'And the winner is' -- with the League's help

By Jenna Braasch

They were brought in to count the final votes during Monday night’s Mock Presidential Election and that’s exactly what the McDonough County League of Women Voters (LWV) did.

But with style.

The group, which included six officers and members, showed up excited to count the ballots and wore white sashes with bold blue letters — LWV — across them.

“We are so glad to be included in this worthy event and very happy to see students so involved in the political process,” said Sally Egler, the chapter vice president.

Egler and other members of the chapter had the official duty of counting the delegates’ ballots, which would determine the winner of the 2011 Mock Presidential Election. They also said they were at Western Hall to present and promote the idea of having fair and impartial elections.

In fact, the League of Women Voters was founded in 1920 as a nonpartisan political organization devoted to fostering informed and active participation in government and the electoral process.

What makes the league different from many other political groups is its practice of not opposing or supporting any party or candidate. As a result, Macomb's local chapter was selected to keep the ballot-counting process neutral, fair and fast enough for it to be announced at the conclusion of the night.

Early on Monday, U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Peoria) spoke to delegates and reminded them that the “largest voting demographic is actually young people today.”

Egler said that fact is another reason her organization was in attendance.

“We have a big election year coming up and we are going to try and register all eligible young people and students before that time is here a year from now,” said Egler. “We work at getting more of the young people involved.”

Many of the members attending Monday’s activities were also involved in the first Mock Presidential Election at WIU four years ago.

“The Mock Election this year is definitely better in terms of larger attendance, a great-looking set-up 'convention hall,' and overall (it is) more organized,” said LWV chapter co-president Sara Boeckelman.

While she was not present at the entire mock election four years ago, Boeckelman said she was aware of how it was conducted and saw a number of positive changes.

“Four years ago was their (WIU’s) first mock election to be held and I believe they used it as a trial-and-error type (event) that ended up great then, but this year just got a better overall flow to it,” she said. “Everyone seemed to know and understand their roles this time.”

She said the caliber of the speakers at the closing convention was impressive and included not only Congressman Schock, considered a rising star in the Illinois Republican Party, but Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein and an assortment of student campaign managers and representatives for both the Republican Party candidate Mitt Romney and Democratic Party candidate, President Barack Obama.

“The speakers did a tremendous job and this turned out to be a very educational and inspirational mock election this year,” Boeckelman said.

Once votes started coming in, it was the job of the LWV members to count the ballots, which came in from delegates representing each of the 50 states, and provide a total for each of the three candidates on the ballot.

The numbers were projected on a large screen in Western Hall so delegates could see which of the candidates won each of the states and view a running count of the number of electoral votes received by each candidate. States voting Republican were represented by red while those going Democratic were depicted in blue. States without a clear winner remained white.

The LWV members counted the votes in record time, according to election organizers, and passed on their totals to be recorded. About 9 p.m., incumbent President Barack Obama was declared the winner.

“This was a very helpful, educational and inspirational night for everyone,” Boeckelman said, just before President Obama’s name was announced as the winner and hundreds of red-white-and-blue balloons were released in celebration, marking the end to another successful WIU Mock Presidential Election.

Thanks to our guest cartoonist

In its print edition has featured political cartoons by former WIU art instructor Jim Allen, a longtime cartoonist and educator who now lives and works in the Quad Cities area.

Allen's editorial cartoons have been syndicated by the Chicago Sun Times Features Syndicate and Artizans Syndicate, and he's also produced a lot of gag cartoons for magazines. A Ph.D. from Northern Illinois University, he's now teaching what he describes as a "a grad-level, cartoon-based learning course." Allen's also the author of several books, including his latest, Xreme Cartooning.

His website is www.cartoonbasedlearning.com

Presidential candidates include ‘also-running’s’

Besides familiar names running for President – listed in a previous print edition – several lesser-known figures have declared their candidacy and remain in the running, technically. Some may deserve more attention; some may be future “also-rans.”

