Tag: Obama

Students less excited about upcoming presidential election

At a politically charged school such as Mason, the excitement for the 2012 election should be visible.

For the 2008 election, there was an increase of young voters. Many Mason students were excited to vote, many for the first time.

This election may not attract the same attention.

“No one’s talking about it,” said Mallory Wuhrer, a Mason senior and communication major. “I’m sure people will talk about it in the fall when it kicks into gear, but not now.”

Some students appear to be frustrated with the entire election process.

“The American public has so little trust in our government,” said Kate Gohari a senior and government major. “We’re in gridlock right now. Nobody is coming together.”

Other students already know who they will vote for, regardless of the Republican nominee.

“I will be voting for Obama in the upcoming election,” said Alyssa Rajabi, a junior and communication major. “It seems like there isn’t a Republican candidate worthy enough of holding office.”

Mason strives to help students stay informed about the election, regardless of their political affiliation.

“Mason Votes provides a platform for student opinion and commentary on political issues,” said Colleen Wilson, a sophomore and communication major.

Wilson is an editor at Mason Votes, a student organization that updates students about election news.

“The point is less on how Mason Votes will get students out to the polls, and more on a reflection of the young perspective on political issues.”

To stay informed about election news, visit masonvotes.gmu.edu.

Inauguration Day Events at Mason

If you are on campus for Inauguration Day, George Mason University will have plenty to do. Among the events planned for January 20, you’ll be able to see the Inauguration in the JC Atrium and attend an Inaugural Ball right here on campus.

The ceremony will start at 11:30 a.m. and can all be seen on the big screen in the Johnson Center. There will be coverage both before and after the event, so plan to come early. If you can’t make it to the Atrium, Mason Votes will be hosting a live stream of the event.

At 4 p.m., GMU-TV will be hosting a panel of experts who will be giving a Mason perspective on the Inauguration. You can watch the show live at GMU-TV’s studio in Innovation Hall, 4th floor. Interactive on-camera participation in the event can also be found in Innovation Hall room 103.

Seating for both locations begins at 3:30 p.m. If you can’t find a seat, you can watch the on-campus cable channel 48 or see what channel GMU-TV broadcasts on near you at their website. The event is also available online via live streaming video.

Everyone is invited to send questions to the panel in real-time via Yammer, a social micro-blogging service accessible to anyone with an active gmu.edu e-mail address. By signing in to the service at www.yammer.com instant messaging to the panel will be available.

There will be a dialogue about the inauguration facilitated by Mason’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution. The event will be in the Johnson Center’s Dewberry Hall at 5:30 p.m. and is an opportunity for small-group discussions of the issues in the earlier GMU-TV panel.

In the evening Mason is holding its own inaugural ball. (See the Facebook group.) From 9 p.m. to midnight, the SUB II ballroom is the place to celebrate the Inauguration of the 44th president. During the night there will be food, live music, dancing, a balloon drop, mocktails, and video coverage of all the after inauguration events. Students are invited to wear anything from formal to party clothes and dressing up in red, white or blue is recommended. There will be live performances by The Monster Band and DJ Rush Hour.

Beyond the themed activities, the campus will be have a number of other options open for students who expected classes.

The Johnson Center will be showing movies all day.
The new fitness center will be open from 9 a.m. to midnight.
The SUB I game room will be open until midnight.
Corner Pocket will be open for play from 2 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Any members of the Mason community are invited to e-mail their photos to Mason Votes’ Flickr account, where they will be posted live into the photo stream. You can send photos from your computer, cell phone or other internet-enabled device to [email protected]. Be aware that any photos sent to this address will fall under a Creative Commons Attribution license.

Obama Speaks at Mason on Economic Crisis

President-elect Barack Obama gave an brief speech at George Mason University yesterday, urging Congress to act quickly in order to save the economy from a deeper plunge.

Obama said that both parties need to work together on an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that will “jump-start” jobs and create “long-term growth” by making energy, education, and healthcare the government’s top priorities.

See the full article and video of the speech at Connect2Mason.

Is Obama Ready to go Against His Supporters on an Auto Bailout?

According to a poll earlier this month, 61 percent of Americans oppose an auto bailout, 70 percent believe that a bailout would be unfair to taxpayers and another majority of those surveyed did not believe that the bailout would help the economy. Only 15 percent believe that bankruptcy in the auto industry would immediately affect them. Considering the wide majority by which President-Elect Obama won the popular vote, a significant number of those polled had to have voted for him.

That means that if Obama were to put the full force of his administration behind an auto bailout in January, he would be going against a significant number of his supporters, not to mention the 52-35 Senate vote. The bailout in the Senate may have failed because of the Republicans, but the American people seem to be against the Democrats on this issue.

