It's obvious that anyone who spends $150,000 on clothes is classified as a Diva, but is Sarah Palin--vice presidential nominee--really a diva?!
Sure she wears expensive clothes on the campaign trail, but the vice presidential hopeful says that they are nothing more than a hookup from the RNC. The VP has to be styling and profiling in the latest and most expensive fashion in order to get the respect of conservative America?
So what makes her a diva? One of Sen. John McCain's advisers described Palin as 'going rogue,' while another said "She is a diva. She takes no advice from anyone."
I wouldn't either if the advice I've been given only pushed me further away from the White House. So I guess it's wrong to go off script?! Other than it possibly hurting a candidate's campaign, that's not a bad thing. I think it's more important that we know what the candidates have to say (in their own words) rather than letting high skilled writers and political science experts speak for them. It would deepen our country in another eight years of disaster if we find out that the candidates only know what they've been scripted on. I think it's good for a candidate to veer off of the script every once and a while. You must defend your territory and what you know in your heart to be true. After all, there's only a few more days to get the message out--their own message that is.
Drop a line and let me know what your definition of a diva is. The media already told us there's.
The sad fact of every election is drop off. No, it's not that disease that happens when your arm falls off. Drop off is when people only vote in the presidential race, ignoring everything else on the ballot. Many people each election either don't know who the other candidates and propositions are, or don't feel they are educated enough to make a decision.
This has to stop. What good is it to only focus on the presidency and ignore the local issues and politicians who have a day-to-day impact on your life? So some folks at the ACLU Foundation in California have started a non-partisan campaign to connect with young voters and ask them to pledge that they will "go all the way" (no pun intended) on November 4.
This week the ACLU Foundation launched a Facebook Application that I am a big fan of, as well as a website and SMS campaign where people can text their pledges to friends.
The best part is the chance to win a free Nintendo Wii if you recruit tons of people to the application.
"As excited as we all are by the Presidential and Senate races, here in Oregon we have some very important local races, the outcomes of which are likely to have a profound impact on the direction our state takes. Each of your votes is important, and participation becomes critical the further “down” the ballot you look."
At their website Whole Ballot, anyone from any state can sign up to pledge to vote the whole ballot online.
The same is true for the League of Conservation Voters in Oregon who published this recent video assuming success for Obama and reminding voters that the new president will need "a team behind him":
Also, in a poem to young voters, vlogger Jay Smooth recently admonished folks against getting overwhelmed by the pre-election excitement, only to drop the ball on election day:
I assume that ya'll know what you're doing because you read Wiretap. Therefore, you should pledge today! Friends don't let friends drop off.
Historically black Florida A&M University hosted a non-partisan march to the capital for early voting on Monday.
The campus gathered early that morning to began the 1.5 mile walk to the Tallahassee capital.
The event displayed a high level of youth involvement, and proved that the youth vote and the youth voice is important in this election season. The march on Wanish Street to the Capital would not have been a success without the dedication of youth from Florida State University, Tallahassee Community College and Florida A&M University.
The walk empowered the youth movement and gave hope to many unsure registered voters. Once more, the three campuses marched together to make an historic event happen in the Capital city that never had youth dominate the polls.
Unity+Voting=Change in our nation. Well, at least in my formula book. lol
To all college campuses, I encourage a similar movement that would inspire youth to team up and go to the polls together. No matter who you vote for, your vote is important. Neither candidate can win without your help.
Feel free leave a comment about what you and your campus is doing during the early election period.
Students face HUGE obstacles when Voting and Registering
This morning Matthew Segal from the Student Association for Voter Empowerment" was on CNN talking about some of the challenges Students face and the rights that need to be protected for young voters. He also addresses the atrocious actions by the County Clerk in Virginia and El Paso, Colorado who attempted to disenfranchise students, and fliers that are geared to suppress the youth vote.
