Category: Top Stories

President Obama Campaigns in Woodbridge

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ey3nT8wxYGA&feature=youtu.be[/youtube]

Cover photo by Dakota Cunningham

President Obama made a campaign stop in Woodbridge, Virginia this afternoon where he pitched his vision for the country over the next four years. He spoke to a crowd of 12,000 people (according to Lt. Dave Cooper, Fire Marshal for Prince William County) at G. Richard Pfitzner stadium home of minor league baseball team the Potomac Nationals. This campaign event marks his 42^nd stop in Virginia since taking office. In 2012 alone he has visited the Commonwealth 13 times.

Before taking the podium the supporters heard from a variety of speakers. Starting things off was George Mason University student Christine Gonzales who performed the national anthem. Following Christine was Jill Borak, a Woodbridge resident and member of OFA-Virginia. She told of the struggles and hardships she and her husband faced in the past. She explained to crowd how she believed the president’s policies helped her family through tough economic times. After Jill came Democratic Senator and former Governor of Virginia Mark Warner.

Senator Warner leveled some attacks at the Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney saying, “Romney’s plan is wrong for America”. He also made subtle reference to Mitt Romney’s controversial statement about the 47% of people who pay no federal income tax. He spoke about the progress he has seen during President Obama’s first term. Senator Warner praised the president for his commitment to the brave men and women serving in harms way overseas. He also praised him for keeping his promises to end the war in Iraq and beginning to end the war in Afghanistan. Warner’s most spirited remarks came when he spoke about the meaning of the 2008 election and the importance of this year’s.

President Obama took to the podium with loud cheers and energy from the crowd. He congratulated the Washington Nationals baseball team for bringing playoff baseball to Washington. He made a prediction that the World Series would be a White Sox versus Nationals affair.

The President moved right into the meat of his speech. He said this election is a “choice between two fundamentally different visions for the country”. He continued by criticizing Mr. Romney and Republicans of wanting to continue the practice of “trickle down economics”. The president also made mention of Mr. Romney’s statements about the 47% of Americans who pay no federal income tax saying, “I don’t believe we can get very far with a leader who writes off half the nation as a bunch of victims”.

President Obama said he offers a better plan for the future, one that is “Practical and focuses on creating jobs, growing the middle class, and rebuilding the economy on a stronger foundation”. He broke down his five point plan point by point. First he spoke about exporting more products and outsourcing fewer jobs. His second point focused on controlling more of America’s own energy. The third point focused on education and providing skills the American worker needs to compete in the 21^st century. The fourth point of the president’s plan was reducing the deficit. The fifth and final point focused on national security.

President Obama was victorious in Virginia four years ago. It has become a state his campaign has focused in on and looks to carry in 2012.

This is Shane Smith With Mason Votes reminding you to Be Aware, Get Educated, and VOTE!

You can see President Obama’s remarks in full below:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH2F9agmYgs&feature=g-upl[/youtube]

Kappa Alpha Psi to Host Voter’s Forum

Are you interested in an educational program that provides you with information about voter registration and the upcoming election? If so make sure you go to this upcoming event.

Event: Kritical Konversations: The Voter’s Forum

Sponsored by: Kappa Alpha Psi Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., Student Government, and the LEAD Office

When: Monday, September 24th

Time: 7pm

Location: Johnson Center, Atrium

Description: The Ladies of the Omicron Iota Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the Brothers of the Mu Mu Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Incorporated, the LEAD Office of George Mason, and Student Government present, “Kritical Konversation: A Voter’s Forum!”

Join them for a live panel of speakers discussing various issues surrounding this year’s election, as well as answering any questions you may have about the 2012 Presidential Election, the new Virginia voting laws, and any other questions regarding voting and the elections! They will be having voter registration forms as well as anything else you may need to help you perform your civic duty! Come join them as they countdown to November 6th and discuss the issues!

Have any further questions? Contact any member of OI as well as the Mu Mu Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, incorporated!

POLL: Obama Leads Romney

Photo By| Addy Cameron-Huff

A new national poll just released today shows President Barack Obama leading his republican challenger Mitt Romney. The NBC/Wall Street Journal poll pegged the race for the White House at 50%-45% for the President among likely voters. Among registered voters the poll found the President leading 50%-44%. Both results reveal a two point increase for the President since last months poll. It’s important to note this is the first national poll since both parties national conventions.