Here are the remaining declared candidates, in alphabetical order:

Peace & Freedom Party and Socialist
Political Activist STEWART ALEXANDER
In terms of hedging your bets, the 59-year old former radio talk show host has it down pat and probably created a little bit of history for himself in the process. Alexander has declared his candidacy for the Oval Office seat with two different political parties; the Socialist Party and the Peace & Freedom Party. This will be Alexander’s first attempt for the office after a failed Vice-Presidential bid in 2008.

Libertarian
Former Chair of the Libertarian Party of Texas ROGER GARY
Roger Gary is a long-time Liberty activist and lifetime member of the Libertarian Party since 1977. The 64-year old resident of San Antonio – where he was elected and served six years as Director of the San Antonio River Authority – has positions that conform to the Libertarian Party Platform in civil liberties, a non-intervention foreign policy, and smaller federal government.

Republican
Former Governor of New Mexico GARY JOHNSON
The former Libertarian Republican Governor does not attend church, is pro-choice, anti-big government, pro-immigration, an outspoken critic of the war on drugs and favors legalizing marijuana. He led New Mexico for eight years, when the state saw no tax increase, and he vetoed more than 750 pieces of legislation to keep the government from growing. However, his views on civil liberties, foreign policy and drugs may be difficult for many conservatives to accept.

Republican Presidential Candidate
“Birther” activist ANDY MARTIN
The self-professed “People’s Attorney General” and Internet gadfly is mostly remembered as the source of the chain mail and online reports questioning the citizenship of President Obama and also the claim that he was a Muslim. The 66-year old Martin filed his papers as a candidate on Feb. 8, and was quoted as saying, “Obama plays for keeps. He plays rough, and that's the only way to beat him, and I'm the only one that is tough enough to do that."

Republican
Veteran and karate expert JIMMY MCMILLAN
The former mayoral, gubernatorial and senatorial candidate for the Rent Is Too Damn High Party announced his candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination in December last year. Explaining his decision not to contest the Democratic nomination – a party with which he was formerly registered – karate expert McMillan was quoted as saying, simply, almost philosophically, "the rent is too damn high." The flamboyant Vietnam veteran also gave some words of advice to President Obama, “If you don’t do your job right, I am coming at you!"

Republican
Flight Attendant TOM MILLER
Tom Miller feels that the country is being destroyed from within chiefly through a series of failed fiscal and immigration policies, a situation brought forth by an entrenched political elite. Miller sees himself as a representative of the people, as envisioned by the Founding Fathers themselves, and he hopes to re-empower the American people around the concept of small government.

Libertarian
New York attorney and founder of the Paralegal Institute CARL PERSON
Carl Person says he’s a high school dropout, but he went on to become a New York attorney and established the Paralegal Institute. He finished third in voting in 2010 for New York Attorney General, a position he claims holds more power than the U.S. President. A small business owner for almost 20 years, he says he knows how to turn around the economy: privatization and reduction or elimination of business regulations.

Republican
Former Governor of Louisiana BUDDY ROEMER
After being away from politics for the last two decades, former Louisiana Gov. Buddy Roemer in March announced his presidential exploratory committee. The 67-year old former Democrat has cited campaign finance reforms as a key plank in his platform, and he imposed a $100 limit on disclosed contributions per individual for his potential run. At a Tea Party rally in May, he claims that the current system is “disastrous, it’s dysfunctional."

Libertarian
Libertarian Activist R. LEE WRIGHTS
R. Lee Wrights officially announced his candidacy for the Libertarian 2012 presidential nomination at the party’s annual state convention in Hickory, N.C., on April 15. The 52-year old Winston-Salem native and former U.S. Air Force sergeant said, “I am still a warrior, but I am not at war,” an indication of his anti-war stance. The Tar Heel Libertarian has been an ever-present name in the Libertarian circles for more than a decade and once served as Vice-Chair of the Libertarian National Committee.

