If you are looking for a one-stop shop for election coverage here in Tompkins County, Ithaca College's radio station 92 WICB will have plenty of it today. The station has set up a special Web page for tracking election results nationally and locally.
There will also be lots of on air election coverage tomorrow night on the station, located at 91.7 FM on your radio dial.
National election results are easy enough to find, but for all the local Tompkins County races, WICB has you covered.
With Election Day rapidly approaching the question on everyone’s mind is who will be the next president of the United States of America, Republican Senator John McCain or Democratic Senator Barack Obama?
But aren't we forgetting a few names? What about former Congressman Bob Barr, pastor and radio talk show host Chuck Baldwin, Congresswomen Cynthia McKinney, or Ralph Nader. Contrary to public belief McCain and Obama are not the only people competing in the U.S presidential election of 2008.
With the media blitz covering the presidential election mainstream media fervently covers Senators Obama and McCain campaign in “swing” states. Across the country, and even the world, people have paid close attention to the three presidential debates between the two nominees, and one for their vice presidential running mates. It's impossible to go anywhere and not see or hear names like Obama, McCain, or Palin. So how is that names like Nader, Barr, and McKinney are seldom mentioned?
“I don’t even know who is the third party for this election,” said Ithaca College Senior Collin McDermott. “It would be fair to have a third party actually competing. Being covered in the news media and having equal power and access like the other two major parties but it would be difficult because its just American culture to have a two party system. It either the democrat or the republican.”
Is it the media subtle way of letting us know that these people just don’t matter?
“Voting for a third party candidate is a waste because people only pay attention to the two top candidates,” said Abdul-Wahab.
What happened to the saying that, “Every vote counts!” The media bombards us with messages that it is our civic duty and the greatest opportunity we will ever have as average citizens to shape the government.
Presidents are decided by two systems: the popular vote and the Electoral College vote. Whichever candidate wins the majority of votes in a given state wins the electoral votes of that state. To win the office a candidate must win 207 electoral votes.
Vice Presidential canidate, Rosa Clemente, of the Green Party had this to say about voting. "Voting is the easiest thing someone could do to be civically engaged. I don't think voting solves anything but for the most part voting puts in people that as a people you have to take accountabilyt for pushing your issue out there."
Clemente also had this to say, "If they vote for the Green party, every vote counts. You need five percent of the electorate to become a major party."
Honestly speaking, to vote for a politician unaffiliated with either major party, in most cases, means voting for someone has no realistic chance at winning office. When this is the reality it is easy to believe that a vote for someone other than a Republican or a Democrat is a “wasted vote.”
“It’s not fair but that’s what it is,” said Ithaca College sophomore Farida Abdul-Wahab. “ It’s a race and in a race you’re not looking for who crosses third your looking for those two who may come in first place.”
A pair of local high school soccer teams claimed Section 4 Championships on the soccer field this weekend.
The Ithaca High School boys soccer team will share the Class AA championship with Vestal after the teams tied 1-1 in a game played at the Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta. The Little Red then defeated Vestal 4-3 in penalty kicks to advance to the State tournament.
The Lansing girls soccer team won the Class B title for the third consecutive season, ousting Chenango Forks 1-0 at SUNY Cortland.
For game stories and pictures from the games check out The Ithaca Journal's coverage.
Every weekend since the second weekend in September, Dave Halpert and 20 or 30 of his friends drive to cities and towns in Pennsylvania going door-to-door canvassing for Barack Obama in the 2008 Presidential election.
Every one has different script, but all say generally the same thing, “Hi, my name is David, I’m a volunteer with Obama and were just seeing if you decided which way you are leaning in the election?” It becomes more of a conversation, not trying to convert them in terms of switching their votes, just seeing where they are coming from. He has had two long talks with McCain supporters just trying to find where the other guy is coming from.
He said, “After you introduce yourself as a volunteer, most people, especially with this election, want to talk about it and they will either say they are for Obama or McCain. If they are undecided, you ask what issues are important to them and then majority of the people will take 5-10, sometimes 20 minutes to talk about things and you get to hear Americans talking about different issues that are important to them, and it’s actually fun talking to them.”
When asked if he ever gets the door slammed in his face, he said usually not, its uncommon, but it does happen on occasion. Although he’s not saying that every time he and the other supporters talk to a person, they convince them to vote for Obama. If the person believes Obama is a poor candidate then you won’t influence him. Some people are so against Obama they will make mean-spirited comments.
Dave believes a lot of people are trying to reverse what Bush has done in the past, “a lot of people are upset with the way the country is headed and want it to change… It really makes a difference with one-to-one contact, but then again a lot of people it might not affect their decision.”
Due to some complications, I was not able to join Dave and his friends on one of these campaigning trips to Pennsylvania. It seems reporters are not always welcome, but rather they are strict on going door-to-door with Obama supporters only.
Another Saturday at Butterfield Stadium, another record-breaking performance for junior running back Thomas Bergerstock.
