Category: Top Stories

Watch the Last Presidential Debate Live

George Mason University will be holding a debate watch party for the third and last presidential debate. The event start at 8 p.m. in the Johnson Center Atrium with a live panel of three speakers and will be followed by CSPAN coverage of the debate at 9 p.m.

The panel’s speakers will be Bassam Haddad, Director of the Middle East Studies Program, Rutledge Dennis, Professor Sociology and Anthropology, and Kmt Shockley, Professor of Educational Transformation.

During the debate, Mason Votes will be hosting a Live Blog, an interactive forum to express views about the debate as it happens. All are invited to participate.

Presidential Candidate Ralph Nader Coming Sunday

Mason Watches McCain, Obama Debate for Second Time

Presidential Candidates John McCain and Barack Obama participated in their second debate tonight at Belmont University in Nashville, TN. George Mason University students and staff gathered in the Johnson Center Atrium to watch the much anticipated meeting. Both candidates’ campaigns had promised to take off the gloves for this debate, a promise that seemed to go unfulfilled.

Mason Votes Live Blog participants rated McCain as tonight’s winner. To agree or disagree with this analysis, vote in the Mason Votes Poll on the right hand side of this site.

See the Live Blog.
Photos of the event

Tonight’s Presidential Debate to Be Aggressive

Tonight’s presidential debate is expected to be much more pointed than its predecessor. When asked recently when he was going to take off the gloves, Presidential Candidate John McCain answered, “How about Tuesday night?” And today, David Axelrod was reported by CNN as saying that Presidential Candidate Barack Obama is “prepared for a very aggressive debate.”

The debate, which begins at 9 p.m., will be shown in the Johnson Center Atrium. A pre-debate panel discussion featuring Mason Votes’ Aram Zucker-Scharff will begin at 8:30 p.m. During the debate, participate in Mason Votes’ interactive live blog.

Last Day to Register to Vote

Today, the last day to register to vote, over 100 students have registered or updated their registration on campus. Registration volunteers from Presidential Nominee Barack Obama’s campaign have been on campus everyday for weeks. According to those volunteers, students have been surrounding their registration table all morning; some have been experiencing problems contacting the Virginia State Board of Elections and came to the Obama volunteers instead.

Registered residential students who do not want to travel to their home polling center have the option of reregistering with their campus address or applying for an absentee ballot. Both application forms must be submitted by today.

“I knew that today was the last day to register. I had been contemplating whether to vote absentee ballot or reregister,” said freshman Ed Bennett. After discussing the options with his Father, Bennett decided to reregister today using his on campus address.

All voter registration forms must be postmarked today. Registration volunteers will be outside the Johnson Center until 4:30 p.m.

Johnson Center Full for VP Debate Watch

The Johnson Center Atrium was full Thursday night as students closely watched the live vice-presidential debate. Senator Joe Biden of Delaware and Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska crossed swords on issues such as the economy, international affairs, the role of the vice president and their readiness to lead.

Going into the debate, both candidates needed to overcome negative public perceptions. The bar had been set low for Palin due to recent interview gaffs and Biden needed to overcome an image of being condescending and rash.

“I expected Palin to make an a** of herself and she delivered,” sophomore Nicole MacCracken said.

Josh St. Louis, the second vice-chair of the College Republicans, agreed that Palin’s abilities had been in question. “I was really nervous coming into this debate especially because of the recent ABC, CBS interviews and the fact that Joe Biden is a beast.” But immediately after closing statements were made, St. Louis said, “I saw two things. . .Vice President Palin and Citizen Biden.”

During the debate, the crowed of almost 200, commented constantly on the debating politicians, cheering and clapping when agreeable comments where made. “I’m definitely reassured that John McCain made the right decision in picking her. You can tell by her closing remarks where she quoted Ronald Reagan, she’s ready to lead,” said freshman Vinny Prinzivalli.

Whether students liked or disliked Palin, after the debate most discussions revolved around her. “Honestly, I had a hard time focusing on [Biden] anytime [Palin] was on the screen,” said Tierney Kaine, a senior English major and Mason Votes official Blogger.

This was the first and only vice-presidential debate. The next presidential debate will be next Tuesday, Oct. 7.

VP Debate Watch Tonight

Student’s Semester Abroad Ignites Desire to Vote

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

Student Leaders at George Mason Disagree About Election

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.

Bush’s Law: The Remaking of American Justice

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.