Republican
Businessman VERN WUENSCHE
Wuensche ran for President in 2008, garnering a 10th place finish in both the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries, despite spending only $36,000. In 100 days, the owner of Houston’s third-oldest construction company visited more than 6,000 local businesses and churches in 242 towns in both states. He believes that businesses survive and thrive chiefly through the caliber of those who run them and therefore such executives – like him – are qualified for a public office too often lacking in management skills.

SOURCE: http://2012.presidential-candidates.org/

Presidential candidates' fund raising

According to the latest campaign-finance data from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Barack Obama leads all presidential candidates with more than 50 percent of all funds. Mitt Romney leads Republican candidates with 20 percent of all GOP contributions.
Chart by Steve Hraha.

Noteworthy speakers here Monday

Two nationally prominent political figures are scheduled to make brief appearances during Monday’s final night of WIU’s Mock Presidential Election, scheduled for 6:30-8:30 p.m. in Western Hall, where students will elect the next president and vice president of the United States.

U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Peoria, left) is scheduled to address the gathering, as is Dr. Jill Stein, a Green Party candidate for president.

Schock, 30, is the youngest U.S. Representative, elected to Congress in 2008 after serving in the Illinois legislature and Peoria School Board.

Stein, who announced her candidacy on Oct. 24 in Boston, is a native Chicagoan who graduated with honors from Harvard, where she also earned a degree from its Medical School. She’s also giving a 2 p.m. lecture Monday on “A Green New Deal for America” in Morgan Hall 101A.

Candidates breaking through glass ceiling

By Mitchell Winkelman

As the 2011 Western Illinois University Mock Presidential Election ramps up and winds down, a few occurrences could indicate a trend an definitely help some observers appreciate the growing role of women in politics.

Two prominent women from the Green Party’s national ranks have been or will be on campus: co-chair Farheen Hakeem and presidential candidate Jill Stein (above), U.S. Rep. Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn.) has an active campaign with local Republican delegates, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was tabbed to replace incumbent Vice President Joe Biden as President Barack Obama’s running mate.

Increasingly, it seems, Americans – perhaps especially young citizen – are recognizing that women are gaining influence and power in politics.

There was a big boost in 2008, when Clinton was a strong contender throughout the Democratic primaries battle and Sarah Palin was GOP candidate John McCain’s running mate, and since then with Bachmann’s rise as a Tea Party Caucus leader and a viable enough presidential candidate to place high in polls.

At WIU, Bachmann finished 5th in a field of seven candidates at the MPE’s Republican Party vote.

But…

Will a woman ever be president?

That’s a question many women have been waiting to hear for years.

“I think it’s great that we now have a few women who have run for president,” said Samantha Cuchbert, who says she’s a Libertarian. “If a black person can win presidency, I don’t see why a woman can’t be president of the United States.”
Other women agreed, including student Sabah Kayyal, a double major in Communication and Journalism.

“Women running for the presidency are just as equal as men,” Kayyal said, adding that she still thinks it won’t happen for a while because of persistent sexism.

Libertarians: Joining the party. Or Not.

By Josh Fitzgerald

It was finally time for the Libertarians to convene Thursday night, when they could organize their plan to win the 2012 election. Once the convention started, one would probably think that the Libertarians' keynote speaker would try to pump up the crowd in some way.

This didn’t happen. In fact, the keynote speaker was almost unbearably boring. With all the lengthy pauses and the monotone, it seemed like the speaker, Adam Chacksfield (right), was reading a bedtime story to the audience in an effort to lull them to sleep.

The speech's contents were very passionate and radical, but the way the information was conveyed detracted from his message.

"Just because Hitler was voted in doesn’t make the Holocaust OK,” he said.

What a powerful statement. But, again, nobody in the audience responded due to the way it was said. This speech set the table for the rest of the Libertarian Convention.

The audience was uninvolved, uninterested and bored. After a long and awkward pause, the proposed platform was not discussed, but nevertheless ultimately accepted.

Unlike the Green Party -- where it just seemed like everybody enthusiastically agreed with the platform which inspired no discussion -- the audience simply did not care.

