Eighteen-Year-Old College Student is the Voice for Young Conservatives

Brooklyn-born and raised Joe Silverstein is not your typical indecisive incoming college student. Not by a long shot.

Silverstein has a mission and he’s found a way to reach his target audience. He recently launched his own radio talk show on AM970 The Answer, as the voice for conservative youths in New York and across the country.

And that’s not all, the recent high school graduate has accomplished a great deal at such a young age. He’s also the author of a self-published book, “Our America: Confronting the Nation’s 21st Century Problems,” that was a bestseller on Amazon.

Silverstein has lofty aspirations and hopes his radio show will make a difference. “I hope to serve as a unique voice for the youth and use this platform to improve our society,” Silverstein said. “This country needs to change its course now. Our politicians have failed us far too often for far too long.”

When asked what influenced him to want to be the voice of conservative youth, Silverstein told this paper, “I don’t really think my parents influenced me politically. My mother is a registered independent. Both of my parents are Republican-leaning, but I think it was the principles of the party that attracted me most.

“In terms of an economic perspective, I think that low taxes generate economic growth,” he went on. “And even now that I’m starting to work and have a summer job, I look at my paycheck and can’t believe the amount of money that’s taken out for taxes. And then you see what the government spends it on.”

Silverstein attended P.S. 163 in Brooklyn before his family moved from Bensonhurst to Staten Island when he was 10 years old. The Tottenville High School graduate is looking forward to entering St. John’s University in September.

He served as a former intern at the Staten Island Borough President’s Office and was a former youth volunteer coordinator for New York City Minority Whip Joe Borelli’s re-election campaign.

Additionally, he served as student organization president of his high school.

Silverstein lists the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. as one of the figures who has inspired him. “He’s somebody who saw that change needed to happen and he helped create that change so I would definitely say that Martin Luther King was an inspiration,” he said.

The Joe Silverstein Show, which debuted on Sunday, July 29 at 9 p.m., features conversations with prominent leaders, both local and national. In addition, entertainers, other radio show hosts and influential people will be featured guests his show.

The debut program included an interview with Staten Island Community Council President and New York State Assembly candidate Mike Reilly. The Aug. 5 show featured an interview with UFC fighter Jimmie Rivera, currently the #5 ranked bantamweight in the world.

Silverstein hopes to tackle a number of different topics on his radio show including political hot button issues like taxation, President Trump’s Supreme Court Nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh and Supreme Court decisions.

“We talk about a recent decision that was made regarding unions and how it’s not mandated anymore to be a part of a union,” he said. “There are both the positives and negatives to that. I think the Supreme Court is always an interesting topic.”

He also offers praise for Kavanaugh. “I think he’s a very good nominee,” Silverstein said. “I also like him because although he definitely leans conservative, I think he’s still very objective and unbiased in his interpretation of the law.”

Silverstein views the radio show as a platform that allows him to share his opinions with his listeners. “I think I’m in a unique position – not just as a Republican and not just a young person – it’s a young Republican voice, and we don’t necessarily have the loudest voice in the room,” he noted.

His dream guests might not surprise you. “I would love to have President Trump obviously,” remarked Silverstein. “I don’t know if that’s going to happen, but I would certainly love to have him on. I would also love to have (Trump’s former Communications Director) Anthony Scaramucci as a guest, which is a little more realistic. I would like to have (former New York Mayor and Trump’s current counsel) Rudy Giuliani as a guest. I think it would also be great to have (Democratic U.S. Congressional candidate) Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez because I disagree with her and I think it would be a good debate to have.”

He also hopes to schedule local politicians like U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan, Staten Island Borough President James Oddo and state Sen. Marty Golden.

Silverstein said that his immediate goal is to excel in college and continue working on his radio show. But as for future plans, he said he would not rule out running for office.

A recent Instagram poll among Silverstein’s 2,000 followers asked ‘Who would you vote for, Joe Silverstein or Mayor de Blasio,’ and the result was 86 percent Silverstein to 14 percent de Blasio.

Silverstein is happy with those odds and thinks they might bode well for his future endeavors.

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