Looking closer at the numbers here are some of the main findings of the poll:

42% of those polled believed the economy will get better in the next 12 months. That is the highest number recorded for that poll question in two and a half years according to Chuck Todd of NBC.
When it comes to who was better to handle the economy both President Obama and Mr. Romney were tied at 43%. According to Chuck Todd of NBC. This is the first time Mr. Romney has not led on this question since they began polling the question.
In terms of likability Mr. Romney again for the 13th straight poll has seen a higher unfavorable number than favorable. Of those polled 38% had a positive view of Mr. Romney and 43% had a negative view.
In terms of President Obama’s overall job approval those polled approved 50%-48%.
On his handling of the economy 47% of those polled approve of the job he has done. This is a 3 point increase on this question for the President.

However, it wasn’t all good news for the president. This poll was conducted after the crisis in the Middle East turned up and the president seems to have suffered from it. Last month 54% of those polled approved of his handling of foreign policy. Today’s poll shows the President down to 49% approval and 46% disapproval.

There is very little doubt the economy is still the number one issue on the minds of voters, but with an unstable Middle East foreign policy may take a more prominent roll as an issue this election.

Also worth noting is that this poll was conducted before the release of the secret video tape showing Mr. Romney making what some have called “outrageous” and “insensitive” remarks about the 47% of people who don’t pay income taxes in America.

This poll was conducted between September 12-16. You can see the full results here: http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/i/MSNBC/Sections/A_Politics/_Today_Stories_Teases/September_WSJ_NBC_Poll.pdf

President Obama Speaks with College Press

On August 28^th President Obama embarked on a campaign tour through College’s and University’s across the country. While in Ames,Iowa the President took time to hold his first campus press call of the semester. The president made brief remarks before opening up for questions.

He began his remarks by reaffirming his belief that this election is a choice and that students play a critical role in deciding who the next president will be. He said, “The choice [young people] face could not be bigger or more consequential”. President Obama also addressed the notion that young people are discouraged and therefore won’t turn out with the same enthusiasm as they did in 2008. However, he didn’t believe that to be the case. He was optimistic the youth vote would turn out again this election cycle, because he has seen “the changes they have been able to bring about”. Changes such as a new tax cut that saves families up to $10,000 on their tuition over four years, doubling grant aid for millions of students, urging congress to keep student loan interest rates low and not doubling, ending the discriminatory policy of “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, and passing health care reform making available preventative care to young women.

President Obama has charged the republicans of wanting to keep the youth turn out low saying, “frankly the other side’s strategy is to make young people so discouraged they choose to sit out this election.” He attacked Mr. Romney’s plan to create jobs of proposing another $250,000 tax cut for those making over three million dollars a year. “The fact is we have tried that approach for a decade and it didn’t work”, he said. The president went even further saying, “I refuse to pay for another millionaire’s tax cut by raising taxes on the middle class or cutting financial aid to 10 million students. He described Mr. Romney’s plan as trickle down economics, but characterized his plan as, “middle out and bottom up economics where everybody is getting a fair shot”. The president concluded by framing the choice as he saw it.

In terms of health care the president said, “young people will be able to choose whether we go back to a health care system that lets insurance companies decide who to drop, and when, or whether we are going to move forward with the new health care law that’s already cutting cost, covering more people, and saving lives”. When it came to national security, war, and peace the president saw it as a choice between Mr. Romney not offering a plan on how to bring the war in Afghanistan to a close or his vision being “smart and secure”, and making sure that “veterans are served as well as they have served us”.

National polls continue to show the race for the White House between President Obama and former Governor of Massachusetts Mitt Romney to be tight and within the margin of error. Mitt Romney and his republican allies have just caped off their national convention in Tampa, Florida. The president and the democrats are set to gather in Charlotte, North Carolina. Just as it was for Mitt Romney, President Obama will have to sell the American people on his vision for America. In a close race such as this one it may be the youth vote that swings this election and both campaigns are doing everything they can to appeal to this crucial voting bloc.

*Photo Credit: President Obama @ UNC | Mehlam786,

Eastwood, Rubio, Romney round out the 2012 RNC

The 2012 Republican National Convention finished last night and it did so with a past, present, and future feel.

Leading off the prime time coverage was Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood, who delivered an adlib, improv performance to an empty chair that was supposed to be Barack Obama. Eastwood’s delivery was slow and quirky, but definitely brought the house down in the building. Predictably he allowed the audience to finish his most signature line, “Make my day,” as well as provide a critique of President Obama’s failed promises. The routine, panned by some in the media, did garner a response from the White House as a little after midnight, Obama’s twitter account tweeted a photo of the President’s chair and him in it with the tweet, “This seat’s taken.” Regardless of people’s opinion of the sketch, it seemed to get to the Obama campaign.