The Ithaca College Bombers football team won their fourth straight game, routing Springfield College 37-8. The win came on Family Weekend on the South Hill. Out of all the positives from the win, the biggest was Bergerstock’s performance in the running game.
The junior out of Webster, NY ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns on the day, and broke two distinguished Bomber records. His four scores gave him 20 on the season, breaking Jeff Whitman’s record of 19 back in 1992. In addition, his 120 total points scored also broke Jeff Whitman’s record which he also set during the ’92 season.
Bergerstock’s great performance can also be attributed to the offensive line, which created massive holes for him to run through and gave quarterback Dan Juvan extra room to work in the pocket. The front five, which was honored as the Empire 8 Offensive Player of the Week earlier this season, certainly deserved a lot of credit for leading the Bombers to another victory.
Now, Ithaca moves on from the easy part of their schedule and returns to the road for two very tough games to close out the season. This Saturday, the Bombers visit the Alfred Saxons with the Empire 8 title potentially on the line. Then, they head to Cortland on the 15th for the Cortaca Jug, where they could face an undefeated Red Dragons team. Should be an exciting finish to an already wild season!
Here’s a map showing the sites of Ithaca’s final two games as well as Thomas Bergerstock’s hometown of Webster, NY. For more on Saturday’s win, you can read this article.
Unmistakably, the 2008 presidential election has had its ugly moments. Ad campaigns have bashed candidates, misrepresented facts, stirred up heated debates, and maybe even changed some voter’s minds. According to a Talking Points Memo, John McCain Campaign Ads during the month of October were nearly 100 percent devoted to attack ads. Also, according to the Wall Street Journal, upon the naming of Sarah Palin as the Vice President choice, Barack Obama assigned 30 lawyers, investigators and opposition researchers to go into Alaska in search of “dirt” on Sarah Palin. However, is this really anything we the voters didn’t expect? This election is in many eyes the most important in history and just because it is so incredibly important doesn’t mean it is the only election to utilize the animosity of negative campaigning.
However, John Geer, professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University says, “Negative ads have more useful information than the positive ads by a number of different criteria. Negative ads tend to have facts in them, they tend to be more about issues than personal traits and they tend to be more specific when talking about these issues.”
Geer claims, “you’ve got to give a role for attacks and negativity in democracy, if you do away with it you do away with democracy so it goes hand in hand. Sometimes it makes us uncomfortable, and sometimes it goes too far, but you need it and we need a society especially among the news media to learn to appreciate that it actually has some benefits. If you’re going to buy a car you need to know the good and the bad. Do you want to buy a car with only the information with the car dealer? No, because they're only going to tell you one side of the story and candidates are going to do the same thing.”
James Seward, New York State Senator representing the Tompkins County area says that negative campaigning has not been a part of his campaign this year.
Don Barber, the democratic candidate running against Seward also acknowledges that negative campaigning has been kept at a minimum in their election. Barber says that he believes elections should definitely be more focused on issues rather than campaign smearing, especially with the current Presidential election.
Geer says “negative ads have the ability to advance your case but also hurt it if you go too far.” This was the case with McCain’s “sex education” ad, which is shown below.
Geer says, “that ad went too far and McCain got a lot of push back on it. I think it backfired on him because you could technically read the bill as suggesting sex education but that’s just silly, that wasn’t the case. It’s an example of when you go too far it doesn’t work for you.”
Another ad that Geer recognized as going too far was a 2006 ad run against Congressman Michael Arcuri, titled “bad call.”
“They used the fact that apparently somebody misdialed a number and called a phone sex line for five seconds using the taxpayers dollars. It was a disaster for the candidate to air that ad because it is not even close to the truth. If you go beyond what the evidence supports, negative campaigning backfires,” Geer says.
However, negative campaigning does do something that positive campaigning about yourself as a candidate doesn’t, it allows the other side to come out. Seward calls this “comparative campaigning.”
“When you compare records of service and of voting records on the part of the legislator and bring out the facts that is what I call 'comparative advertising.' I think there is a line that is crossed when you get into personalities and some of these side issues but when it's based on political persons record of service that is documented through a voting record or any other statements in the past, I think that is fair game.”
Negative advertising in any other aspect, Seward claims, is not something he condones. An example of the "comparative campaigning" can be seen in a recent ad by the Republican National Committee shown below.
Mackenzie Dohr, a Culture and Communications major here at Ithaca College says that negative campaigning for her will most likely do more harm then good.
“When a candidate focuses more on smearing their opponent it makes them seem as if they have no real platform to stand on so it hurts them in my opinion,” she says.
All in all, as the voters that will decide this election, we need to educate ourselves by looking at each side, at each different kind of ad campaign, and each side of an issue. Negative campaigning can help us, but it can also hurt us, this is the same with each candidate as well. No matter what candidate you support, it is ultimately up to you to decide how the political game is played. Seward says the only way to stop the negative advertising that features shameless personal attacks is to reject them so they are not successful. At the end of the day, that is the responsibility of us, the voter.