Can you feel excitement? It’s the forth quarter and the pace of the game is now feverish. I can’t go in to a restaurant or bar with out overhearing heated debates about the election. Men and woman screaming at each other over appetizers and beers trying to convince the opposition of their candidates supremacy while trying not choke on their food. Looking back on this knock down, drag out election season -- at times it felt like it would never end. The twists and turns were many the journeys, unprecedented. But now the finish line is in sight. The Bible says the journey is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong but he who endure, and John McCain and Barack Obama have done just that. Endured and rose to the top, but just like the Highlander, there can only be one. A lot of people in this country are looking for some help, for a pinch of light in the darkness, just enough light to see one foot step in front of the other. And I hope one of theses men can provide that light. They both have promised a lot of things that seem close to impossible. So, some level of a let down should be expected. But how big? Which one of theses guys can stick to his guns enough to make the ‘Change’ we have heard soooooo much about in this election cycle? We can afford to get this one wrong America; we have a lot to think about. DonnY-
As I am watching the Debate, along side undecided Voters, the students are realizing that this debate has become a game of who blames each other better!!! As some of the students laugh because of the way the candidates are answering the questions, some of the undecided voters are leaning torward Obama as they see that McCain is "trying real hard to make Obama look rediculous" some debate watchers stated. As we see the Voters watch the last of the Debate they are thinking about who they are going to Vote for! Stay tuned as I ask some of the Northland College Students about the debate and what they thought! Who they are going to vote for and why!
Senator Obama is dancing circles at the polls around Senator McCain, but many of his supporters fear the Bradley effect may leave him dancing to the beat of his own drum.
The Bradley effect is named after, Tom Bradley, a former African-American Los Angeles Mayor who ran for California governor in the ‘80s.
The exit polls showed Bradley was leading by a sizable margin until the reality of politics set him up for a heartbreaking loss to Republican George Deukmejian.
The messed up theory about the Bradley effect was that some Californians, who didn’t want to appear racist, said they voted for Bradley even though they didn’t.
It wasn’t until the election was said and done that people revealed their true color and intentions on misleading the election outcome.
Are the recent poll stats another example of the Bradley effect??? Let me know what you thinking because history does have a tendency of repeating itself.
There could also be an opposite result like the Wilder effect. The Wilder effect was named after Douglass Wilder, a former Virginia governor who led and the polls and still won, but by a one-tenth of a lead. Regardless of the figures, the man still won.
Jim Slattery, candidate for the U.S. Senate in Kansas, unveiled a new $5,000 college tuition tax cut last week.
"Few investments are more important than ensuring every young person who aspires to attend college has the opportunity," Slattery said.
Slattery said the cost of attending college has skyrocketed.
"Tuition at Pittsburg State has increased 75 percent in the last five years," Slattery said.
In order to pay the increased tuition rates, more students are taking out student loans that are difficult to pay back in the current economy.
"Students are becoming increasingly burdened by student loan debt," Slattery said. "On average, a student owes nearly $20,000 when they graduate."
I was honored to receive unvetted access to follow Slattery along on his tour talking with him as well as other students interested in his plan as well as other important issues this election. Slattery spent time answering questions in townhall style meetings as well as a special candidate forum hosted by the popular site 18 in 08.
Last Friday evening, the long running television news show 20/20, headed by Barbara Walters, aired a show titled Maybe It's Your Civic Duty Not to Vote, reported by John Stossel. The piece focuses on a group of young voters who appear to be ill-informed about the going-ons of government and politics and Stossel believes that because they don't know the number of senators in a given state that they should not be allowed to vote. You can see a preview of the video posted here on Yahoo Videos (or to the right).
Thoughts like this are similar to the literacy tests that were requirements in the late 1800's to vote as a means of disenfranchising millions of African American voters. When the Voting Rights Act was passed it made practices like literacy tests, poll taxes, and "good character" were finally declared illegal. It seems Mr. Stossel might like to return to those days.