Eastwood’s riff led into Florida’s junior Senator, Marco Rubio. He possesses a remarkable story of rags to riches and the American Dream, which he detailed last night. In filling the role of introducing Romney, Rubio harkened to the future by declaring, the “story of our time will be written by Americans who haven’t yet been born. Let’s make sure they write that we did our part.” Rubio surely is the future of the conservative movement, the Republican Party, and possibly of America itself. By nailing this speech in prime time, Rubio is well positioned for any higher office or higher goals in his career. You will hear from this Senator in the years to come.

Rubio then introduced the Republican candidate for President, Mitt Romney. Romney came through the crowd looking somewhat like a Presidential State of the Union speech. He then accepted the nomination and began his acceptance speech. Romney then detailed the lofty promises and rhetoric of four years ago. The dreams and hoped of millions of Americans propelled Barack Obama to the White House. However, that hopeful talk has not translated into action. Romney said those high minded ideals Obama embraced were what America “deserved”. And what they got instead is a shame. He explained it this way, “You know there’s something wrong with the kind of job he’s done as president when the best feeling you had was the day you voted for him.”

Romney went on to his personal story. He revealed intimate details from his father’s life. For example, the fact that everyday he would place a rose on his wife’s bedside table. One day a rose did not appear on the nightstand and that was the day George Romney died. This brought many in the hall to tears. Hearing about Ann Romney’s story and Mitt’s aid and comfort he gave her among many other items, humanized Romney in a way not yet done in either of his Presidential campaigns.

What seemed like the theme of Romney’s speech and moreover his campaign from here on out is summed up in the statement, “President Obama promised to begin to slow the rise of the oceans and heal the planet. MY promise…is to help you and your family.” It was a message of telling Americans that the past four years of mediocrity is not acceptable. America deserves nothing less than the best, and that’s what Mitt Romney can provide as President. Our future is meant to be great. Romney concluded, “That future is out there. It is waiting for us. Our children deserve it, our nation depends upon it, the peace and freedom of the world require it. And with your help we will deliver it.”

UPDATE: Republican National Convention

"Podium" by Tom LeGro, PBS Newsroom

Young Progressives Come Together

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCjjISpixq8[/youtube]

Apathetic, tuned out, disengaged; these are just a few adjectives often associated with the younger generation of Americans. Even as these adjectives persist there is a large group of young Americans who have taken the initiative to organize, mobilize, and make their voices heard. This group of young progressive Americans found themselves gathered together in Washington D.C. for the Campus Progress National Conference.

Campus Progress, part of the Center for American Progress, is a national organization that works with and for young people to promote progressive solutions to key political and social challenges. Attendees at the national conference had the opportunity to hear from policy makers and activist, network, and discuss the issues facing them as young Americans.

Speakers at this year’s conference came from many different backgrounds. Anne Johnson, Director of Campus Progress, politicians like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D) California, Senator Dick Durbin (D) Illinois, and Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz. Administration officials Jack Lew President Obama’s Chief of Staff and Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis also spoke. Young activist like José Antonio Vargas founder of Define American and Zach Wahls who’s passionate speech to Iowa House of Representatives defending what he believed to be his lesbian mothers right to marry, stressed the importance of activism. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka spoke about the importance of labor in America and the values that young progressives and American workers share.

The youth vote was a key constituency for President Obama during the 2008 campaign. He will again need the youth vote energized. The polls continue to show the race for the White House is close, but young progressives activity during this election could be the determining factor.

A Week for the History Books

This week in Washington D.C. was one that won’t soon be forgotten.

The week began with the United States Supreme Court striking down three of the four major provisions of SB 1070 Arizona’s immigration law, while upholding it’s most controversial provision, the so called, “show me your papers” law. The law states that Arizona law enforcement has the right to check the immigration status of anyone they suspect to be in the country illegally. Critics of SB 1070 argue that such a law is or will lead to racial profiling of Hispanics and other minorities. Arizona has one of the highest populations of illegal immigrants in the country, however reports have shown the number of illegal immigrants in the state have fallen dramatically over the past few years. Even though the Supreme court upheld the controversial provision critics of the law were pleased that the court left open the possibility for further hearings on the law if racial profiling results from Arizona’s implementation.

