President Barack Obama is scheduled to make an appearance at the G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium in Woodbridge, Virginia on Friday afternoon. Below is the full address of the stadium where the event will take place.
G. Richard Pfitzner Stadium
7 County Complex Court
Woodbridge, VA 22192
The event is open to the public but requires a ticket to attend.
Article By: Nathan Moore
Photo By| Fibonacci Blue
Monday, September 17th marks the one year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. One year ago a small group of protesters poured into the streets of New York to draw attention to income inequality, government corruption, and corporate greed, leading to Occupation movements sprouting up all over the United States and eventually spreading across the entire planet. Although many have questioned Occupy’s impact and have been quick to point to its waning momentum, the Occupy movement accomplished its goal of redirecting the national conversation to focus on issues that have long been excluded from the mainstream political dialogue, such as the worst economic inequality since the Great Depression and the overwhelming and undemocratic force of money in modern politics. On this anniversary it should be remembered that it was the Occupy protesters who delivered the now ubiquitous 1% and 99% slogans to America, pointing to a very real problem that has still not been meaningfully addressed by either the Democrats or Republicans.
Even if the numbers at the protests have dwindled and the initial energy of the Movement has died down there are still important lessons to draw from Occupy; the most pertinent being their reluctance to support a political candidate. Unlike the Tea Party who rallied behind and elected many politicians, Occupy has never endorsed a candidate nor do they intend to in the foreseeable future. Their reluctance to stand behind the Democrats or Republicans points to the very real fact that many American voters are disillusioned with both parties and are now seeking alternatives like the Green Party, Constitution Party, Libertarians, and Socialists. Beyond exploring alternative party politics, Occupy sought to engage people in the political process on a real and human level. Occupy reflected the idea that true Democracy does not always blossom from a vote, but often requires people to take to the streets and rediscover their shared humanity and common struggle. They nurtured the idea that when reform is no longer possible and the system is rigged for the financial elite, the 99% must come together in solidarity to peacefully fight for a better future for all.
The Occupy Movement, which lit a fire in thousands across the country in 2011, suffered a brutal and callous response from authority figures and politicians alike, but it has not disappeared. Recently a magnificent documentary tracing the origins and future of the Occupy Movement entitled American Autumn: An Occudoc spread across the internet, and in D.C. many Occupiers have splintered off into work groups, most notably, Occupy Our Homes DC, a group who fights against unlawful and inhumane home foreclosures. The anniversary of the Occupy Movement will see many teach-ins, marches, rallies, and protests, but whether or not the anniversary draws out as many people as in 2011 is irrelevant. Occupy succeeded in its mission of drawing America’s attention to real problems that still need real solutions. The Occupiers do not believe these solutions will be found among the Democrats and Republicans. They believe the change the country needs will not come from one man or one party, but from the people, practicing real Democracy; Democracy that is not bought with billions of dollars or represented by a single politician, but lived and breathed by the people, the 99%.
*The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
The year 2013 marks the 150th anniversary of the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. To commemorate this event, Mason will hold a watch party of Emancipation Nation: Celebrating Freedom on National Constitution Day, sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Smithsonian Institution and the History Channel. The discussion will be led by University of Richmond President Ed Ayers and feature a panel of top emancipation historians who will discuss thinking about the emancipation experience in new ways.
The watch party will take place in the Meese Conference Room in Mason Hall from 1-3pm.
*Photo By Dakota Cunningham
Republican Vice Presidential candidate Rep. Paul Ryan spoke this morning at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, DC this morning. The gathering is the premiere assembly of social conservatives in the nation. Mason Votes was on hand to cover the speech.
Ryan spoke on a number of topics and they weren’t limited to social issues like abortion or gay marriage. What made headlines was his words on the American embassy attacks this week that left four U.S. workers killed, including the Ambassador to Libya. He said, “We know who we are dealing with in these attacks. They are extremists who operate by violence and intimidation. And the least equivocation or mixed signal only makes them bolder.” He further declared, “American foreign policy needs moral clarity and firmness of purpose.”
