by Allison Henry – UPI

George Mason University senior, Jillian Young, spent most of her life avoiding politics, despite her families’ strong conservative roots. “Growing up, I never had any interest in politics or presidential elections,” said Young. However, at age 21, her views changed after spending a semester abroad.

In 2007, Young decided to take advantage of George Mason’s study aboard program and pursued her dream of studying in London. While there she was surprised by some Europeans’ anti-American attitudes. On several occasions, strangers approached her and outwardly expressed their frustrations with President Bush and the war in Iraq.

“Studying in London sparked my interest in American politics and made me realize the importance of my own voting responsibility,” she said. “I experienced firsthand the magnitude of the American government’s impact globally on both political and social levels.” While abroad, Young spent time expanding her knowledge of American politics by reading online news reports and joining political social networking groups.

Reflecting on her experience in London, Young remarked, “Being an American student abroad ignited my own sense of national pride.” Young’s experience abroad inspired her to vote in the upcoming 2008 elections. Although she is undecided on her candidate she plans to put political parties aside and vote for the candidate who will best represent America’s interests nationally and internationally.

She identifies with U.S. Sen. Barack Obama’s statement, “The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats, Republicans, or Independents, but they have fought together, and bled together, and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a red America or a blue America; they have served the United States of America.”

Her older brother recently returned from serving his fourth tour of duty in Iraq. “It pains me to think that my brother has risked his life to protect and serve our county while others fight to discredit the war,” she said. “Regardless of one’s political views, I believe it is vital for American’s to unite in supporting the millions of American’s serving our nation.”

Young says she would like to see the war come to an end, however; not at the expense of her brother’s safety or those he served with overseas. “The last thing I want is to see is the look on my parent’s faces if he is sent back to Iraq,” she said. Young hopes the next elected president will restore America’s pride and global image.

Currently, Young is focused on completing her final year of college and hopes to move back to London for graduate school. Young said she is blessed to study at Mason, because it allows her to interact with other international students and gain a greater global understanding. She hopes by moving abroad she can help break down anti-American stereotypes and represent the America her brother has fought so hard to uphold.

From: The Voice of Young Voters

Posted on October 2nd, 2008 by Aram Zucker-Scharff
Filed under: Mason Learns | No Comments »

UPI: By Katie Zohorsky, Voice of Young Voters

Many adults have a sense that young people don’t care about politics or that they don’t believe voting is important. Two young women at George Mason University have a very deep passion for politics and what they believe is right for America. Though these women have drastically different views, they are both actively participating in this election process.

Valerie Bachelor, 23, is a 2007 George Mason graduate, and now she is involved in a completely different scene. “My classes at Mason gave me the historical and theoretical foundation I needed to put my work in politics into perspective,” Bachelor said. “Before college all I thought was that the Democratic Party was right and the Republican Party was wrong. As a college student, I discovered the pros and cons of both. This allowed me to solidify my Democratic beliefs and guide my career in politics.”

Shannen Cleveland, 19, a sophomore at George Mason, came to college with her political beliefs already firmly in place. “I have been a Republican, or had Republican ideals for as long as I can remember because that was the way I was brought up, but I started to identify strongly with the Republican Party about four years ago,” said Cleveland. “That’s also when I began researching candidates for elections.”

While Cleveland researched Republican beliefs and candidates on her own, Bachelor opted to get involved on campus. “The political activities I took part in, such as being on the executive board of the GMU College Democrats and working on a gubernatorial race in 2005, have shaped the networks I am a part of as a professional in D.C.,” said Bachelor.

Bachelor’s passion for politics recently took her to Denver for the Democratic National Convention. She attended as part of the Women’s Information Network, a networking organization for progressive, pro-choice women. “I knew I would have many more opportunities to be involved if I went to Denver. So I took a chance and booked my flight,” she said.

Cleveland attended the McCain-Palin rally on Sept. 8 in Fairfax, Va. “I skipped class to go to this rally because I thought that it was very important to be there,” she said. “After all, it’s history!

“The rally itself was an amazing experience,” she said excitedly. “First, they had a couple speakers tell the audience that they were Democrats, but because of McCain’s plans for when he’s in office, they are now going to vote for a Republican candidate in this election.” When Sen. John McCain and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin took the stage, she said, their speeches were just shortened versions of the speeches they gave at the Republican National Convention. “I thought that they did an excellent job at boosting the audiences’ confidence in the Republican candidates even more than it already was.”

