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Stories |
Barack Obama is the 44th President
Introducing the Next President and Vice President
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The Story of a First Time Voter
A Young Voter Shares Personal Feelings and Experiences about Voting |
Election and Security Concerns
Roundtable Discussion Will Take Place on Nov. 7th in the Green Center |
Political Symbols Explained
Symbols for the Republican and Democratic Parties Began as Cartoons |
Shield Uniting Freshman
SHIELD Mentors Host a Presidential Program |
BARACK OBAMA ISTHE 44TH PRESIDENT
Introducing the Next President and Vice President
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By Mike Griffith
Staff Writer
Barack Obama has won the 2008 Presidential Election. Senator Obama took a commanding lead winning with 349 electoral votes to Senator McCain’s 161 electoral votes. Senator Obama also obtained 52.31% of the popular vote.
Senator Obama and Senator Biden have proven that the country wants a new kind of leadership.
There have been many firsts throughout the 2008 Election. One of the most important is that Senator Obama is the first African-American to reach the level of commander-in-chief. The actual election has been about two years in the making, but one candidate stood tallest among them.
The economy is under pressure. Obama plans to give tax breaks to the middle class, rather than the top five percent that already hold the wealth.
As many hope, Obama will be ending the crisis in Iraq after seven long years. His plan calls for the troops to withdraw in a timely fashion. However, some troops will remain on the ground for use in counter-terrorism operations. The plan will also hand power back to the Iraqi leaders.
Obama plans to insert five million green jobs into the workplace. Furthermore, he plans on spending 150 billion dollars to jump start green industries such as solar panel makers and wind turbine builders over the next ten years. As a result, prices will go down and these products will become more affordable.
Barack Obama will lead the United States of America with new ideas and change. |
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The Story of a First Time Voter
A Young Voter Shares Personal Feelings and Experiences about Voting
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By Brittany Hutchinson
Advertising Manager
From the time I was a little girl, I was taught the importance of participating in local and national elections. As a U.S. citizen it is my right, as well as my duty to help decide who will run this country. In this 2008 election, for the first time in my life, I was able to cast my vote for who I believed could best fill this position. I was informed, excited and mostly, I was proud.
Casting the ballot for the first time is a powerful experience. It does not matter if you are 18 or 80, or what you do in life. There are no questions about the color of your skin or how much you make, or what kind of faith you have, if any. When you turn up at the polls, it is only you, your thoughts and a slip of paper letting you have your say.
As a college student, I often wonder how older generations might view my age group. I often think there is a possibility that they look down on us, that they think we are too naive to understand the ways of the world. Yet, come the first Tuesday in Nov., all who are able to vote can walk into the polls as equals.
No vote matters more than the other, no citizen is more important, we all count just the same, but this was not always true.
Many have had to fight for the right to the polls. Women and minorities all had many obstacles in their way that kept them from casting their votes. They struggled, and they succeeded. I voted because so many couldn’t and still so many can’t. It is a sad truth that the freedom so many have fought for is often forgotten. We are extremely fortunate to live in a country where “We the People,” are meant to run the government, instead of the government running us. This freedom we so often take for granted is one many people have lived for and died fighting for; I voted to honor each of them.
As I marked my choices on Election Day, I thought of just how privileged I was to be able to take part in such a monumental event. By casting my ballot, I did not just stand by and watch history be made; instead I helped make it. Like many before me, with one choice, I have helped to write the history of our nation and possibly our world; I have the power to change history forever, and my vote counted. |
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Election and Security Concerns
Roundtable Discussion Will Take Place on Nov. 7th in the Green Center
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By Laura Vann
Special to the iPulse
On Nov. 7, just three days after the presidential election, Lynn’s American Studies Series will bring foremost experts on national security and the presidency, Douglas Brattebo and Tom Lansford, to campus to discuss the security challenges facing the newly elected president and his administration. The roundtable discussion, “Election and National Security Concerns for the New Administration,” is Friday, Nov. 7, at 7 p.m., in the Louis and Anne Green Center.