Ryan then shifted to a major line of attack on the President’s record regarding the economy. “The Obama agenda failed not because it was stopped, but because it was passed.” He pointed out the amid all the talk of Mitt Romney leaving out certain words or topics from his convention speech, President Obama left out the words ‘unemployment’, ‘record’, and ‘recovery’. Ryan slammed Obama for a failure to keep his promises saying, “If Barack Obama’s promises weren’t good then [2008], what good are they now?”
The main meat of the Ryan address was debunking what he called the President’s “straw man arguments”. He said of Obama, “No one is better at rebuking nonexistent opinions.” On the President’s promise to bring the poverty rate down, Ryan argued that, “After four years…just about every segment of society is worse off.” Ryan also rebuked the line from the DNC that “government is the only thing we all belong to” by saying that during his seven swearing ins to Congress he never swore an oath to the government, he swore it to, “support and defend the Constitution of the United States under which government is limited and people are sovereign.” Ryan also maintained his strong pro-life stance as well as attacking Obama for his support of abortion.
Ryan did have to contend with two separate interruptions from liberal protesters. Each time, Ryan seemed to brush it off and the crowd chanted the protesters down.
Ryan finished by citing that a majority of Americans believe we’re on the wrong path. His solution is to point out “there’s an exit up ahead and it’s marked: November 6, 2012.”
You can watch the full speech HERE.
Photo by|U.S. Department of Labor
Hours before she addressed the Democratic National Convention, First Lady Michelle Obama held a press conference with college students from all around the country. With the election coming up, the First Lady was not shy in her assessment of the role the youth vote will play come November. Naturally this conversation was focused around the issues that are on the minds of every college student across the nation: cost of attendance, and student loans.
The First Lady made sure that each and every person on the call understood that both she and President Obama realized the harsh reality that an education today doesn’t come cheap. As all of us here at George Mason University and other colleges and universities across the country have seen; the price to be educated is not getting any cheaper. She stressed that her and the President have only reached the heights they are at today due to the education they received. It was entirely clear that if re-elected, President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan would continue to make education reform a top priority in bringing America forward. Both the First Lady and President Obama see an education not as a luxury but as an economic necessity. In order to have first class citizens, you first need a first class education.
The numbers don’t lie. America is behind their global peers in terms of education. If America wants to continue to be the hub of innovation and ingenuity it is today, as a nation, we must tackle the problems surrounding education in our country.
Attending college is not an economic reality for everyone in our country. The First Lady pointed to her husband’s doubling of Pell Grant as a sign that he has young people and their futures in mind when making decisions related to education. She wanted us all to know that we are the engine of her husband’s campaign. Young people, specifically college students, are being counted on to mobilize as many people as possible this upcoming election season.
The few pieces of advice Mrs. Obama had for college students was to join Obama support groups, and to register friends and relatives who aren’t yet registered to vote. The role of young people in this election is going to be huge, regardless of your political affiliation. If you are a Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Independent, etc. it does not matter. What matters is that you involve yourself in the Democratic process. As a generation we must “Be Aware, Get Educated, and Vote!”
With regards to how First Lady Michelle Obama felt about this upcoming election, she had this to say:
“We are going to win this.”
Eleven years ago to the day the United States of America was forever changed. Many in the United States and people around the world who were affected by the tragic events of September 11th, 2001 pause to honor and remember the friends and family they lost.
Today at the White House President Obama and the First Lady held a moment of silence marking the anniversary of the first plane hitting World Trade Center tower 1. The Republican nominee for president Mitt Romney said in a statement today:
“Eleven years ago today, from Capitol Hill, I could see the smoke rising from the fires burning in the Pentagon. Like all Americans, I will never forget the moment that our homeland came under attack. For me, this is a day to remember those who perished on that day of terror, including the first responders. It is also a day to pay tribute to all those who have worked quietly and tirelessly both on the home front and abroad to prevent a repetition of such terrible events. And it is a day to give honor to those in our military who have sacrificed so much, including their lives, for the same end. Their courage and heroism and willingness to answer the call of duty have kept America safe and strong and free. We are truly the home of the brave.”