The Ithaca Youth Bureau’s Rotary Soccer League concluded its season this Sunday at Cass Park. The league hosts teams from kindergarten all the way up to 12th grade and features co-ed and single gender leagues. Games were played every Sunday from September 21st until today. Below are some pictures from one of today’s games.
President/Vice President: check. State Supreme Court Justice: check. Congress: check. State Senator: check. Check, check, check, check.
Fold, lick, seal, stamp, mail.
Sounds boring, but for a first time voter, the excitement is practically unbearable.
There are few words to describe the feeling of a very first vote, but Michelle Roy summed it all up: "I VOTED! It's an exhilarating feeling to know that I might be the one vote that makes a difference," says Roy.
Her excitement was quickly interrupted when one of her friends mentioned to her that absentee ballots are rarely counted, unless the race is close.
"Are you serious?" thought Roy: "When I heard that I was just like, why did I even vote then? I wanted my vote to count."
Looking for the right answer, I chose to find out more with the help of Ithaca College Politics Professor Don Beachler. "Your vote does count," he reassured me.
In response to the myth Michelle had heard, Beachler said, "People are generally uninformed which generates into a lot of misinformation and then they begin to believe it themselves."
"Your vote counts. What most people miss are the preliminary results" said another Ithaca College Politics Professor, Juan Arroyo.
According to Arroyo, when the results are given the day after the election, news reports are careful to declare the results preliminary ones. It is not until all ballots are in that they declare the results official. This can take up to a month after the day of the election, depending if the race is close or not. (Just like in the 2000 Presidential Election in Florida, when a full recount was tallied).
Tompkins County Board of Elections Democratic Commissioner, Stephen DeWitt, said: "We wait until one week after election day to count the absentee ballots. Military ballots have 13 days to get here. A lot of people get a misconception that absentee ballots aren't counted. We count all the ballots and they get tallied toward the total. Every vote gets counted," DeWitt responded to the assumption that absentee ballots are a moot vote.
For Tompkins County, the absentee and military ballots must be postmarked no later than one day before election day. Absentee ballots can be received up until November 12th while military ballots can be received up until November 17th.
Arroyo explained the reason why mail-in ballots aren't due on election day: "Well...a candidate might say something really controversial a couple days before the election, and that might completely change someone's vote, but it would be too late if that person already mailed in the ballot."
If a state is clearly leaning toward one candidate than the other, many believe that absentee ballots are pointless. "Most of the time they won't matter," says Arroyo.
But don't let that discourage all of you absentee voters, because your vote might not be included in the preliminary results, but they will undoubtedly be counted in the final tally.
As Arroyo said, "Don't worry, you can still tell your grandchildren that you were a part of the 2008 Presidential Election."
Obama’s candidacy has had huge implications for African Americans, while Hillary Clinton and Sarah Palin have made it clearer than ever that national politics don’t have to be a male-dominated arena. Asian Americans, however, are a group that have received considerably less attention. According to the Ithaca Asian American Association, or IAAA, 17% of Ithacans are Asian American—not an insignificant percentage. In states like Virginia and Nevada, according to a Voice of America article, Asian Americans could even swing the election. Participation among Asian Americans in politics, however, tends to be inconsistent from place to place. According to Tompkins County legislator and Cornell graduate student Nathan Shinagawa, the key factor in Asian American political participation is a generational one. In states like California, where Asian American populations have been well-established for multiple generations, residents have elected legislators like Senator Leland Yee and Assemblymember Mike Eng. In New York State, however, Asian American populations are newer and so political participation is less firmly established. “When you go to places like New York State, then you can count the number of Asian American elected officials on one hand,” Shinagawa said. There are a variety of reasons for new generations of Asian immigrants to be uninvolved politically. Amy Kwo Somchanhmavong, a member of the IAAA’s board of directors, said that some Asian Americans avoid politics due to a toxic political environment in their home countries. Others suffer from a lack of a real sense of belonging within the new culture. “There’s this whole perception of Asian Americans as an immigrant population, that they’re new to the area, that they don’t speak the language…so the sense of foreignness has an impact,” Somchanhmavong said. Thankfully, as Asian American populations have time to settle and grow, they become more and more integrated which, according to Shinagawa, will lead to increased participation and more Asian American candidates, just as is happening in California. “The treasurer of California is an Asian American guy. In Santa Clara county, there’s more than 40, I think, elected officials that are Asian American. And so it’s huge there.” The puzzle pieces for increased participation in more parts of the country are already in place. Shinagawa said that more than half of Asian Americans in US colleges and universities were born in the United States. These populations are educated, well informed, and understand American culture and politics. “Give them another 10 years, and those people will be running for local-level office,” Shinagawa said. Tiffany Cheng, spokesperson for the Ithaca College Asian Culture Club, drew from her own experience living in New York City’s Chinatown to explain why early generations of Asian immigrants tend to avoid politics. Her explanation echoed Somchanhmavong’s: Chinatown residents, Cheng said, feel less comfortable outside of Chinatown because values, language, and overall culture suddenly change. Outside of their ethnic enclave, they feel they have to adhere to a separate and sometimes unfamiliar set of rules. “We’re pretty loud and outspoken within our own community because we feel like these are people that can connect to us. But once we step out of Chinatown, Chinese people kind of get shy about it.” In addition, newcomers to the country might too preoccupied with immediate needs to worry about politics. Settling into a new place is never easy, and some priorities are going to take precedence over others. “They’re really focused on having a good job, getting enough money to pay for bills…you know, just making sure you have enough money to live for the next day. So they’re not really worried about politics or anything like that,” Cheng said.