Also, the Libertarian Party ended up not nominating a presidential candidate, thus proving that the Libertarian Convention was, unfortunately, a waste of time. The entire convention was 32 minutes long, with 20 minutes being the keynote address.

In the end, the Libertarian Party won't be represented in the general election.

Nobody seemed to care.

Photo by Sarah Tomkinson

The Green Party: United Front

By Josh Fitzgerald

After a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem by members of WIU’s Chorus, the Green Party convention was ready to get started with their convention -- a convention that was smaller, but appeared to be much better organized than the Republican and Democratic conventions last week.

The keynote speaker, Farheen Hakeem (left), got on stage and was incredibly enthusiastic about the Green Party as a whole, as well as the Green Party’s position on important political issues.

Hakeem made it impossible for everyone in the audience to remain uninterested about what she had to say. Although King’s vocabulary may have been over the heads of some students, her energy was contagious.

After every sentence, the audience cheered in support of Hakeem’s love for the Green Party. With all the cheering and excitement, the mock convention sounded more like a sporting event.

"We want a world that is free," she said, "a world that is equal, and a world where everyone’s voice is heard!”

After the loudest cheer from the audience it was time to “rock n’ roll,” as Hakeem put it.

The same topics of discussion were on the platform that the other parties considered at their conventions, but unsurprisingly the Greens' positions differed significantly from the other parties.

However, the passion Hakeem brought to the audience did not carry over to the platform discussion. There were no motions to discuss any of the topics on the platform, and the proposed platform was adopted with no discussion whatsoever. As the convention continued, this appeared to be a testament of how united the Green Party is.

After the platform was accepted without conflict or repetitive discussion, presidential candidacies were addressed. One passionate speech was followed by another passionate speech, and all the campaign managers were received with rousing support from the crowd.

Ultimately, the “state delegates” voted almost unanimously for Jill Stein, most likely due to her free-tuition position.

In the end, the Green Party’s convention was definitely the most fun and interesting. However, not only was it the most entertaining, it was easily the most united. There was no conflict at all in the entire convention. If by some miracle Jill Stein were to win the election, it would appear that the United States of America would be a more unified and conflict free country.

Photo by Chelsea Crawford

Tea Party meets, nominates no one

Collin Hitt of the Illinois Policy Institute (right) gave the keynote address to a small crowd Thursday that momentarily included WIU President Jack Thomas (far right, seated) and Interim Provost Ken Hawkinson (far right, standing).

However, those gathered didn't nominate a candidate.

Photos by Sarah Tomkinson

Parties pound planks into platforms

By Ian Clark

On Thursday, Oct. 27, the Republican and Democratic parties met in the Union Grand Ballroom to discuss their positions on various topics, and to let activists in the party explain positions and establish planks in a party platform. About 250 people showed up to each of the parties’ talks and both had heated conversations about controversial issues.

Republican Party

A few of the hot-button issues for Republicans were birth control, the death penalty and the legalization of marijuana, and the discussion lasted for about an hour. Abortion/birth control and the death penalty are predictable wedge issues the GOP exploits, but what was unusual Oct. 27 was that student delegates wanted less severe stances. With arguments about exceptions and nuances such as rape, and/or accidental convictions, such issues were settled and the party’s platform revised.

Democratic Party

The Democratic Party also had debates and, unlike Republicans, the Democrats considered party positions from a sheet, discussing them one by one. This was tiresome and frustrating, and took so long the group only got through 12 of 30 topics before someone called the question to vote on all views – after an hour of debate.

One of the controversial issues for Democrats was taxes. That’s not exactly surprising, but the debate was whether taxes should be eliminated or decreased. The conversation on this topic generally and on education specifically caused spirited a debate and many questions.

Overview

Overall, both parties had a smaller turnout than they did for October 25’s opening night, but it was still a decent crowd. Plus, having a smaller crowd was not all bad. It gave voters a chance to let their views be heard and to be able to ask questions and give suggestions until they were happy that their points of view were heard on each position.

