Trailhead

You know Barack Obama’s problem? He doesn’t appeal enough to young people.

Thank goodness, then, that he has the endorsement of Kal Penn, the actor now and forever known to the world as Kumar. As if the campaign hadn’t already secured the 18-24 male demographic by recruiting Scarlett Johansson to campaign for Obama. Now, by signing up Kumar—er, Penn—it's got that group in a stranglehold.

Penn is holding a series of rallies at Emerson College, Boston University, Boston College, and Tufts University before tonight’s Democratic debate, according to the campaign. It’s unclear what he’ll discuss, although presumably most questions will deal with Guantanamo Bay. Specifically, the upcoming Harold and Kumar 2: Escape From Guantanamo Bay . In the film, Harold and Kumar get arrested for smuggling a bong on a plane to Amsterdam and, suspected of terrorism, get sent to Gitmo. Given that Obama has called for the closing of Guantanamo , he and Ku— Penn —have a lot in common.

After his tour, Penn will return to teaching classes on film at the University of Pennsylvania. Yes, Penn teaches at Penn.