Category: Featured News
Tonight, students are invited to watch history made live! Mason Votes is co-sponsoring a Democratic National Convention watch party where students can see Illinois Senator Barack Obama become the first African American in U.S. History to be nominated for president. The watch party begins at 8:30 p.m. and Obama’s acceptance speech is expected at 10 p.m.
Mason Votes will feature video responses to the speech and live blogging from Democratic and Republican students who will also participate in a Mason Votes podcasted interview. Everyone is invited to contribute to the live blog by joining in the discussion.
In an interesting twist, today is also the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. It will mark 45 years since a time it was unimaginable for an African American to safely vote for president let alone run for president.
The Republican National Convention watch party will be held next Thursday, September 4 where students can see Arizona Senator John McCain accept his party’s nomination. Masonvotes.gmu.edu will publish live coverage from that event as well.
Photo by Courtney Erland
Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner gave the Keynote speech last night at the Democratic National Convention in Denver but was overshadowed by New York Senator and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. “Nobody remembers that he spoke never mind he was the keynote speaker,” said Dennis Prager, a conservative talk show host in a post-convention Larry King Live republican response.
Clinton’s stirring speech has potentially laid to rest any question of her support for presumptive presidential nominee Barack Obama and united many of her supporters with the larger Democratic party. Republican pundits are not convinced, though, that she has given him her unfaltering support. “She never quite said that Barack Obama was ready to be President…the issue of leadership is still there” said Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, (R) Texas on Larry King Live. But if Clinton was not successful in persuading viewers that she fully backs Obama, she was unequivocally successful at laying to rest any question of who she does not support. “No way, no how, no McCain!” might be the sound bite of her speech.
“This was a very strong speech” said Kellyanne Conway, Republican strategist, to Larry King. “I think her speech was so good I think some supporters left there scratching their heads wondering why she is part of the team but not part of the ticket.”
The Democratic National Convention continues tomorrow and culminates with Obama’s Democratic presidential nomination acceptance speech on Thursday which will be televised live at a watch party in the Johnson Center Atrium starting at 8:30 p.m.
Mason Votes is the website for everything about the election. We’re here to be your one stop source for all election news and information. Want to register to vote? We can tell you how. Wish you knew some third-party candidates? We have an ever growing list! Want to find other people watching the latest debate? Check our calendar for all the information about election events on-campus.
Not only are we a news source, but we also want to bring in what you are interested in, what you are doing. Mason Learns is an entire section devoted to students and professors dealing with the election in their classrooms. We also look at student blogs and pull the latest things that you have to say about the election.
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