Related Media:
A piece on the Asian American vote, courtesy CBS News.
Not everyone will pull the lever on election day. For those who will be unavoidably absent from their counties; unable to vote at a polling place due to illness, injury or disability; or are patients in in a Veteran's Administration or detainees in jail for convictions other than felonies; participation in Election Day will be via absentee ballot.
As of October 29th, about 4,000 absentee ballots were mailed to voters registered in Tomkins County. Especially for voters residing outside of counties in which they are registered, it can be difficult to keep up with the local politics of their area. "It's hard to know who to vote for because I am so removed," Kyle Stevens said. Stevens is a resident of Otsego County and a junior at Ithaca College.
Stevens has gathered information from different sources about candidates for local, state and national offices. The internet has been his primary source for many of the candidates' backgrounds and positions on different issues. "I use candidates' websites because I can find their stances on what matters most to me," Stevens said. Campaign websites offer media such as footage of debates and news feeds to keep updated on the most recent campaign developments.
Local candidates, Stevens experienced, were harder to find online. He instead received information by mail after registering for an absentee ballot. According to Tompkins County Board of Elections Commissioner Stephen DeWitt, candidates are able to acquire a list of absentee voters from county BOE offices.
“Various campaigns take responsibility for absentee ballots and will send mailings to people who are on the permanent absentee ballot list," Irene W. Stein, chair of the Tomkins County Democratic Committee, said. "I think that candidates want the vote and they do everything they can to communicate with the voter, and voters exhibit varying degrees of interest...it’s a joint responsibility. It’s the job of the candidate if he wants to win, and the responsibility of the voter, and sometimes these things come together."
In Tompkins County, the Board of Elections will be open on Monday. Voters can still request an absentee ballot in person, and still have the chance to take part in Tuesday's historic election.
What’s the best way to get college students to vote in the upcoming election? Drive a bus around the country and invite students to come aboard and learn just how easy and important it is.
That’s what Project Vote Smart has been doing over the last year in preparation for the election coming up on Tuesday. The bus, which is over 45 feet long, travels across the country in an attempt to deliver to potential voters what it calls a “Voter Self-Defense System.” This program helps teach those who come aboard how to avoid being swayed by incorrect information stemming from political campaigns.
College campaigns in general have recently tried to stress the idea of getting out to vote and making informed decisions. This year, MTV conducted a “Get Out the Vote” campaign where they had several big music celebrities discussing the election and explaining the need to voice your opinion. The College Democrats of America also have created a website where they stress the need to inform students of their right to vote and encourages them to report incidents where they are intimidated from doing so.
The main goal of these campaigns is helping to increase votership among college students, a population that traditionally puts out low voting totals. When speaking with Ithaca College sophomore Ann Henry, she noted the importance of college students getting out and at least being informed about the current issues and the candidates. You can see her full response in the video below.
The Project Vote Smart bus recently made stops on the Ithaca College campus, as well as campuses around the Northeast. Two of these were Hofstra University, which featured an appearance by the bus for the final presidential debate, and St. John’s University’s Queens Campus. In both of these stops, students were able to gain an important perspective on making informed decisions while voting.
Matthew Krul, a junior at Hofstra University, discussed his experience at the bus saying, “I really felt like I learned so much more and now am capable of going into a polling place with confidence that I will make the right choice in voting.” This kind of feeling is what the Project Vote Smart bus tour hopes for. At St. John’s, junior Branden Lam noted that “The idea of a bus touring around campuses to try and get students to go out and vote in such an important election is really great. I am happy they came and taught me some important things.”
Whether it be a bus traveling around the country or a 30 second advertisement played several times on television or radio, it is clear that college students are being targeted to learn about the importance of voting. In addition, they are being taught how to make smart choices when voting. These lessons are priceless tools that can make a big difference in how our country turns out following the next several elections.
Below, I have included a map of some of the locations where the bus has visited over in the Northeast over the last month. In addition, you can read this article from the Ithaca Journal for more information about the Project Vote Smart bus tour’s visit to Ithaca. For more about Project Vote Smart, please visit their website.
