Elizabeth Jensen - UNC-Chapel Hill: October 2008 Archives

Baraktoberfest at UNC

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Thursday afternoon UNC-Chapel Hill Young Democrats hosted Baracktoberfest outside of the Morehead Building, the early voting site for students and local residents. The event included painting faces, decorating "cookies for change," painting pumpkins and bobbing for apples.

Baraktoberfest_01.jpgAppearances by Valerie Biden Owens, Joe Biden's sister, and Ashley Judd began the festivities. Before speaking to the crowd Owens shook hands, told jokes and asked students their names, majors and hometowns.

"This is so much more important than any one dream," Owens said about the upcoming election. "We are talking about electing the leader of the free world. ... It is a heck of a responsibility, the candidates responsibility and your responsibility."

Owens recounted childhood stories and the morals passed on by her parents. She concluded by encouraging the audience to vote and bring others to the polls.

"We've got to bring everyone in the universe into this," she said. "Let's go give 'em hell and vote."

Baraktoberfest_03.jpgJudd began by joking with the crowd. If UNC-CH delivered North Carolina blue on Nov. 4, she would sit in the Tar Heel student section for the basketball game between Carolina and her alma mater, the  University of Kentucky Wildcats, she said.

"The world is watching North Carolina," Judd said. "You have the opportunity to turn it blue for the first time since 1976."

When she finished speaking, she gave the audience an opportunity to ask questions. What brought her to UNC-CH was the first question.

"Students are notoriously unreliable voters," she said. "Reach out to your friends and peers and invite them to give a shit."

Judd finished by leading the crowd in a chant for Obama.

"We are a large demographic that goes mainly unrepresented," UNC-CH student Molly Matthews said. "We are America's future."

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UNC marches to the polls

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Thumbnail image for march_02.jpgUNC-Chapel Hill Young Democrats rallied students in the Pit, the heart of Carolina's campus, to march to the Morehead Building to vote early on Wednesday.

march_03.jpgThe students, chanting in support of Obama, marched through one of the central campus quads and past a large display questioning the morality of abortion.
  
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James Taylor performs at UNC in support of Obama

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Taylor07.JPG Taylor08.JPGStudents and community members filed inside Morehead Building at UNC-Chapel Hill to vote early and to receive tickets to an Obama rally Monday night.

Rep. David Price, D-N.C., who is running for reelection, made an appearance, but the event centered around a performance by James Taylor.

Around 6,000 people filled the bleachers and track in Fetzer Field, said Paul Cox, the North Carolina press secretary for the Obama campaign.

During the rally, Taylor encouraged people to vote early and endorsed Obama. He had the crowd join with him as he sang "go Obama go."

Taylor also sang his classics "You've Got a Friend" and "Carolina in My Mind." He added some new lyrics, including "you've got a friend in Obama tonight." His wife, Kim Smedvig, joined him onstage for his final songs.

"This is a historical moment especially for the Tar Heel state on the cusp of going blue for Obama," Taylor said.

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Why early vote?

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UNC-Chapel Hill junior Jimmy Waters decided to early vote because he had an hour of free time Monday and thought the lines would be shorter.

He said it was easier to vote at the on-campus early voting site than his voting day location. His freshman year he waited to vote until Election Day and had to walk two miles in the pouring rain to cast his ballot, he said with a laugh.

"From that moment on I have early voted."

Have you voted early? Why or why not?

Carolina hosts congressional debate

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Rep. David Price, D-N.C., and Dr. B.J. Lawson squared off for votes in North Carolina's fourth district Tuesday night at a student-led debate.
 
"The fourth district represents students," moderator Andrew Pham said. "The only way we can exercise our power is to vote."
 
debate_02.jpgMore than 500 students were invited to the debate through Facebook, and 300 confirmed coming, Pham said. Anyone could submit questions through the Facebook groups.
 
The debate questions addressed the economy, local domestic policy, national domestic issues, foreign policy and international issues.
 