If Obama were to enact economic policies that he considers necessary against the inclination of many who voted for him he may face backlash in the early days of his presidency. I know that among the young voters I know, most of whom voted for Obama, I’ve yet to meet one who supports giving money to the automakers.

Why should they? As the government digs itself deeper and deeper into debt, it’s the young voters who will have to cough up the dough. It’s no wonder everyone is hesitant about handing out billions more dollars, in the short time since the first $350 billion in rescue funds were allocated in October, the Treasury has spent $335 billion, leaving a mere $15 billion left. The proposed auto bailout was $14 billion. The amount is barely enough for Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson Jr. to pay up, should Bush follow through with his apparent change of heart on using Troubled Assets Relief Program to help the auto industry.

Paulson is likely wary of using the funds for automakers, It doesn’t look like the other half of the money will be coming down the pike any time soon. Already, Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) and a number of his fellow congressmen have said that they would likely oppose signing off on the second $350 billion, leaving most to speculate that the Treasury won’t see a dollar more until Obama has been sworn in.

President-elect Obama needs to take a step back and consider what’s going to happen to his man of the people image when he goes against his own voters and members of his party. Detroit is not worth the trouble.

The Big Three (GM, Chrysler and Ford) don’t innovate, can’t do good business, and work against their customers. In fact, they sometimes work against innovation and their customers.

GM alone is losing 4.4 billion each month and the rest of the automakers are not far behind. Throwing money on the fire isn’t going to help them. Either they are going to shrink down, restructure, and come out as completely different companies or they are going to fail. To innovate their business they need incentive, and if they go down, they shouldn’t take the taxpayers with them. Giving them more money would just allow them to prolong the pain.

Most commentators seem to be looking at this issue in black and white, as if a failure to pour taxpayer cash into Detroit would mean every auto worker would loose their job and end up on the public dole forever. Talk about fear-mongering… Do we really expect that 2,201,955 people would just throw their arms in the air and give up?

Yes, if we don’t bailout auto industry now it will be hard on the economy, but it would only be worse later on. On the other hand, if The Big Three go down in flames, as they claim they will without public subsidization, it creates precisely the type of environment in which competition and innovation thrives.

If a big hole were to open up in a field that has been locked in by a small number of large companies for years, some of those out-of-job workers will start thinking about going into business for themselves. These businesses will be smaller, with less fat, more agile, and better able to innovate. As a result we will end up with a competitive field that is friendly to exactly the type of green technology Obama supports and better for consumers.

To quote Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.): “We simply cannot ask the American taxpayer to subsidize failure.”

Originally posted on UPI’s The Voice of Young Voters Presidential Transition Forum.

Founding Fathers Would Not Recognize Current Office

By Rashad Mulla

Because of the increased responsibilities of recent presidents, the United States’ first leaders would not recognize today’s presidency, political scholar Joseph Pika said.

Pika, co-author of “Politics of the Presidency,” spoke live via video conference to students from Denver University, Pace University in Manhattan and George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. on Oct. 9. Pika said the president had little executive power when the position was first conceived in 1788. His remarks are part of the distance learning collaboration between C-SPAN, the Cable Center at the University of Denver, and the three universities.

“The expectations of the presidency have surpassed the realistic possibilities of the (job),” said Pika, a political science professor at the University of Delaware. “The president was really tailor-made for this media age.”

George Mason student Taft Nesbitt agreed with Pika and said his assertion was grounded in fact.

“The presidency has definitely evolved and become more powerful,” Nesbitt said. “The position has become much more encompassing than the Founding Fathers ever envisioned it being.”
Pika said the ascent of the president’s political power has been a gradual process, including President George W. Bush’s current term.

“A slow accretion of power keeps going in the president’s direction,” he said. “Now, the presidency requires a miracle worker to be successful.”

Pika said the presidency has gotten so powerful that presidents now can frequently over-promise and under-deliver, concepts Mason guest instructor Steve Farnsworth explained to his students on Oct. 2.

One example was President Bush’s handling of the Iraq War, Pika said. In his book, Pika wrote that Bush projected himself as an effective “wartime president” at the beginning of the war, then lost public support for the war. Now, Pika says wartime presidency has lost its luster.

“The appeal is still there,” Pika said. “But a lot of the shine has worn off.”

Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain both frequently over-promise in their campaigns, Farnsworth said on Oct. 2. This development is fully attributable to the added power of the presidency, added Nesbitt. The Founding Fathers did not have the power to make such promises, he said.

“(The presidency) wasn’t supposed to be the all-encompassing, pseudo-monarchy that it is today,” Nesbitt said.

According to Pika, when one of the candidates is elected president in three weeks, he will have one of the toughest jobs in U.S. history.