Around the country memorials are being held in honor of the victims. President Obama attended a memorial at the Pentagon earlier this morning. The names of those who died in the attacks are being read by friends and family members at a ground zero, and a memorial ceremony is taking place in Shanksville, Pennsylvania where United Airlines flight 93 went down.
Photo: 9/11 Memorial- South Pool | By: Jenn
As the conservative blogger here at Mason Votes, I guess it shouldn’t come a great shock that I may have a couple negative words to say about the Democratic National Convention this week. While I whole-heartedly disagree with President Obama and will not vote for him this November, I will attempt to be as fair as I can in covering their convention this week.
The opening act last night featured really two main figures. San Antonio Mayor Jullian Castro and First Lady Michelle Obama. However, the moment that stood out to me was a part of a DNC intro video that said, “Government is the only thing we all belong to.” That line may seem minuscule but it just strikes me wrong. I thought the government belonged to us. We’re in charge. Apparently this video showed the Democrat position the other way. This sounds eerily familiar to President Obama’s infamous line about how “You didn’t build that” business and that people really should give credit to those who built the roads and bridges (i.e. government). While the baseline work of roads, bridges, trash cleanup, water, electricity, etc. are essential for life in general, there seems to be a disconnect between what really builds America or how jobs come and go.
It’s almost framed as a chicken and egg debate. The business doesn’t get built without roads to travel, but how does the government get the money to build the roads? Taxes paid by income generated from the business. In the end, it’s people’s individual pursuits of happiness that drive them to do anything. Taking a talent and marketing it to make money must happen before taxes can be collected. If you have no willingness to pursue anything, you don’t generate income that’s taxable. That’s why the statement that we belong to the government is just backwards. The government relies on us, and in a way, is us. Without us there is no government. Be sure to watch as this statement, coupled with Obama’s “you didn’t build that” is packaged as an accentuated difference between the candidates and political parties, because it is.
The speeches last night were well done, though. Mayor Castro spoke eloquently about his personal story and regardless of our political differences, I can empathize with his struggle and his achievement. So too can I say that Michelle Obama made an impassioned plea for her husband’s reelection. However, these past years should show that speech making feels and sounds good in the moment, but it’s the actions that speak louder. Regardless of the eloquence of Mrs. Obama, her husband’s actions and positions these past four years are really what the American people will use to judge him. The 23 million Americans who are out of work may like Mrs. Obama’s words, but they should focus on Mr. Obama’s policies as part of the reason they are without a job. Borrowing a bit from Clint Eastwood, the Obamas words are quite eloquent, but the results are just empty.
On August 28th 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,
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.”
Title:Intern – Membership Status:Unpaid
Reports To: LCV Volunteer Coordinator Job description: Virginia is a critical state in the 2012 election cycle with candidates such as President Obama and Tim Kaine on the ballot. The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) seeks interns to assist with a membership engagement campaign in the Northern Virginia region. Qualified interns will have excellent interpersonal skills, committed interest in environmental issues and elections, and proficiency with Microsoft Suite and the capacity to learn new programs. No previous experience necessary. Class credit available if needed.
General Description: The League of Conservation Voters (LCV) is a national non-profit organization that works to turn environmental values into national priorities. To secure the environmental future of our planet, LCV advocates for sound environmental policies, elects pro-environment candidates who will adopt and implement such policies, and provides state LCVs with the resources and tools to accomplish and sustain their mission. More information can be found at www.lcv.org .
Duties:
Expected hours: Minimum weekly commitment of five hours
Applicants should submit their resume and a brief paragraph describing their skills and interests to [email protected]
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. However, interested applicants are encouraged to apply in a timely manner.