The lights are bright on the stage where candidates Don Barber and James Seward sit. Papers, containing facts, opponent weaknesses and their promises, are strewn across the round plastic tables where each waits for their questions. Three television cameras and more than one hundred people sit patiently hanging on their every response. However, this political debate is not for a place in Washington D.C., but instead for a seat in Albany. There is no security and those who have come to watch are greeted with apple cider and home baked cookies. This debate is not being held at Hofstra or Ole Miss and is not being moderate by Brokaw or Lehrer, but instead it is refereed by a group of elderly women - and it is of local importance.
The Tuesday Oct. 28 debate, held at Tompkins Cortland Community College and organized by the League of Women’s Voters of Tompkins County, cast a very different light on political debates. The grandeur and pomp and circumstance of the presidential debates many have seen, some more than once, was absent. This debate for the New York State Senate seat in the 51st District was grassroots politics and, despite the snow on Tuesday, many came out to support it.
“It’s really cool to actually watch something like this happen,” said Ithaca College sophomore Elijah Kruger, “You are so far removed from the presidential ones but here you can really see it.” Kruger was one of the more than hundred spectators at the debate. The audience, while mostly older, did contain some younger voters. However, while their ages varied, all were allowed to ask the candidates questions.
“We provide an opportunity for the community to ask questions to the candidates and we moderate the forum. We delete duplicate questions and we time the opening statements and we time the candidate’s response. We are a non-partisan organization so we don’t support either party, we just perform a community service,” said Kay Sharp President of the League of Women Voters of Tompkins County.
Besides for the cookies and lack of security, the real familiarity of the debate was the most striking difference. The questions asked were to the point, often just one sentence long, leaving little room for the candidates to talk their way out of anything. The differences are seen in the two separate video clips below. One is of the presidential debate and the other is from the state senate debate. Both show the candidates answering questions on the economy.
While the differences are apparent, there were also some similarities. For example the phrase "on my farm" was said more than a dozen times by the candidates, an amusing allusion to such presidential catch phrases as "Joe the Plumer" and "change." However, the senatorial debate did cover other issues such as health care, gay marriage, abortion, and many other hot topics of the election cycle. Many were issues that those in the audience, like Kruger, wanted to hear about. “By being able to get your question answered right on the spot you know they don’t have much time to talk around it. And plus these are the guys making the laws that really have an impact on me,” he said.
Sharp reiterated the importance of the debate, but from the politician standpoint: “Usually we respond to a request from candidates from outside of Ithaca to moderate a candidate forum. This year both Barber and Seward requested that we moderate the event.” She said that in years past they have had audience members speak directly to the candidates, but for this forum both debaters asked that the questions be written out on cards.
The 51st Senatorial District comprises the counties of Otsego, Greene, Schoharie, Herkimer, Cortland, parts of Chenango, and the towns of Danby, Caroline, Groton, and Dryden in Tompkins County. This year James Seward is the incumbent Republican candidate and Don Barber is the Democratic candidate.
“It’s time we open the doors of the senate and let the sun light of democracy shine in,” said Don Barber to the auditorium. Seward countered him in his closing statement saying, “It has been a real privilege to work with my district over the past 20 years, and I have been in every part of my district time and time again, because it is important to me, not just at election time, but whenever the towns and my constitutes have needed help.”
While it is important to hear the issues and more important to vote this coming Tuesday, it was Sharp who best expressed why these grassroots debates are important: “These debates are different because the public has a way of asking and structuring the course of the debate. While we read the question we just allow the candidates to answer. We’re just structuring the way the questions are asked and answered, rather than just the candidates speaking to no one in particular.”
Top to Bottom: The audience watches intently at the debate on Tuesday; The moderator, a member of the League of Women Voters of Tompkins County asks the candidates questions; Seward (closest) and Barber (far side of the stage) debate in front of the crowd and media.
To check out another debate between these two politicians click here
ABOVE: A Cornell student at the Resisting Empire lecture last Monday preaches to the converted about the purpose of emphasizing the war in Iraq when the current political agenda has become distracted with the election and fiscal crisis.
“Sometimes you watch the nightly news and there’s no mention of the war in Iraq,” Laila Al-Arian said, an anti-war activist and freelance journalist. “People just feel like it doesn’t affect them.”
Al-Arian addressed Tompkins County in a “Resisting Empire” lecture last Monday evening along with Iraq war veteran Camilo MejÃa to discuss the horrors of the current and overlooked war.
“[People] don’t realize soldiers are instructed to do horrible things like torture civilians without any reason,” MejÃa said during the lecture on Cornell’s campus, who was imprisoned by the U.S. government for one year for desertion.
Al-Arian and MejÃa are some of the few national icons making a statement about the war during a time of distraction with an exciting election and current fiscal crisis. Ithaca resident and Peace Now, Ithaca member Lena Posner believes local organization like hers can help citizens prioritize.
Peace Now is a local anti-war organization responsible for presenting the idea of a community sanctuary for war veterans in the Ithaca city. On Oct. 1, the bill was passed unanimously by Common Council.
Posner said there are some proposals out in San Francisco and Berkley in California who are looking to model their anti-war efforts similarly to Ithaca’s and she will be working with them.