From: UPI

Innovative Course Allows Students to Make Educated Decisions at Polls

By Keeley Peters

Janette Muir, a professor at George Mason University, teaches an enthusiastic group of New Century College students about the ins and outs of political campaigning. She strives to educate her students about pressing election issues and encourages them to educate others by reaching out to undecided voters in the area.

“I came into this class with absolutely no knowledge what-so-ever about the 2008 campaign,” said Sara Hardy, a senior at George Mason from Springfield, Va. Like many others in the class, Hardy claimed, “All I knew was that Obama was the Democratic nominee and McCain was the Republican nominee.”

Students in the political campaign class eagerly await the election on Nov. 4. So far, classes have included discussions regarding primaries, the national conventions and the debates. Muir encourages students to voice their opinions whenever a major event takes place within the campaign.

She even provides a blog space on the Internet as a forum for open discussion.
“I posted on the blog when the Democratic and Republican candidates were announced, after both candidates gave speeches at the conventions and after the first presidential debate on Friday (Sept. 26),” Hardy said.

The blog space on blogger.com has become a medium for constructive criticism, venting and somewhere to post links to articles written on a daily basis about the major party candidates. The class is also informed of major happenings within the campaign with continual updates made by Professor Muir.

Together, each class group must collectively log 60 Experiential Learning hours, which encourages extensive learning outside of the classroom.

“As for learning outside of the classroom, I would like to see healthy, rich conversation on the blog,” Muir said. “I would like to see students engaging new ideas and their reactions to what is happening.

Too often, when given an assignment like blogging weekly or whatever, students resent doing it. I want the blog to be a communication space outside of lecturing.”

In addition, students have taken the initiative to reach out into the community to encourage people to vote and provide information about the candidates.

“The most interesting aspect(s) of the campaign in this particular election is the fact that we have minorities represented, and the role that media has been playing throughout the whole thing,” Muir said.

Muir hopes that her students will be able to persuade others to educate themselves about party issues, the candidates and the various representations of both presented by the media.

Self-selected class groups have participated in activities that encourage this, including DebateWatch, both high school and elementary level information sharing sessions, the distribution of candidate information on campus and student taped interviews.

While group work is definitely a major aspect of Muir’s class, individual research projects are also required; much of which is inspired by the course text.

Students chose topics for individual research regarding almost every aspect of the campaign: the effects of media on the campaign, the effects of debates on the respective candidates, the effects of personal decisions on a candidate’s campaign and even the presidential image.

After the research is done and the individual papers are constructed, the students participate in a panel-style symposium. Students with similar topics will participate in discussions together.

“The symposium structure models what we do in conferences. We bring in papers that we construct and present them in a thematic panel,” Muir said. “Having an individual presentation for 25 papers gets boring. By presenting in a symposium setting, everyone works together and no one has to repeat something that has already been presented.”

A unique aspect of the course allows students to use unconventional sources for their research like Youtube, “Saturday Night Live” episodes and print resources.

Students observe multiple media sources in class regarding campaigning. Recently, Muir asked students to select a political ad, state the purpose of the ad and determine whether or not it was effective.

“Most of the ads were either meant to bash the opposition or give information for the candidate’s platform, which is helpful in making a decision about who to vote for,” said Diana McGeough, an early education major from Chantilly.

“But sometimes, to more uneducated or less informed voters, these ads could contribute to the downfall of a candidate. It all depends on how much you care and how much time you actually spend trying to find out the truth about the issues.”

Learning how to find out about the issues is perhaps the sole purpose of the class. Muir makes sure that her students are aware of all of the available resources in order to do thorough research both inside of and outside of class.

“I read the (Washington) Post every morning, listen to NPR every day and I read several different blogs,” said Muir. “I also find my colleagues who study political campaigning, like me, to be a great source of information.”

As a result of the constant in-class discussion, it appears that Muir’s students have learned a great deal more than they originally knew.

“The Political Campaign class is helping me as a citizen become more informed on how the political system works,” Hardy said. “Through the class discussions, research and group work I have found this class to be one of the most enlightening classes I have ever been in.”

“It has definitely opened my eyes and understanding about the issues that are consuming our nation,” she said.

Muir said of her students, “They have definitely gained a new sense of awareness in campaigning.”

From: UPI

Negative Campaign Ads Effective, Not Truthful

By Rashad Mulla

Negative presidential campaign advertisements are effective in forming and changing public opinion, according to Thom Mozloom, founder and owner of The M Network, a professional media planning and branding agency.

Broadcast live via video conference from Washington, D.C., Mozloom spoke to college students from the University of Denver, Pace University in Manhattan and George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. on Sept. 11. Mozloom said negative campaign advertisements, no matter their factual merits, are effective in shaping this election.

“The reason why you keep seeing negative ads or fear tactic ads come out is, quite simply, because they work,” said Mozloom,

George Mason guest instructor Steve Taylor pounced on to the question of truth 20 minutes into the broadcast.