Bachelor’s trip to Denver also made a big impact on her. As a former Hillary Clinton supporter, Bachelor is now supportive of Barack Obama. “I was really mesmerized by his speech,” she said. “I really think I needed to be there to realize that Obama is the guy.”

Bachelor also explained that the convention made her feel even more strongly that the country is ready for change. “We need a leader that understands how hard it is for working families these days,” she said. “He represents the change that is brewing in America as a whole whether you talk about healthcare, the economy, the environment or foreign policy. America needs a change after eight years of President Bush’s policies.”

While Bachelor seems to be mainly concerned with the economy, Cleveland has a different concern. “I believe that this election is extremely important with the country in war,” Cleveland said. “We are electing into office a new commander in chief who is ultimately responsible for making decisions that could be good or detrimental to this country.

“I am very glad I was able to see them speak, and the rally was very exciting to me,” Cleveland concluded. “I cannot wait for the election coming up in November!”

“For the first time ever in American political history a female and a minority have come out on top during the primary of a major political party,” said Bachelor. “This election has already changed American history.”

From: The Voice of Young Voters

Posted on October 2nd, 2008 by Aram Zucker-Scharff
Filed under: Mason Learns, Mason Votes | No Comments »

By Bridget Wagner, UPI

The newly elected members of George Mason University’s executive branch both agree that change is needed in the White House, but they disagree on what changes.

Student Body President Zack Golden of Virginia Beach, Va., and Vice President Claire Forman of Bowling Green, Ky., were elected in the spring of 2008 on the same ticket, yet they have very different opinions about the election. Both have made their decisions on who to vote for.

Golden will vote for Barack Obama because he is ready for change and he likes what the U.S. senator has to offer.

Forman is disappointed with the choices that were presented on both sides. She has decided to vote for Bob Barr, who is the Libertarian Party candidate.

Golden and Forman are among young voters who may have a large impact on the election. According to CNN exit polls, the number of voters ages 18 to 29 who voted in the 2008 presidential primaries and caucuses increased in every state. Altogether, turnout increased 109 percent compared with previous elections.

Golden, a senior at George Mason, is majoring in government and international affairs. “We will see more people our age voting,” he said. “It has been a while since we have seen two candidates in their 40s. We can relate to them better.”

Forman, also a senior who is majoring in global affairs and Latin studies, believes that the presidential nominees are lacking. “Individuals have come out of the woodwork to give better options. It is not enough to change the course the country is on. (It is) closer, but not quite there.”

Although Forman is unhappy with the candidates, Golden has an idea of what an ideal president should be. “Candidates have to be intellectual and have courage to ask questions (and) to challenge assumptions. They need to be able rely on their staff to have critical thinking abilities to make informed decisions,” he said.

The most critical issue of the upcoming election for Forman is American foreign policy. “The candidates consider foreign policy to be the situation in Iraq and nothing more,” Forman said. “Global opinion has been damaged in the last eight years. The next four years should be about damage control,” stated Forman. “The candidates are making considerable effort, but it is not enough.”

The most important issue for Golden is education. He says college should be more affordable, the loan process should be simplified, and more subsidized loans should be added. But these issues are not high on the priority list for candidates.

“The candidates do not discuss higher education, they discuss the bread-and-butter topics such as the war and gas prices,” Golden said.

With six weeks left until the election, there is sure to be more disagreement by the candidates as they try to gain control of the White House.

Posted on October 2nd, 2008 by Aram Zucker-Scharff
Filed under: Mason Learns | No Comments »

1:30 pm
Wednesday, October 1

Johnson Center, Cinema

Abortion has been a deeply divisive national issue since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, pitting pro-life against pro-choice citizens. Mason Votes is proud to present Lake of Fire, a definitive documentary covering both sides of the abortion issue. The movie will be shown in the Johnson Center Cinema on Wednesday, Oct. 1 at 1:30 p.m. 

Tony Kaye directed this film and spent fifteen years gathering information, shooting interviews, and compiling footage for Lake of Fire. He was the director of other politically charged films, such as American History X. A warning to viewers, there are multiple graphic scenes in the film.

Posted on September 30th, 2008 by Christian Yingling
Filed under: Mason Votes | No Comments »

Virginia, as one of the original 13 colonies, has had a long history when it comes to presidential elections.

At its peak, 1792, Virginia controlled 15.9 percent of the nation’s total electoral votes. With a count of 25 electoral votes, Virginia had more than any other single state.

