Editor in chief: Laura Cadiz
Editorial Editors: Bret Jacobson, Laura Lucas
Newsroom: (541)346-5511
Room 300, Erb Memorial Union
P.O. Box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403
E-mail: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu
Friday
May 5,2000
Volume 101, Issue146
Emerald
Outsider candidates are by no means a
promise of radical social change. Often
they fizzle quickly and the two major par
ties can pay lip service to the issue to at
tract lazy voters’ ballots. But attention should al
ways be paid to outsiders, even if only to
challenge the ideas that can stagnate and become
stale.
A unique individual visited the Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual and Transgender Alliance members
Tuesday setting an example of involved political
activism.
At first glance, it may not seem like David
McReynolds, a 70-year-old gay, pro-marijuana so
cialist candidate for president would be the aver
age parents’ ideal of what their child should as
pire to become. And while we aren’t endorsing
him as president, just maybe he can provide a
civic standard that the rest of us should consider.
There’s no doubt that politics aren’t at the fore
front of most students’ daily lives. The state and
national voter turnout rate is ridiculously low,
and on campus only roughly 1,800 out of 17,000
students participated in this year’s ASUO elec
tions. That people can’t even find the time once a
year to flex their political rights leads one to de
duce that politics fits somewhere between shower
fungus and the formula for Wendy’s secret sauce
in importance to daily life for most.
Sitting quietly enveloped in study or engaging
in boisterous celebration of college life can make
for plenty of memories later on in life, but while
these moments can capture the majority of one’s
attention, the politics of the day shouldn’t be ig
nored. And sometimes the best way to keep one’s
mind politically active is to challenge dearly held
ideas. That’s where people like McReynolds step
in.
By challenging the ideas that normally lay com
placent, the passion and vigor for social and eco
nomic causes can be stirred. When one only hears
voices of agreement the public arena becomes
stagnant and boring. But every once in a wrhile a
seemingly oddball candidate injects themselves
into the mix and the entire political scene is shak
en up, causing the usually apathetic voter to turn
into an informed citizen. And certainly the social
ism and gay-activist nature of McReynolds will
provide enough fodder for social discussion.
And indeed it’s the effort that is most ad
mirable. Change will never come from within es
tablished organisms such as the two dominant po
litical parties if they can help it. So every now and
then a brave person with a new message must step
forward. Some ideas are accepted through the la
borious efforts of those few visionaries, and some
times their ideas are rejected with a scoff.
The success such bold candidates find runs the
gamut. For every Sen. John McCain, who captured
the nation’s attention earlier this year with his
powerful messages of reform, there are dozens of
Ralph Naders and Ross Perots. Either way, the ef
fort should still be respected by all. But the inter
esting aspect of these unique figures is that their
chances can’t be accurately prognosticated before
they run, making it important to give each their
due attention.
As the bare minimum effort for being a good cit
izen and to keep the democratic process alive, lis
teners should at least give each candidate or party
platform a good examination every election. The
two-party system has been around for most of the
country’s history, but often leaves out important
issues that don’t fit neatly into the platforms of ei
ther party of the day. This can lead to a big gap in
what voters want to discuss and what the major
candidates are willing to deal with.
Thus an outsider candidate has a shot at appeal
ing to a voter’s sensibilities so long as the voter ac
tually pays attention to the process and looks at
all the candidates. And it is through this process
that voters can decide for themselves whether to
make a political change or to hang onto the beliefs
they already hold.
This editorial representsthe opinion of the Emerald editorial
board. Responses may be sent to ode@oregon.uoregon.edu.
Thumbs
To another voice in
campus discourse
Just as it was ap
propriate for John
son Hall protesters
to speak publicly
on their desire to
join the Worker
Rights Consortium,
the sports market
ing duo of Andy
Koper and Caleb
Smith sold T-shirts
with the words “I
agree with Phil.”
To a crowned Duck
Defeating 17 other
women, University
graduate student
TarynTarver
Thompson won
the Mrs. Oregon
pageant, which
honors family val
ues and the institu
tion of marriage.
To a city in chaos
Miami, once
known for its beau
tiful beachesand
roaring nightlife,
has more recently
been a city in tur
moil with the Elian
Gonzalez mess.
Now the city faces
more controversy
as the new police
chief has been se
lected by the city
manager, who
himself isalready
on his way out after
beingfired by the
mayor.
To hurting the
weakest among us
The majority of
children 14 and
under who are
killed in alcohol
related crashes are
the passengers in
vehicles with ine
briated drivers
who are usually
olcf enough to be
their parents or
caregivers, accord
ing to study from
the Centers for Dis
ease Control and
Prevention.
CORRECTION
The story “Film
documents stu
dent activism”
(ODE May 4) gave
an incorrect year
in the date for the
May 4,1970,
shootings of four
students at Kent
State University.
The Emerald re
grets the error.