Major parties pick nominees

Students representing Republican and Democratic delegates at Tuesday's sessions of the Mock Presidential Election expressed positions for and against possible nominees.

Republicans picked former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney as their nominee for the Oval Office and Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan as his running mate.

Democrats selected President Barack Obama to run for a second term, but voted for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton as candidate for Vice President.
(Photo by Kelsey Wolfe)

Faces & Voices at the Mock Presidential Election

By Vickie Bourne and Keisha Ruth

“I’m learning a lot about the convention and how a nominee is selected. The country is in a lot of trouble.”
-Caleb Markey, sophomore

“We’re facing an economic crisis. The delegates are doing a good job and people have their own opinions. They should legalize marijuana and you should vote for Mitt Romney, not Ron Paul.”
-Thomas Gockenbach, graduate student

“Though I am here for a class, I think it is a wonderful opportunity for students to get out and learn/ educate themselves on the presidential election process. People only hear about the final two candidates and maybe the candidate from their home town. I feel as if I am getting great exposure to all running candidates and the situations this nation faces”
-Perry Broaden, junior (pictured above, in a photo by Vickie Bourne)

Speech smashup: Help people [or] do something

Photo by Chelsea Crawford

By Sarah Tomkinson

Two politicians came out to show support for their respective parties.

Deb Detmers, the District Director of U.S. Rep. John Shimkus (R-Centralia), gave a speech as to why she is Republican, and Democrat Representative Mike Boland (D-Moline) applauded the Democratic Party.

Both gave examples of their respective parties dealing with hard times and overcoming them.

Detmers, pictured above, expressed that Americans as individuals should do something, and Boland expressed the changes that have happened under Democratic presidents.

Which one was more effective, is highly dependent on audience and whether they found changes proposed and passes by Democrats to be good, of course. Not everyone is crazy about Obamacare, and some people believe that Camp David didn’t actually fulfill everything it was chalked up to be. To say that we are thankful as society for everything Democrats did is like saying the entire world celebrates Christmas. There are many exceptions.

Detmers took a different approach. She expressed everything that she felt needed to be changed. The Congressional aide said that everyone should help.

“Do something,” she said, remembering her own experience working on campaigns. “Be an envelope stuffer.”

To her, Americans should not be so reliant on others.

Side by side, the two speeches were yin and yang. Boland spoke of hope that we as a society were on the right path by sticking with Democrats in office. He emphasize looking at everything that’s been accomplished, at all the great things we have now.

Boland’s address was one of hope -- one that easily represented something observers would find in President Obama’s campaign.

In contrast, Detmers expressed the terrible situation the nation is in. She asserted that the country is in a similar state as when Jimmy Carter was president – and that a Republican change is what society needs. Just like President Reagan, any new Commander in Chief Who’s a Republican would be better than the one we have now, she said.

She added that the United States is in dire straits, and that Illinois is seen as the grease by the lake. To her, we need to help better ourselves and not wait for the government to help us.

Of course, many people don’t look at Illinois as a pile of grease, and many people believe that the government is us, and is a way we help each other.

Depending on which person you agree with depends on your political philosophies. Both speakers were obviously passionate about their own stances, and both see high potential in both their parties. One cannot instantly say the students were swayed by either speech; the speakers just emphasized the reasons why people already support their side.

The two sides boil down to one idea: Do something, or help someone.

Some students motivated for Mock Election

By Kelsey Wolfe

The Republican platform adoption was off to a slow start after the floor was open for discussion on the various platform issues. John Landes, co-campaign manager for Republican Party hopeful Rick Perry, was standing on the side motivating student delegates to speak their minds about the various planks. As Landes paced around the perimeter of the seated delegates, his spirit was obviously visible.

After the GOP platform was presented, silence fell across the University Union Grand Ballroom when delegates were asked to debate amendments to the various positions. After a bit of encouragement, delegates began to speak up on the issues.

Hot topics included the death penalty in general and for convicted murders in particular, the removal of troops from Iraq and Afghanistan, and the legalization of marijuana.

