LISA CUMBIE
Living Editor
There are many students at Pepperdine who are very involved in political events and already know exactly which candidates they’re going to vote for in the next election. But then there is the rest of the campus that has no idea what is going on for the 2008 presidential election and probably only knows of three candidates running for the presidency, thanks to the mainstream media’s fixation on them – Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and Rudy Giuliani.
But whether you want to think about it or not, college students are the future of this country and will be the movers and shakers of tomorrow. This isn’t a platform for why you should vote (you’ll probably read more about that in the Perspectives section as elections near), but if you do plan to vote, it needs to be an educated decision. After all, this is the fate of the United States.
So, to help you along in your search for the best candidate, here’s a quick guide to narrowing the field.
Step one: Explore the issues
Before you can pick a candidate, it is important to understand the issues in the campaigns. In each election, there are more prominent issues that are discussed in debates among candidates, including stem cell research, abortion laws, social security and taxes. It is important to know the major topics in order to tune into them when there are debates or commentaries. It is also important to establish a general knowledge of the issues in order to better receive the solutions from the candidates. A great place to look for the issues are the Web sites of local and national news channels – as well as other sites, such as realclearpolitics.com.
Step two: Research past solutions and establish affiliation
It is important to understand the previous attempts at solutions for the problems posed in the United States. Understanding the successes and failures of the system will enable you to assess the plans of the candidates to determine whether or not they will be effective. Also look to see which programs may currently be in effect that address the issues and determine their efficacy.
After gaining an understanding of the issues, form an opinion on which solutions seem to better fit your personal morals and beliefs. Also, be realistic in terms of which solutions are most likely to be effective. After looking at your views collectively, you should be able to associate yourself with one of the parties. If you’re having difficulty deciding where you stand, try taking a self-quiz on the political spectrum at Web sites like politicalcompass.org.
Step three: Meet your party’s candidates
Youtube.com can be a wonderful resource for getting to know your candidates. Though we know it best for viewing short video clips for entertainment purposes (like the guy who loves Britney), the site has put together a section of the Web site strictly reserved for presidential elections called YouChoose. Each candidate has a page set up, organized by political party, where the user can view their pages to find links to interviews, debates and commercials for the candidates. It is very important to become familiar with each candidate within the party because they each have slight variations of what some would call the ‘liberal’ and ‘conservative’ stance on issues. Also, make sure the character of the candidate is consistent with your morals and values.
Step four: Consider expert opinions
Believe it or not, there are people getting paid to sit around and discuss politics all day. Political commentators and political analysts are some of the most knowledgeable people on the subject matter. So why not take advantage of it? Cable news networks provide many commentators for both political parties. Though pundits spend much of their time bashing opposing views, you will walk away with better knowledge of the issues. There are also Web sites designed specifically for political commentators and analysts, usually affiliated with one party; dailykos.com (for the left) and townhall.com (for the right) are good places to start.
Step five: Pick your candidate and register to vote
After you get to know the candidates and have considered an expert opinion, determine the one you most closely associate with and follow their progress up to the state primary elections. State primaries are your first chance to show support for your carefully chosen candidate. But remember, primary elections begin in January and dates vary by state, so register early to make your opinion count. You don’t want all of your hard work to go to waste.
09-27-2007