"I've supported Congressman Price for a long time," student Anna Feagan said. "I will be voting here and living here for a while, so I feel his politics will be affecting me."
 
Price attended UNC-Chapel Hill in the early 1960s where he was involved in politics and the Civil Rights Movement. This election is a key moment in history, and Price wants students to be involved, Price said.
 
"It's their future," Price said. "The generation in their 20s have more at stake than anyone else."
 
Lawson's primary campaign focus is to bring people's attention back to the Constitution. Campaign volunteers have been passing out small copies of the Constitution on campus and at other political events.
 
"I met him last December and immediately signed up," student and campaign volunteer Kacy Fortner said. "My voice is best heard when I help out a local candidate for a federal office. ... He is in my opinion the ideal candidate."
 
Lawson's campaign includes The Peace, Prosperity and Liberty Forum Friday night on UNC's campus. Musical guest Marc Scibilia will perform prior to the forum. Other members of the forum will include Adam Kokest and Bruce Fein.

Political kvetching in the DTH

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Kvetching is complaining.

And every week Carolina students have the opportunity to voice their anonymous complaints through the kvetching board on the opinion page of The Daily Tar Heel. Three of last week's gripes had to do with politics.

"Does anyone realize that Obama is the epitome of a pop culture candidate?" one student wrote.

Voter registration wraps up at UNC

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Even as registration closes today, the number of registered voters in Orange County, home to UNC-Chapel Hill, continues to climb.

 
There are 101,788 registered voters in the county, an increase of 12,301 voters since January 2007, said Tracy Reams, director of Orange County Board of Elections said. Young adults, age 18 to 24, make up 18 percent of the voters in the county.

voters.jpgUNC Young Democrats encourage students to register with their dorm addresses. Since the semester began, they have registered more than 4,000 students, member Annelieae Arno said. Arno has spent two to three hours every week this semester helping students register.

Over the past few weeks, volunteers from the Young Democrats contributed hundreds of hours registering voters. Now that most midterms are over, more people have been able to participate, Arno said.
 
In the course of one hour Lee Storrow and Tracey Barrett, the Young Democrats pictured above, helped register about 20 students.

"It's so important," Barrett said. "Voter registration is the most important thing to giving everyone a voice. ... I don't mind standing out here at all. I'd do this all day."

Are the College Republicans making extensive efforts to register voters?
 
"No, I feel that point is very well covered by the Young Democrats," said Lydia Walker, a member of UNC College Republicans.
 
Steve Hill at the McCain's Durham Victory Office said that the Republicans always have forms when they set up tables at events.
 
"We're hoping you get an educated voter," he said. "We make it available ... but there isn't an effort to force them to that."

Still undecided? UNC forum helps

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Tonight three UNC-Chapel Hill political organizations held an open forum for undecided voters. They could ask College Republicans, College Libertarians or Young Democrats any question that came to mind.

"I don't know a lot about this kind of thing," Elyse Pate said. "That's why I'm here."

forum.jpgThe issues discussed included the war, abortion, the economy, health care and alternative energy.

"I thought it was a big success because I was under the impression there were not that many undecided voters," said Alex Novgorodov, who represented the College Republicans. "We can change minds that were undecided or misinformed."

McCain's grizzly bear joke discussed in evolution recitation

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In a Tuesday recitation for ecology and evolution, the discussion drifted to Sen. John McCain's comment about grizzly bear research in Montana.

"We're not going to spend $3 million again to study the DNA of bears in Montana," McCain said when talking about big spending in Washington, during one of his speeches. "I don't know if that was a paternal or criminal issue, but it's not going to happen again."

Amanda Chunco, the class TA and fifth year graduate student, did not find McCain's joke funny.

"By disparaging science, he shows he doesn't care," she said. "The way he talked about it shows that he didn't take the time to understand it."

Watch the clip of McCain's speech.