“It’s depressing to learn I was right,” said Taylor, a former White House correspondent for ABC Radio. “It’s a lowest common denominator system. It basically proved lies work.”

Feedback from the George Mason students reflected Taylor’s perception of truth being looked over in campaign advertisements.

“I think truth should be important,” George Mason student Monica Block said during the live taping. “But I think when it comes to a 30-second ad, people aren’t really going to do their research.”

In response to Block’s comment, Mozloom said truth should be in the discussion, but politicians don’t deem it important.

“The politicians who use these spots (aren’t) fact-checking them,” Mozloom said. “There’s no repercussion to it.”

In an example of his assertion, Mozloom said Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain’s famed celebrity advertisement, in which McCain compared Sen. Barack Obama to Paris Hilton, was meant to counter the Democratic presidential nominee’s trip to Europe.

“That issue was exasperated by the Obama camp’s response,” Mozloom said. “They gave a response to this ad, which, for the life of me, I couldn’t fathom. You want that news cycle to change again as fast as possible.”

Instead, Paris Hilton came out with her own celebrity advertisement, Obama made one of his own, and the media covered the advertisement for three weeks. McCain’s strategy worked, and no semblance of fact was needed, Mozloom said.

“The time that was spent talking about (the advertisement) was far greater than the ad run itself and the money they paid for that ad,” Mozloom said.

C-SPAN political director and University of Denver professor Steve Scully asked Mozloom to analyze historical presidential advertisements, including “The Daisy Girl,” a 1964 spot by former president Lyndon B. Johnson’s campaign when he was running for election against Republican opponent Barry Goldwater. This ad is one of the “hallmarks of negative advertising,” Scully said.

“It caused such a reaction, that they pulled it,” Mozloom said. “The fact that you and I are talking about this 40 years later has to qualify it as one of the greatest political ads of all time.”

After the presentation, Taylor reiterated the importance of advertising in presidential campaigns.

“There is a close connection between political advertising and political journalism,” Taylor said. “You can judge whether the campaigns are playing it safe or going on the attack. It shows the direction they think they are headed in.”

From: UPI

Hillary Clinton Rallies for Obama at Mason

Today, Hillary Clinton spoke at George Mason University’s Fairfax campus. Virginia is a battle ground state and both campuses are fighting hard for the 13 electoral votes it has to offer.

Supporters were out in large numbers standing in lines that extended from the North Plaza to Enterprise and circling outside the northern portion of the Johnson Center. Mason students represented a relatively large portion of the crowd and of the volunteer staff.

For students like Carly Whelan, a junior biology major, this was their first time volunteering for a political campaign. “I like Barack Obama,” said Whelen of her reason for assisting at the Clinton rally.

“We like Hillary Clinton and support Barack Obama,” said Amy Glibort a Mason graduate student while she waited in line to be admitted to the event.

Gregory Thompson, president of Mason’s chapter of Students for Barack Obama introduced Clinton and presented her with a Mason letter jacket.

Clinton offered a message of full support for the Obama campaign in an attempt to heal deep wounds created during the primary season. “If you were there for me, I’m asking you to do everything you can in these closing hours so that we can win Virginia,” said Clinton.

She also responded to Republican Presidential Candidate McCain’s use of her primary speeches in opposition of Obama’s run for the presidency. “My name is Hilary Clinton and I do not approve that message.”

The majority of her speech, however, was a comparison of President George Bush’s administration’s results to that of her husband former President Bill Clinton and democratic ideals in general. “Wouldnt it be wonderful if even at anytime during Bush’s administration he had said the buck stops anywhere,” said Clinton

She promised that a Obama presidency would create jobs, bring troops home, and make health care affordable.

Mason Votes provided live tweets, photos and video feed which is still available. The full audio of the event will be uploaded to this blog soon.

Mason Votes will be providing extensive coverage during the final days of the election process.

Photo by Courtney Erland.

Hillary Clinton Coming to Mason on Sunday

Senator Hillary Clinton, D-NY, will be at George Mason University on Sunday, Nov. 2. The event, which begins at 3:30 p.m., will be held at the North Plaza and is open to the public. Her speech, sponsored by Senator Barack Obama’s, D-Illi, presidential campaign will compare Obama to Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., regarding issues such as affordable health care, middle-class taxes, clean energy technology and the creation of new jobs.

Recently, there has been much talk about the possible role Clinton could have in an Obama presidential administration. Cabinet positions such as Secretary of Defense or Secretary of State have been alluded to by several media outlets but have yet to be commented on by either Obama or Clinton.

Both Clinton and her husband, former President William Clinton have been campaigning heavily for Obama in the past weeks and, like the rest of his campaign, they have increased their visibility in swing states like Virginia.

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