That was only the beginning of what was a busy week in the nations capitol. Another historic moment came Thursday when the House of Representatives voted to hold United States Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress. Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Darrell Issa called for the vote, accusing the Attorney General of deliberately withholding documents relating to the botched operation run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms known as Fast and Furious. The contempt vote marked the first time in United States history that a sitting cabinet member has been held in contempt of Congress. Republicans in the house voted unanimously, with 17 democrats joining them in finding the Attorney General in contempt of Congress. The remaining Democrats, led by the Congressional Black Caucus, staged a walk out as a sign of protest. Many Democrats felt the vote was political for a variety of reasons. Some clamored that the unprecedented move was an attempt embarrass the White House in an election year. Others claimed the contempt vote was payback against the Attorney General, whose Justice Department is challenging a number of voter I.D. laws across the country. Some Republicans even floated the theory that Fast and Furious was an attempt to push what they called the president’s anti-2^nd Amendment agenda.

As historic as the contempt vote was, it paled in comparison to the other notable event that took place Thursday. In the last session of the year the U.S. Supreme Court handed down its decision on the controversial “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”, also referred to in the political lexicon as “Obamacare”. The decision was one that many experienced court watchers were not expecting. The Supreme Court upheld the law by a 5-4 vote. The court upheld a majority of the law including the individual mandate requiring everyone to have health insurance. However, the court did strike down the provision forcing states to expand Medicaid programs. Instead, the Court ruled that states should have the ability to opt-out of the expansion. Four of the five votes came from liberal justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan. It was the fifth and deciding vote that came as a surprise, especially to conservatives. Chief Justice John Roberts, who was appointed to the court by former President George W. Bush in 2005, was the deciding vote. It is worth noting that during his confirmation hearings then Senator Barack Obama voted against his nomination to become Chief Justice. In the end it was Roberts who saved the president’s most notable legislative achievement.

The implications of the health care ruling on the 2012 presidential election are still unknown. It will be interesting to see what political ramifications come from the law being upheld, and the political calculations made by the campaigns over the next five months. The presumptive Republican nominee for president, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, has vowed to “repeal and replace Obamacare,” but President Obama and his re-election campaign have already begun to reiterate how the bill will help all Americans. President Obama has said in the past that much of the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” was based off a similar law Mitt Romney passed as Governor of Massachusetts, especially the individual mandate. As Governor, Romney called the individual mandate “essential for bringing the health care costs down for everyone and getting everyone the health insurance they need.” Nothing is certain in politics, but what we can expect for the next five months until the election is for the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” to be debated vigorously.

Mason Votes Calls 11th District for Connolly

By Christian Smith
9:56 A.M. Nov. 6

Mason Votes is calling Virginia’s 11th congressional district race for Gerry Connolly (D). The Virginia Board of Elections’ unofficial results say that with 100 percent of precincts reporting, Connolly received 111,695 votes, or 49.22 percent, while Keith Fimian (R) had 110,727 votes, or 48.79 percent.

The last word from the Fimian camp came in a statement released Nov. 3 where Tim Edson, Fimian’s campaign manager, wrote, “In an election this close, it is important to take the time to get the result right by seeing the counting and canvassing process through. When that process is complete, Keith
Fimian is confident that he will be declared the winner.”

On Nov. 4 George Burke, a spokesman for Connolly, said, “We are confident of Connolly’s win. We believe that mathematically, there is no chance that a recount (which is just a glorified canvass) can turn it around.”

Once the race is officially called the the Board of Elections, Fimian will be entitled to request a recount if his vote totals are certified to be within one percent of Connolly’s.

11:30 P.M. Nov. 2
With 98 percent of Virginia’s 11th congressional district’s polls reporting, the race between Gerry Connolly (D) and Keith Fimian (R) is too close to call. As of 11:24 p.m., Connolly had 108,572 votes to Fimian’s 107,660 votes, according to The Washington Post.

This election has been watched around the nation because of the candidates’ history. Fimain lost to Connolly in the 2008 U.S. House of Representatives race but has been fighting back essentially ever since. Then, Connolly won with 54 percent of the vote to Fimian’s 43 percent, a divide that is only distant memory now.

At 11:15 p.m. Connolly addressed his supporters and gave a speech seemingly claiming victory. But with over 26,000 absentee ballots still being counted tonight, victory is far from either candidate’s grasp.