“As far as I’m concerned, the local and national are pretty inseparable. We’re making all these efforts locally and it’s bringing people together,” she said. “It’s also an ability for our community to connect with others.”
Posner brought forth the Ithaca resolution to MejÃa on Monday evening also to discuss branching out. She said a woman in the Washington D.C. area was asking around for help creating a sanctuary in her community and Peace Now wanted to help. The resolution has helped other local efforts, especially by those of the Vietnam and Iraq Veterans Against the War (VVAW and IVAW).
“These organizations help you realize what’s really going on,” Louis DeBenedette said, a Vietnam Era veteran and member of VVAW.
The Campus Anti-War Network (CAN) at Ithaca College and Cornell has recently been pushing anti activism in the county as well, through school organizations lectures like the Resisting Empire tour.
Al-Arian said grassroots efforts like these national organizations operating on the local level would make the notion of anti war a reality.
“It’s very important what anti–war groups are doing because…it will take a grassroots organization to move from town to town, city to city, for people to come together and say enough is enough,” she said.
Tompkins County is home to the City of Ithaca, widely known as one of the most liberal cities in the country. This could make it seem like Tompkins County is a one-party town.
However, the Tompkins County Republican Party is working to change that. “Our main goal is to regain the ground we’ve lost to the Democrats over the past 20 years…We’ve made strides with new ideas, new members and a new financial base, but more needs to be done,” Mike Sigler, chairperson of the Tompkins County Republican Party said.
“A lot of it is just breaking through with your ideas. You can have the best plan in the world, but if nobody hears it, the people won’t know you have a position they can support….The majority tends to overwhelm, even when their ideas won’t work,” Sigler said.
There are several pockets in Tompkins County where there’s a strong conservative tone. Sigler cites Dryden, Groton, Enfield, and Caroline as GOP strongholds? Sigler and other Republican organizations in Tompkins County have faced several obstacles working in such a liberal stronghold
“We’ve put out hundreds of McCain signs, although we’ve had trouble keeping them up in the City of Ithaca,” Sigler said.
Ray Mensah, the President of the Cornell University College Republicans has had similar problems. “I’ve put up signs and posters advertising our organization and when I go back about 10 minutes later to check on them, they’re already taken down.”
Even though it appears as if Obama will take New York State on November 4th, Sigler and Mensah aren’t discouraged. Mensah stresses the fact that the CU College Republicans can still give funds to the Republican National Committee, and points out that they’re traveling to swing states such as Pennsylvania to campaign. Sigler meanwhile stresses the importance of local government and other seats. “We have three State Senators who my committee people are investing most of their time in. We are also working hard to get out the vote for Richard Hanna and George Phillips who are running for Congress.”
Although Republicans in Tompkins County are facing a distinct disadvantage, they’re still positive about their party. That’s evident in the first line of Mike Sigler’s ‘Message from the Chair’ on the Tompkins County Republican Party website. He states, “It’s a good time to be a Republican.”
Below is a map with the main Republican areas in Tompkins County, as well as a video I made documenting my quest to find some McCain supporters in Tompkins County.(The stats from the map were taken from city-data.com
"They're focusing too much on the younger generation I think," said Judy Cuyle of Spencer New York. Cuyle is a 63-year old resident and a registered voter. She plans to go to the polls this coming Tuesday to make her selection on the ballot but Cuyle is still on the fence. "I was a registered Republican but changed to Democrat in Bush's first term," Cuyle says. "Now I'm not sure how I'll vote."
Like Cuyle, many over-sixty voters feel the economy is the most important factor in the upcoming election. With the recent nose dive on Wall Street, those close to retirement or already depending on Social Security are looking to the next President to do something to save the floundering U.S. economy.
"Neither [candidate] seems to know much about the economy," says Cuyle. "They're both out of touch with what it's like to live in the real world."
The trend in Obama's campaign trail, as noted in several major newspapers, is that a great number of his supporters are in the 18-21 age range. Yet trends at the polls suggest that over 60 percent of those over sixty actually appear and fill out the ballot. The national average for the rest of the U.S. population is about ten percent lower.
Dave Wilson, 67, agrees with Cuyle.
"The main issue is the economy," he said. The Dryden resident has been a registered Republican in the past and is sticking by his party this election.
"I don't feel that [the candidates] are ignoring me," Wilson said.
Above, Dave Wilson explains why he doesn't feel ignored.
Kristin Olson, 20, of Ithaca, hasn't voted in a Presidential election before. Yet she too has noticed an intense focus on younger voters as she has followed the election.
"It seemed that Obama was doing it first. What else could McCain do except make some effort to vie for the same votes?", Olson said.
Olson admits that several of her friends will not be participating in the election process, but most are. A common misconception is that the Nixon-Kennedy election was the last to draw in young voters-- the reality is that this election will be the first that a major projected youth vote has occured.
Ignored or not, each individual has an equal opportunity to go to the polls this coming Tuesday (November 4) and have a say in who the next President of America will be.