Featured in the report is the band the Disco Biscuts and the organization HeadCount, which has worked hard to register hundreds of young voters at live music events officially registered. Concert goers were the young people featured as "too stupid to vote." There is now a vibrant discussion on their site where one of the young people featured expresses his displeasure of being quoted out of context:
"Yeah, I got fucked. I'm the second incorrect answer to rowe vs. wade or whatever. I mean let's get serious. I'm a graduating college student who answered all of the question correctly except that one and what state is John McCain from. That shit was slandered as fuck. It was kinda funny seein myself on that shit though. The funnier part is that right after I watched it I asked the like ten people sitting around me if they new what that case was and only one person knew it. Fuck the editor of that clip."
While the piece runs "stupid answers" by voters their focus is all about young people and that they should do their "civic" duty and not vote. The problem with the segment is that it also included older voters who were just as ill-informed. Oops! Seems they lost their thesis.
There are also allegations by a young women in the piece (appearing at 1:20 mins) who answers that there are "12 US Senators." The same woman later says that she she was responding to a question about how many US Supreme Court Justices there are.
According to an interview with Marc Brownstein at HeadCount the reporters went through many people who were giving correct answers. Some were educated on some things and not educated on others, and volunteers, activists, and teachers in the crowd were also those most educated about issues. They didn't make the report. Brownstein also says that his important plug for the non-partisan voter guides HeadCount distributes was cut out of the piece.
John Stossel, by contrast, is a frequent contributor to the conservative blog Townhall.com and a self proclaimed Libertarian. Here is another link, to his own Wikipedia page that has further accounts of other reports he has done where he takes people out of context.
20/20 continues to support the piece and has yet to refute any of these claims. There has also yet to be any statement from Barbara Walters or producer Andrew Sullivan.
However, young folks have responded. The Bus Federation, which organizes groups hosting Trick or Vote this Halloween, has done their own mock voter report:
To express your displeasure to Andrew Sullivan you can contact him at Andrew.G.Sullivan [at] abc [dot] com, and you can also contact Barbara Walters through The View's site here.
The thing that strikes me the most about the debates is how nerve racking it is to sit and wait for someone to put their foot in their mouth. If the first debate was boring and the second one was lackluster, this one was the firestorm we all were waiting for. McCain might have done it when he called Obama "that one" during Tuesday night’s debate! At the time, I didn't think much of it, but as soon as the debate ended the media hopped on the McCain slip and I’m sure they will ride that wave for a while.
These guys have to be so tired. I’m surprised they don’t slip up more often. I know when I’m tired I cannot be held accountable for the things I say. I hope McCain didn’t have any ill intent with his comment, though I’m sure the tape of it will be played over and over! One more debate to go and I got to say: I can’t wait. When theses guys seem to be sick of each other and a bit agitated, it is recipe for great TV!
The nation is under chaos with all the misinformation circulating about voting Nov. 4th.
This election is the most historic and most talked about election of all time. More young people than ever are expected to hit the polls. Well, at least all those who have not been influenced by the hype that if you wear any presidential paraphernalia or if your current address doesn’t match your county’s election headquarters’ database, then you can’t vote.
Let the facts speak for itself. This year fact-checks have become a part of every major media. I think it’s only fair that we get the accurate, latest news on what’s the deal with issues that may or may not hinder eligible voters from voting.
Question 1: If I wear an Obama or McCain shirt, will they turn me away from the polls?
The Word: Many people have received e-mails and Facebook messages stating that if any clothing is worn with political advertisement to the polls it may prevent you from voting.
Fact: There is no federal law stating that a person can or can’t wear paraphernalia to the polling place, however, certain cities have restricted campaign material 50 to 150 feet near a precinct.
Best advice: Call your local supervisor of elections to determine what can or can’t be worn.
Question 2: I recently moved and my address is different than my voter’s registration information. Can I still vote?
The Word: Many states are adopting a law similar to Florida’s “No Match, Not Vote.”
Fact: Not true. Many people believe what e-mails, television and radio announcers are saying. If your driver’s license address and your home address don’t match, you can still vote.
Best Advice: It’s best to make corrections before Nov. 4. If you don’t, you will not be penalized, but it will be very hectic when trying to make those changes at the polls. Precinct changes for most states can be made up until voting days. If your address is different that your voter records, then you will have to vote at the precinct in which you now live.