“Students will finally know where the GOP stands and they will be more informed for the general election,” Landes said.

At the Democratic platform adoption, the crowd was pumped up by music. Democratic State Representative Mike Boland (D-Moline), pictured above, further energized the crowd as the keynote speaker, but there was silence again when the floor was opened for debate. It took a while for delegates to begin their discussion.

Many were motivated to speak, and there was quite a bit of good discussion. However, there was also quite a bit of unneeded, uninformed discussion. There was a lot of confusion among the delegates about Democratic positions on each of the various platform stances. Because of this, the Democratic discussion took much longer than needed.

Students speak out on legalizing marijuana

By Steve Hraha

The Mock Republican Party voted to oppose plank 12, legalizing the use of marijuana, during the MPE’s Republican National Convention Thursday night.

Students acting as Republican delegates addressed the issue during debate about the GOP platform, or a statement of the party’s principles and goals. The platform consists of 30 planks, or stances the party decides to take on key issues.

The Republican platform committee opposed the legalization of marijuana because they believed it is a state issue.

However, students assembled in the Union Grand Ballroom disagreed.

“Marijuana is a federally controlled substance,” said senior political science major Brady Childs, who suggested the platform’s decision on plank 12 be amended from opposing the legalization of marijuana to taking a neutral stance.

“Marijuana has caused zero deaths,” Childs said, “It is far less harmful than alcohol and tobacco. It should be legalized.”

The crowd of delegates supported Childs and the motion was seconded.

Another student also said that marijuana is far less harmful than tobacco and alcohol.

Childs added that “certain strands [of pot] don’t contain THC, the psychoactive substance found in marijuana, but can be used to make paper. The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were both written on hemp paper.”

His final argument was that “marijuana could boost the economy.”

The students voted in favor of changing the Republican Party’s platform stance on legalization of marijuana from opposed to neutral.

The legalization of marijuana was just one of many Republican platform stances that students disagreed with.

Student delegates also spoke out about same-sex marriage, the death penalty for convicted murderers, and the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Students voiced strong opinions and often disagreed with other delegates.

During the first two days of the Mock Presidential Election, the debate over the legalization of marijuana has become a frequent topic. Fred Karger, a declared GOP candidate for President who also supports the legalization of marijuana, finished third in Tuesday’s Republican primary/caucus balloting.

Democratic Par-TAY

By Josh Fitzgerald

Night 2 at the Mock Presidential Election was heated, to say the least. The Democratic Party meeting started out with a very passionate speech by State Representative Mike Boland of Moline, who said in his speech, “The Iraq War was started based on lies.”

After his remarks, “State Representatives” made up of Western Illinois University students wrote down their opinions on the issues listed on the proposed Democratic Party platform. After a short break, it was time to discuss and ultimately vote on the issues accepted as platform planks.

Ignoring the number of students who had zero interest in the convention itself (but more about the latest gossip), a lot of the issues discussed turned into heated debates. A large number of students approached the microphones to voice their opinions. After every point that a student made, 9 times out of 10 there would be rousing applause supporting his or her assertions from the rest of the “representatives.”

The lengthiest and most controversial debate was the discussion on whether or not the Democratic Party should be strongly opposed to, or strongly in favor of, raising the debt ceiling. Ultimately, the platform discussion ended up strongly supporting raising the debt ceiling when necessary.

It is unfortunate that there is not more time in the proceedings. Only 14 out of the 30 topics on the proposed platform were discussed due to time constraints. (Earlier, the Republican Party finished discussing 28 of their 30 issues).

On day two, it seems as if the students who attended the Democratic Party Convention were not going to go down without a fight, and made sure their voices were heard.

“This is what democracy looks like.”

Did not participate

By Alex Rieger

Waiting at the entrance to the Union Ballroom, where the Mock Presidential Election is being held through Nov. 3 (after which it’s moving to Western Hall), freshmen stood in line to become mock delegates of their respective states.

Many were dressed in formal attire, the smell of hairspray thick in the air. A young man in a suit puts up a statistic about the national debt on the wall next to the ballroom. He wears a button that says "Romney for president."