Making the most of the long Tompkins County winter is just a little easier with local ski areas like Greek Peak or farther away Labrador Mountain.
Greek Peak is open Monday-Thursday 9:30 AM to 9:00 PM and Fridays 9:30 AM to 10:00 PM. On Saturdays it's open 8:30 AM to 10:00 PM, and Sundays 8:30 AM to 9:00 PM. A day lift ticket is $58 adults and $49 kids 14 and under.
Labrador Mountain's hours are Monday through Saturday 9:00 AM to 10:00 PM and Sundays 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Day (9-hour) lift tickets are $43 adults and $32 children 6-12 years of age.
Local clubs like the Newfield Ski Club provide opportunities for Tompkins County residents to mingle on the slopes. The Newfield club is especially kid and parent-friendly.
Short, tall, large, tiny, medium, average, young, old, dark-skinned, light-skinned, foreign and domestice congregates file into churches, synagogues, and other places of worship once a week.
They come to read scripture. They come to reflect. They come to center their lives. They come to escape from their hectic schedules, the screeching sound of tires at red traffic lights and the millions of advertisements that are thrown in their faces on a daily basis. The everyday American does not go to Church looking to hear who to vote for - at least not in Tompkins County.
Recently in the news, congressmen have been speaking out against pastors who have been endorsing political candidates while on the pulpit. Labeled as non-profit organizations, religious places of worship receive a tax exemption code from the IRS. To keep this exemption, churches must stay out of politics; however, with so much controversy surrounding this year's presidential election some pastors have crossed the line between church and state.
Dr. James R. Henery, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Ithaca, strongly disagrees with clergy members who speak for or against a specific candidate while in church.
"Weaving politics and faith and church into a compatible relationship is not something that Presbyterians historically have accepted," Henery said in his Sept. 14 sermon. "We believe in separation."
Ithaca College Jewish Chaplain, Michael Faber, agrees with Henery.
"As a chaplain, I am obliged to stay out of politics," Faber said. "I am a very firm believer that religious leaders are making a gigantic error if they enter the political fray. Religious leaders who do, perform a great disservice to their followers."
Lee Imbriano, Ithaca College Catholic Community assistant and correspondent to off campus Catholic affairs, submerged himself into this issue on Oct. 9. Imbriano spoke at the discussion entitled "Who Should I Vote for as a Catholic?" downtown at Ithaca's Immaculate Conception Parish. The reason behind this gathering was to discuss the importance of making educated, conscious decisions when voting in any election. By the end, the panel, of which Imbriano was a member, simply told the attendees that it is their job as faithful citizens to get informed, research the issues, and pray. The Catholic Church could not tell them who to vote for.
To hear what else Imbriano had to say on the matter, check out this video:
Ithaca, as most know and agree, is a very liberal and politically enthusiastic place. With Ithaca College and Cornell University sitting on its two peaks, the general population cannot help but give off an intelligent aura. Henery agrees by saying his congregation is too clever to let him get away with telling them who to vote for.
"Imagine this morning if you had come to this sanctuary, and I had began to tell you whom you should vote for," Henery said in his sermon. "Imagine I tell you what kind of car you should drive, what kind of food you should eat, where to shop, what movies to watch, all sorts of decisions that I have no business to dictate but used scripture or some faith statement to support my directions. You should have got up and walked out."
Here is a map of some of the local Ithaca churches:
The above photo was taken at a Catholic mass at Ithaca College on Sunday Oct. 26. Father Carsten, the Ithaca College Catholic Chaplain, is giving his homily, in which he mentions making smart and conscious decisions on Election Day.
Larry Hardesty may not have a home, but he does have something valuable -- the right to vote. Hardesty, who resides at the American Red Cross of Tompkins County Friendship Center, will be casting his ballot on Election Day in Tompkins County which is something not many other homeless people can say.
The homeless vote has long been a forgotten vote when it comes to the Presidential Election. According to the National Coalition for the Homeless, lower class and homeless individuals vote at a much lower rate than those with a higher income. The majority of the issues voted upon affect the lower class and homeless directly, yet the input from this group is non-existent due to the lack of voting.
Charles Buckley, also a resident of the Center, is not registered to vote. He holds little interest in the election and has no intention of becoming a registered voter. “I follow the election when I have time,” he said.
So why the lack of votes among the homeless? Problems that prevent many homeless people from voting include failure to have proper identification for registration as well as a lack of available resources in order to become knowledgeable about the candidates and their campaigns.
Homeless individuals such as Hardestey are difficult to find among the homeless population. Hardestey is quite knowledgeable about the election and holds strong opinions based on this knowledge. “Republicans have done a crap job for the past eight years,” he said. “I’d like to see a new person because it’s time- I mean, it can’t get any worse.”
Though Hardestey is informed about the election thanks to “the media and people”, many others are not, therefore leaving a large number of homeless individuals who are not registered.
