Last week, President-elect Barack Obama announced his national security team, which included former rival Sen. Hillary Clinton as his pick for secretary of state. In the same week, elections were held for a run-off Senate race in Georgia between Republican incumbent Saxby Chambliss and Democrat Jim Martin. Chambliss decidedly won the run-off with 58 percent of the vote. These two events have one common concern: the political makeup of the Senate.
Full story
The fall of the Republican Party was a long time coming. With a figurehead such as President George W. Bush, it’s hard to see how the right could be referred to as the “Grand Old Party” in the first place.
Full story
The election is well behind us, but my euphoria is still far from over. This was definitely the year for the Democratic Party. It’s been awhile since the nation has looked this blue.
Full story
Last week’s election was revolutionary in many ways. Here in San Diego, which is typically conservative, we had an incredible turnaround for the Democratic Party, electing Democrats Marti Emerald, Sherri Lightner and Todd Gloria to the City Council. We also elected Democrat Marty Block as our next State Assemblymen. “Liberal” Propositions 1A, 2, and 3 all passed, and the “conservative” Proposition 4 was defeated. But the most contested proposition on the ballot, no matter which side you were on, was Proposition 8. Now it’s written into the California Constitution that only marriage between a man and a woman is valid and recognized in this state, effectively eliminating marriage for same-sex couples.
Full story
If you care about being able to drink beer on the beach, you can’t just vote for the president today. Voting for the presidential race will change the future of this country, but it won’t change the nature of your ability to party. If you can’t name the local proposition that will do that, you’re not alone. It doesn’t occur to most people our age that this election affects us on more than just a federal level. With all of the public’s attention on the race for the White House, no one’s paying any attention to all the other “minor” races and ballot initiatives, even the ones that will affect you for the rest of your life.
Full story
Everyone may be sick of hearing about the election, but we hate talking about the economy even more. Unfortunately, while it may be possible to ignore an election, it’s hard to miss your skyrocketing bills, soaring prices of gas and food, and the very real possibility of losing your job — assuming you still have one. The economy is on everyone’s mind, even if we don’t understand it very much.
Full story
With the presidential elections so close, a proposal to increase San Diego State’s student fees by $80 a semester is not at the forefront of students’ minds. Of course, one reason many students don’t even know about this is because not every student will have an opportunity to vote on it.
Full story
All of the hemming and hawing about how we young people don’t vote, are lazy and have no sense of civic responsibility is old news. We’ve heard it before. But in this election, we have a chance to change that perception. And it’s possible we just might take it.
Full story
Green is the new Red and Black on campus. With the advent of the Green Love Advisory Board with Associated Students, we've now institutionalized the principles of sustainability into our student body. It seems everyone is catching the green bug, and it's becoming a trend to be environmentally friendly. I never though I'd see the day when it would be in-vogue to sort through aluminum and plastic. Despite the movement's increasing popularity, you still see students at San Diego State who throw away plastic bottles in trash cans. The main reason for this is that recycling bins are hard to find on campus.
Full story
In the midst of all this economic turmoil, it’s nice to see some things never change. Back in August, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) engaged in a short-lived program in which they assured people living in the U.S. without proper documentation they would be allowed to turn themselves in and in return, the government would cover the cost of their trip back home. Some stipulations existed, such as not being able to return to the U.S. for long periods of time, even legally.
Full story