So that’s the scoop on what’s going on. If you have anything you feel may be misinformation that may prevent people from voting, then drop a line and I’ll be sure to clear it up. I can’t stress how important voting is. Don’t let misinformation deter you from voting. Millions of young people (under 18) dream of voting, but can’t do so. We are their voice and the future voice for a “now” society. Get my gist???? VOTE
Writer Eric Greenberg pulled together the results of over eighteen months of research, polls and focus groups to prove one thing: the Millennial Generation is a force to be reckoned with. Through his new book, and a website, Greenberg is harnessing the thoughts and energy of a younger generation.
GenWe was Greenberg's project to help the Millennial Generation empower itself against much scrutiny. Speaking with US News, he said:
"They are not a 'me' generation; they are the 'we' generation," he says. "They are about the greater good," he adds, noting that they're really jazzed up about the environment and the energy crisis. Armed with his huge study, he's urging both presidential campaigns to focus on one mega-idea the kids endorsed; an Apollo-style approach to the energy crisis."
According to the extensive data in GenWe there are between 95 and 100 million people born between 1978 and 2000, and now more than ever those over 95 million young people are united around the same political issues and visions.
The book also makes the case that Millennials are:
Dedicated to improving the common good over individual gain, a sentiment that crosses all racial, ideological and partisan lines.
Reject fundamental principles of modern conservatism –primary focus on individual rights and trickle down economics.
Welcome innovation and are eager to establish a new. paradigm
Greenberg describes many of the issues our world faces today, such as the climate crisis, are of importance for younger folks. These issues span across parties, races, genders, and location. According to the book, Republicans and democrats agree on these issues 85 percent of the time.
"Youth don't realize they have more in common with each other than anything else," Greenberg said in a phone interview. "They have a balance of power in the world more than anyone else, and collectively have a lot of power globally."
He urges Millennials not to put off these problems until tomorrow.
The presidential election is only the first step. The second step is encapsulated on the website that gives young voters and organizations practical organizing tools, from fifteen minute activism to weekend projects and legislation.
I haven't made my way all the way through the book, but had to write about it because what I have read is exactly the thing we needed to prove to ourselves, major donors, and mainstream media that we are doing important political work.
Today is the last day of September, and in two days the Vice-President Debate will take place in St.Louis, Missouri. I am really excited for this debate as well because its another chapter in the books. Last week I was interviewed by FOX 21 News and they asked me what I was looking forward in this Election and basically why I was going to vote. I told them that no matter what happened in this election I just hope that the president really steps up his game. I want a president that will fight for the people and not against the people. I want a president that will help us save rather than help us spent. I want a president that I can ultimately trust so that I don't hide in emotional distress.
The reporter actually told me to specify my passion for politics, and they found kind of wierd that a 19 year old actually was passionate about politics, and to be honest with you, I never really knew that I was really into politics until September 11 happen. So I explained to her the process of how I got involved in political youth movements and how politics for me is a piece of bread in the morning. I also realized that in my culture, there are not that many of us that are really involved in these movements, because we are scared of judgements.
"It is hard to handle my life right now," I told the reporter, because of the mere reason that I love creating change but it is hard when you have all these policies to follow created by society and or social structure. She could not believe those words were coming out my mouth. Overall the interview went very well. She was so supportive, something I needed.
After this past weekend I could not believe what I had witnessed. And I probably still can't. When I came back to school people were really excited to talk about the debate. It was so great to tell them how it was and what I had witnessed. I told them how I wished my friends were there to witness it with me.
The policies that Obama and McCain disscussed were asked very directly and well. But to be honest it surprised me, and this is from my personal opinion, that they were just blaming each other. That reaction did not just come from me but a lot of the viewers as well. Obama still thinks we are not safe, but now thinks we should send more troops to Afghanistan, and McCain thinks that we should send more troops to Iraq. Well at least that is what I got from it. I know that the debates are going to get better , as it winds up to November 4. But let's see this thursday how it all works out for Joe Biden and Sarah Palin.