“The next president will have a full plate of challenges – both foreign and domestic,” said Robert Watson, coordinator of Lynn’s American Studies Series and roundtable moderator. “Unlike other elections, this year, the presidential candidates offer fundamentally different proposals to many leading issues. Voters have a distinct choice on who to vote for as McCain and Obama differ in terms of their world view, temperament and experiences.”
The panelists, Brattebo and Lunsford, will discuss these and other issues during their roundtable discussion. According to Watson, “in particular, they will discuss the next president’s options in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as threats from Iran, to Israel and to America’s economic security.”
Brattebo, who spent 11 years as a teacher in the department of political science at the United States Naval Academy and was director of the Education Policy Fellowship Program (EPFP) with the Institute for Educational Leadership (IEL) in Washington, D.C., is currently affiliated with Case Western Reserve University. Lansford, a prolific author on presidencies, national security and terrorism, is a political science professor at the University of Southern Mississippi and is a member of the Frank Maria Center for International Politics and Ethics. “The paradox of so many of the security issues facing the United States is that they must be dealt with immediately,” said Watson. “Yet they are likely to remain as threats to America’s interest at home and abroad for years to come.”
Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis for this free event.
For more information on the American Studies programs at Lynn University, contact Robert Watson directly at rwatson@lynn.edu / 561-237-7432 (o) or visit: www.lynn.edu/americanstudiesseries.
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Political Symbols Explained
Symbols for the Republican and Democratic Parties Began as Cartoons
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The first use of the Republican elephant and Democratic donkey in cartoons. Below: The modern day symbols of the Republican elephant and the Democratic donkey. |
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By Brooke Bidgood
Copy Editor
The donkey was first used as the Democratic symbol in Andrew Jackson’s presidential campaign in 1828. Jackson’s opponents referred to him as a jackass. In turn, Jackson used the strong-willed animal to his advantage and placed it on his campaign posters.
In the 1870s cartoonist Thomas Nast began using the donkey regularly for his political cartoons in Harper’s Weekly. While at first the donkey was used to represent different aspects and individuals associated with the Democratic Party, it stuck, and the public began to recognize it as a symbol for the Democratic Party in general.
Nast also created the Republican symbol of the elephant. The elephant debuted in a cartoon in Harper’s Weekly in 1874. The cartoon depicted a donkey dressed in a lion’s skin scaring away an elephant. The elephant was labeled “Republican Vote.”. Nast returned to the elephant to represent the Republican Party in later cartoons. The trend caught on and other cartoonists began to use the elephant as well.
The elephant and donkey were created in part to depict negative qualities of both political parties. However, today both parties claim that their animal represents their positive qualities. The Democrats view the donkey as smart and brave, while the Republicans claim the elephant is strong and dignified.
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Shield Uniting Freshman
SHIELD Mentors Host a Presidential Program |
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Students awaiting the announcement of the raffle winner. Top Right: Students participate in a SHIELD activity. Shield Mentors for Trinity Residence Hall. Photos/Hattie Ruehl Special to the iPulse. |
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By Scott Plumb
Copy Editor
SHIELD is a mentor program designed for first year students at Lynn to be educated on the in and outs of college life for an easy and comfortable transition during their first year. Each freshmen Resident Hall has three SHIELD Mentors that host programs twice a month for students to socialize with fellow residents and learn to handle the obstacles that sometimes occur a student’s freshmen year.
Some of the successful programs already held this year included homesickness and the dangers of alcohol, but SHIELD recently held a program to educate students on this year’s Presidential election.
Students had the opportunity to ask questions about their candidate’s in-group discussions and to take quizzes to find out who they should vote for based on their beliefs regarding pressing issues such as education, abortion and taxes.
SHIELD events are not all about business either; there was time for fun and games as well. There were prizes given away including an iPod Touch, a portable waterproof iPod stereo system and dozens of gift cards to establishments all across Boca Raton.
The SHIELD presentation gives one the opportunity to learn about the candidates views and gave me a better understanding who I want to vote for,” said Dan Akoghlanian, freshmen. “SHIELD programs are great to communicate with other freshmen residents because we learn from each other and learn the great opportunities available at Lynn.”
The next SHIELD program will be tonight, educating students about “Diversity” (refer to the Lynn University website campus calendar for more information, for the times vary depending on building.) Food and drinks will be provided along with more prizes for students to win.
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