Amanda House, also a resident of the Friendship Center, is not a registered voter and never has been. Her lack of resources regarding the election has led her to choose not to vote. “I never really know who to pick and I’m not good at judging people so I don’t vote,” she said.
Organizations such as the National Coalition for the Homeless have created volunteer-based campaigns across the country such as "You Don't Need a Home to Vote" in order to promote the importance of the homeless vote. The campaigns are an important stride toward obtaining the homeless vote, yet they are still far from achieving this.
In the mean time, it is up to individuals such as Hardestey, to get the word out. “Tell everyone to vote,” he said. “It’s the only way for change.”
“You eat when you get the chance,” Mike Oot says over breakfast at a diner a short walk from his campaign office. When campaigning in a congressional district encompassing more than 14,000 square miles, food isn’t always your primary concern.
Oot, a Democrat from Madison County, is running for Congress in the 23rd Congressional District (seen on the nationalatlas.gov map above). A lawyer from the rural community of Stockbridge, New York, Oot is a newcomer to the realm of politics. His only previous political experience is as a school board member. His campaign website is located here.
Undertaking a political campaign of this scale is an incredible undertaking. Oot said he began seriously considering running in spring of 2007. He announced his intention to challenge 10-term incumbent John Mchugh approximately seven months ago.
The campaign is truly a grassroots effort. The 23rd District contains part or all of 11 counties and can take as long as four hours to traverse north to south. “I’ve been door-to-door in all 11,” Oot says. He believes for each door you knock on the word of mouth spreads to several others.
Without an established web of political supporters, networking is essential. The Madison County Democratic Party endorsed Oot very early on. Procuring the support of town and county committees is crucial to getting the petition signatures necessary to get on the ballot.
Campaign volunteers are critical to any successful campaign. When trying to get your name out over a massive region, the work of each volunteer becomes essential.
“More people are engaged the closer we get to the election,” Oot says of his fervent volunteer core. “There is only one paid staffer in the campaign.”
Even with volunteers helping every step of the way, running for congress is a taxing ordeal. Oot commented that “sleeping in” means not waking up by 6:00 a.m. Door-to-door campaigning, campaign events, and meetings with the press fill each day’s schedule.
The support from his family has been the driving force behind keeping Oot going on the campaign trail. “They have been supportive every step of the way,” Oot says. “They make it possible.”
With the election right around the corner, things won’t be slowing down until Election Day. Oot plans to watch the returns with supporters in Oneida. Despite the rigors of the campaign, he insists it has been a pleasure. “There have been more highs than lows.”
Below is a video of the Oot campaign in Plattsburgh courtesy of WPTZ, an NBC affiliate in Plattsburgh.
On Thursday evening, Tom Wolfe, distinguished writer and founder of “new journalism,” addressed the Ithaca College campus. In a filled Emerson Suites hall, Wolfe spoke about his life experiences and stories from his days as a reporter.
Dianne Lynch, dean of the Park School of Communications, began her presentation titling Mr. Wolfe as a “charming legend,” “a true hero in American journalism,” and a “signifier and chronicler of time.”
Mr. Wolfe spoke of his youthful days growing up in Richmond, Virginia, and a reporter who incorrectly quoted his sarcastic comment on the Blackstone IPO as “ I think it's the end of capitalism as we know it.” Rarely but surely, he slipped in his personal belief and comments about American journalism and provided advice for students who dreamed of becoming writers. He also said Roy H. Park provided the best program for such writers, to which Dean Lynch smiled and gave the thumbs-up to other faculty members.
A personal story:
Some personal advice:
Mr. Wolfe concluded his lecture by calling the blogosphere a “pack of rumors,” that marked a failure in modern journalism. I shortly afterwards during the Q&A asked him to elaborate on said-comment, citing nationally-renowned blogger Josh Marshall (Talking Points Memo, TPM) as an example of true and honest reporting.
[Sorry for the shaky camera work, I was so nervous approaching him! And I wasn't really paying attention to the feed.]
And another remark from this traditional “LEGACY” journalist:
Here are some student reactions:
Amy Born, Ithaca College sophomore Rich Meisel, Cornell University employee David Moore, Ithaca College junior
His address marked the 13th lecture at the college in the Park Distinguished Visitor Series, brought through the generosity of Dorothy Park, Adele Gomer, and Park Foundation. Last time Mr. Wolfe was on IC’s campus, he was addressing the class of 1986 at Commencement.
This blog is a class experiment in creating multimedia journalism for the web. Our goal here is to create an online news source that focuses on the stories in Tompkins County, New York FOR the people of Tompkins County.
We are a News Reporting & Writing class inside the Roy H. Park School of Communications at Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. Our goal is to become THE online news source for this area.
All of the content generated on this blog is by students within this class. We hope you enjoy our blog, and stop by from time to time to catch up on what is going on in Tompkins County.
If you are looking for a one-stop shop for election coverage here in Tompkins County, Ithaca College's radio station 92 WICB will have plenty of it today. The station has set up a special Web page for tracking election results nationally and locally.
