [their] friends know how important this election is to you” by registering with Obama 2012, and asking for a donation in lieu of a gift.

Is the campaign serious? Now? At a time when young people are disproportionately affected by Obama economics?

As of 2011, the median age at a first marriage in the United States was 26.5 years, according to a Pew study on marriage. As of 2009, Colorado’s median age at first marriage was 25.7, according to the Population Reference Bureau, which is pretty close to average for the United States.    

In fact a press release by Generation Opportunity, claims that the unemployment among 18-29 year olds is over 12% for the month of May. A different study by Pew showed that just 54 percent of American ages 18 to 24 currently have jobs. According to a Huffington Post article:  

“That's the lowest employment rate for this age group since the government began keeping track in 1948. And it's a sharp drop from the 62 percent who had jobs in 2007 — suggesting the recession is crippling career prospects for a broad swath of young people who were still in high school or college when the downturn began.”  

While Obama has requested that the nation’s hardest hit forego the wedding gifts that often equip newlyweds with the tools needed to start a household, his friend and staffer Valerie Jarrett’s daughter, Laura, was married last weekend, a wedding Obama attended personally. Her registries were available via AmazingRegistry.com, a site that aggregates a couple’s registries into one location. The funny thing…Obama for America was not listed on her registry. 

In fact, the bride and groom registered for some lovely items from Crate and Barrel as well as Williams-Sonoma – including, not a gravy boat, as was referenced by the Obama campaign, but a four-cup gravy separator.

We’re not begrudging the new Mr. and Mrs. Balkissoon the fun and excitement of a wedding registry. It just seems that Obama expects sacrifices from Americans that he and his staff are not willing to make themselves. And, that, friends, is the height of poor taste.