From the formation of the modern Democratic Party in 1828 until 1856, Virginia’s declining number of electoral votes went blue. Then in 1860, Virginia voted for John Bell of the Constitutional Union party. That would be the last time the state would vote for a US president until 1872. During that time, the commonwealth was embroiled in the Civil War.

After the war, the race was between Ulysses S. Grant, general, and Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune. In 1872, Virginia, now with 11 electoral votes, down from a Pre-Civil War count of 15, fell to Grant, a Republican, who solidly beat out Greeley’s self-formed Liberal Republican Party.

For the next 13 elections, Virginia was once again a Democratic mainstay. However, in 1928, the Republican candidate from California, Herbert Hoover, won Virginia along with 58.2 percent of the popular vote. The state would fall from 12 to 11 electoral votes. It would be another 24 years before Virginia voted Republican again.

In 1952, Virginia, now back at 12 electoral votes, hitched itself to a winner, America’s star general Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower, a Republican. For the next 56 years, except for a flirtation that helped Democrat Lyndon “LBJ” Johnson win the 1964 election, Virginia fell solidly in the corner of the Republican Party.

Since 1992, Virginia has had 13 electoral votes, and in 7 out of the last 10 elections Virginia has been on the winning side.

In the 2004 presidential election, 54 percent of Virginia voted Republican, for George W. Bush. However, this election, it seems that nothing is certain. Three out of the four major polls list Barack Obama ahead in Virginia, but none by more then 5 percentage points, with the greatest estimate of Obama’s lead being 50 percent, in a Sept. 29th poll. NBC’s latest poll, from Sept. 25th, gives a 3 point lead to John McCain and none of the polls are definitive, with a significant enough percentage of swing voters to move the state to McCain’s column in all but the two Rasmussen polls.

This year may mark the end of a trend of almost a half-century of a red Virginia, but at this point, nothing is certain. As the race continues, one thing is sure, Virginia’s status as a battleground state in this election makes it a valuable prize for either side, be sure to expect plenty of courting.

Posted on September 29th, 2008 by Aram Zucker-Scharff
Filed under: Mason Learns, Top Stories | No Comments »

The American Economy is officially in the toilet.

And now, finally, it appears that a decent amount of people have begun to realize that Sarah Palin is completely and utterly inept — and if you read the last two paragraphs of Jonathan Martin’s blog on the Politico, she may be more inept than some of us originally thought.

Jack Cafferty, CNN’s own Maverick, has even asked “Should McCain ask Sarah Palin to step aside?”

Oh, and to make McCain’s life easier, most people — right or wrong — are blaming the Bush White House and the Republican party for the economy’s woes. On the recent vote, Noah Millman said there were lots of reasons to dislike the bill in question, but that “The GOP alternative proposal was borderline illiterate.”

Ross Douthat has a number of predictions based on the current economic climate (mostly bad for the Republicans), including that “a politician running on a Ron Paul-style economic platform does very, very well in the GOP primaries of 2012.”

Is there anything to be happy about?

Yes. Thursday’s Vice Presidential Debate. Hopefully it will be as painful as it can be with two politicians prone to say all the wrong things. Palin may actually be in a position of strength seeing as many people expect absolutely nothing from her. I’ll still be praying for one more horrid, epic gaffe from Sarah Palin. That will make my year.

And, of course, this.

Posted on September 29th, 2008 by Lars Laing-Peterson
Filed under: Mason Learns, Opinion | No Comments »

By Noah Martin

As part of Fall for the Book, George Mason University hosted Eric Lichtblau, a journalist with the Washington bureau for The New York Times and the 2006 Pulitzer Prize winner for national reporting. Lichtblau spoke about his new book Bush’s Law: The Remaking of American Justice to students and attendees outside of the Johnson Center on Sept. 24.

Lichtblau began his address by drawing a parallel between the White House’s current proposal for a $700 billion bailout package to resuscitate major Wall Street firms and the White House’s passage of the Patriot Act and push for military funding prior to invading Afghanistan in 2001.

In both cases, Lichtblau claimed, President George W. Bush’s administration emphasized the urgency and necessity of the proposals. In the current financial situation, Lichtblau said, the Bush administration is pressuring Congress to pass the $700 billion bailout package without delay in order to avoid a total financial meltdown. The executive branch gained additions to its powers following Sept. 11 through the Patriot Act legislation that it demanded be passed for the sake of national security. The powers were requested so that the White House could act with greater speed and efficacy when making decisions in the nation’s best interest but has since been under criticism for infringement of civil liberties.

