'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)