An all-too-real parallel also was evident in this tidy brick building on Macomb’s north side: people playing dress up, listening to candidates recite cookie-cutter speeches, and voting on the biggest popularity contest ever created.

Like many U.S. citizens in a country where barely half of the electorate votes, I chose not to participate.

They say that not voting is unAmerican. Well, I say that the voting system is unAmerican.

Instead of the same old campaigns, candidates should compete in ways that can appeal to the regular person.

My proposal: Have each candidate compete on the TV show "Wipe Out." On this show players try to complete an obstacle course above a body of mud or water.

Or perhaps an arm-wrestling competition …

The bottom line is that politics don't appeal to the typical American – let alone young men and woman in college.

Hey, U.S. political system – it's time for a face-lift.

Mock Election Day 1 has mixed signals

By Josh Fitzgerald

During the first day of WIU’s Mock Presidential Election, there was a surprisingly large turnout. The Union Grand Ballroom was full of students who apparently were interested in who the new President of the United States would be.

However, once the convention got started and the speakers presented the candidates they were representing, it soon became apparent that many students were not as interested as they originally seemed. Even though most of these candidate surrogate and campaign presenters were very interesting and informative, many of the student delegates did not respond the way observers anticipated them to do.

Granted, a handful of speakers seemed unprepared or uncomfortable with public speaking, but most presentations were very professional.

Even Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford made an appearance to speak on behalf of Mitt Romney, which is why I believe Romney received so many votes.

One presenter asked, “Who is here because they have to be for class?” The response made it more obvious why there was such a large attendance with so little interest. This should come as no surprise because there is only a small number of college students who truly care about politics at this stage in their lives.

Nevertheless, the Mock Presidential election seemed to exceed expectations in professionalism and legitimacy.

Further, four nights remain, and interest and engagement may increase.

[Pictured above: two of the MPE's coordinators, John Hemingway (left) and Rick Hardy.]

'Nowhere Man' no more

By Alex Gray

There are some political candidates who are recognized and others who aren’t. One of the many candidates running for U.S. President is Fred Karger, who is relatively unknown but has some support skilled enough to increase his profile.

On Tuesday night, WIU’s Mock Presidential Election heard a Karger representative, Political Science major Thomas Gockenbach, who gave an impressive speech endorsing Karger.

Karger and Gockenbach have one thing they both want most for Americans, Gockenbach said: equality for all Americans. That means equal rights for women, gays and lesbians, immigrants – everyone.

They want everyone to be treated equally, not everyone treated as an equal.
America means freedom, Gockenbach said, but it doesn’t always offer the American Dream to everyone, depending on how they’re treated.

This needs to change, Gockenbach said, and Karger is the person who would help that.
Another issue Karger advocates is energy, Gockenbach said. Government must come up with some solution to save people money on fuel and utility costs, and Karger says possibilities include ethanol and wind power to help create renewable energy. That could save U.S. society a lot of money and the environment from a lot of damage.
Karger also recognizes the need for more and better jobs, jobs that are created and that don’t disappear tomorrow, including at small businesses.

In one of the more controversial issues that seemed to resonate with student delegates at the Republican caucuses/primaries Tuesday, Karger supports the legalization of marijuana, Gockenbach said.

Doing so also would help reduce the prison population by freeing those incarcerated for nonviolent offenses such as smoking or possessing pot. This also would give police more time and resources to focus on serious crimes.

Regulations would be required before legalization, Gockenbach said, ensuring safety for consumers and others.

As far as immigration, Karger wants to ensure that the American Dream is passed on to immigrants, from opportunities to equal pay.

Some immigrants work very hard and shouldn’t be paid less because of the lack of a document, Karger believes, according to Gockenbach.

After students voted, it became apparent that Karger’s positions were supported by many student delegates. Fred Karger placed an unexpected third place in the GOP here.

That could indicate that Karger could become better known, if his positions are made known by people like Gockenbach.