“The White House has used a ‘trust us’ mentality that has been dangerous over the past seven years,” Lichtblau said. “The go it alone mentality has been its Achilles’ heel… Where the White House really went too far, to its own detriment, was refusing to play ball with the other branches of government.”

Lichtblau’s book traces how the executive branch was able to extend its powers over the past seven years and how that led to the wire tapping program eventually uncovered by the investigative reporting of Lichtblau and fellow New York Times reporter James Risen.

The wire tapping program, initiated by the White House, was a massive data mining operation used to compile profiles of potential terrorists based on a suspect’s country of origin, ethnic and racial profiling, and financial transactions.

The New York Times began investigating when rumors spread that there was dissent in the Bush Administration about issues of surveillance on American citizens. Reporting revealed that there was a revolt in the Department of Justice over the wiretapping program. Many of the lawyers refused to sign off the program, feeling it may be a criminal act to approve the program. The lawyers in the Justice Department were not liberal either, claimed Lichtblau.

“It was a battle between conservatives and even more conservatives,” Lichtblau said.

Lichtblau asserts that when The New York Times went to publish the story about the wire tapping program, members of the White house went to the editors and told them to stop. They said U.S. citizens would die if the Times ran the story and that the program was vital to national security and the pursuit of terrorists.

“I, as a lowly reporter, thought that the story should run,” Lichtblau said. “The administration was doing it without going through the courts, that mechanism had been completely circumvented.”

The story finally ran, on Dec. 16, 2005, 13 months after the presidential election in 2004.

“Journalism regained its footing after a period of complacency following 9/11,” Lichtblau said.

Posted on September 29th, 2008 by Christian Yingling
Filed under: Mason Learns | No Comments »

The film “Lake of Fire” will be shown at Wed, Oct 1, from 1:30pm – 3:30pm at Harris Theater on George Mason University’s Fairfax campus. The film is a 2006 documentary about the issue of abortion, “exploring the issue, the divides the world.” “Lake of Fire” is directed by Tony Kaye, best known for his film “American History X.”

According to The New York Times:

The first thing you should know about the documentary “Lake of Fire” — an unblinking look at the violent fight over abortion in the United States, including those homegrown religious fundamentalists who kill in the name of God — is that it was made in black and white. This is critical. Because the other thing you should know about this fascinating, discomfiting, at times unpleasant, confused and confusing film is that it sets off extremely graphic images of actual abortions against a notorious photograph of a woman who died after an illegal motel room abortion, visuals that are inflammatory if, for the most part, also germane.

From: http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/10/03/movies/03fire.html

Posted on September 28th, 2008 by Aram Zucker-Scharff
Filed under: Mason Learns | 1 Comment »

By Rachael Dickson

Fredericksburg, Virginia-Thousands of Sen. Barack Obama’s supporters cheered him on tonight as he spoke through the pouring rain at University of Mary Washington.

According to UMW student Peter Ceo, a College Democrats member, people started arriving at the event at 10 a.m., nine hours before the Democratic presidential nominee and his vice presidential running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden, arrived.

“The line was well over half a mile long this morning,” Ceo said.

According to The Washington Post, Jay Snipes, chief of the University of Mary Washington police force, estimated that 12,000 people were at the rally and another 14,000 were unable to get in after the United States Secret Service stopped allowing people in around 5 p.m.

The large, diverse and fiercely loyal crowd withstood the afternoon’s high heat and humidity, which left many dehydrated. Though event volunteers passed out water bottles to the densely packed crowd, at least two attendees were observed taken away by emergency medical staff.

Later, when the sky opened up and it began to pour, the audience shielded itself with trash bags, jackets, Obama/Biden signs, blankets and whatever came to hand. Much of the press members took shelter, wrapping expensive cameras in ponchos as they retreated to a tent reserved for the traveling press or ducked under the risers.

Obama’s supporters took the opportunity to dance and sing in the rain to the music pumping out over the loud speakers, a mix of classics such as Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and newer songs such as “Move Along” by the All-American Rejects.

The sun came out and dried out the crowd in time for a few preliminary speakers to give abbreviated speeches before Biden and Obama arrived. Fredericksburg’s state Sen. Edward Houck jazzed up the audience by leading cheers commenting on last night’s first presidential debate.

“Who won the debate last night?” Houck said, smiling at the crowd’s roaring answer of “Obama.” “The difference between Obama and McCain could not have been more obvious.”

He also commented on the importance of registering to vote, saying, “All across America we have the opportunity to reach out and touch the future.”

Raucous cheers greeted Biden and Obama as they walked out on the stage. Biden began the program to cheers of “Joe! Joe!” by talking about the differences between Obama and McCain at the debate.

“Last night McCain’s silence was definite,” Biden said. “You did not hear him say the words middle-class or working class once.”

Biden also criticized McCain’s foreign policy positions in Afghanistan and Iraq.

“We need more than a brave soldier,” Biden said. “We need a wise leader. And that’s Barack Obama.”

Obama cracked a joke to begin his speech.

“I know some of you got a little damp, and I’m deeply sorry,” he said. “Those of you wearing that special outfit, I would like to cover everyone’s dry cleaning bills tonight, but I can’t cause I got to use it on the campaign. So consider it one more modest effort to help the campaign.”

Later on in his speech, as another deluge of rain began, Obama took off his jacket after joking about his own dry-cleaning bills and then proceeded to continue speaking to the crowd for another ten minutes, without cover.

Obama also spoke on the debate, calling McCain “out-of-touch” and saying ““On issue after issue, you heard John McCain make the case for more of the same.”

He also joked about McCain’s use of “change” in recent political advertising by saying “Change is more than a slogan.”

Obama referred to McCain’s lack of mention of the words “middle-class” or “working-class” by saying “In 90 minutes, John McCain had a lot to say about me, but he had nothing to say to you…We need a president who will change the economy so it finally works for your family.”

Obama spoke of the American dream to succeed as well, saying, “In America, our destiny isn’t written for us, it’s written by us.”

After talking for almost half an hour, Obama said good night to the crowd, leaving the stage with Biden. The crowd dispersed quickly, eager to get to their dry cars and dry-cleaning bills.

——————–

You can see Rachael Dickson’s photos of the event on the Mason Votes Flickr stream.

Posted on September 27th, 2008 by Rachael Dickson
Filed under: Mason Votes, Top Stories | No Comments »

By David L Pierce

Over a hundred George Mason University students watched the first televised presidential debate Friday night at a Debate Watch Party in the Johnson Center.

Although the debate was focused on foreign policy, the economy took center stage in the beginning.

Sen. Barack Obama felt optimistic about the governmental bailout plan, but questioned America’s position in the situation. “How did we get into this situation in the first place?” Obama asked.

Sen. John McCain said that corporate greed and lack of responsibility has led the country into the current financial crisis. “We’ve got to start also holding people accountable, and reward people who succeed,” McCain said.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were also major points of discussion in the debate.

Obama said that McCain was wrong in regards to the Iraq war. “You pretend like the war started in 2007,” Obama told McCain “the war started in 2003, and [when it started], you said it was going to be quick and easy.”

McCain said that Obama refused to acknowledge that we are winning in Iraq. He also noted that the former leader of all U.S. troops in Iraq, General David Petraeus, among other officials, believed that Obama’s withdrawal plan was dangerous for America’s national security.

The two presidential candidates disagreed on how to handle threats such as Iran and North Korea.

“[We have a] fundamental difference of opinion,” McCain said in regards to having preconditions before meetings with rulers of threatening countries.

He also said that Obama’s viewpoint of not having preconditions when meeting with officials of countries like Iran was dangerous.

“There’s a difference between preconditions and preparation,” said Obama in response. “Of course we’ve got to do preparations, starting with low-level diplomatic talks.”

Students held mixed opinions about the debate at its conclusion.

Junior James Greenan thought that McCain did a better job in the debate, but missed a few opportunities with his opponent. “[McCain] could’ve pointed out more instances where Obama’s judgment was wrong,” said Greenan.

Freshman Samantha Markey said that both candidates were pretty even in regards to their performance. Junior Kaitlyn Burroughs thought Obama did better than McCain, but expressed concern for the level of discussion. “Both candidates have lots of room to work on,” Burroughs said.

The Debate Watch Party was sponsored by Mason Votes, Cox Communications, C-SPAN and the New Century College.

Read Mason Votes’ live blog of the debate.

Posted on September 27th, 2008 by Aram Zucker-Scharff
Filed under: Mason Votes, Top Stories | No Comments »