Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 2000)
Monday Editor in chief: Jack Clifford Managing Editor: Jessica Blanchard Newsroom: (541) 346-5511 Room 300, Erb Memorial Union P.O. box 3159, Eugene, OR 97403 E-maii: ode@oregon.uoregon.edu EDITORIAL EDITOR: MICHAEL J. KLECKNER opededitor@journalist.com Enlisting distrust The whole country is talking about the voting irregularities in Florida, and much of the country is upset about it in one way or an other. Here on campus there were also some irregularities related to the election — not the votes, but the voter registration. The ASUO let its voter list get away. This in cident may not cause the contro versy that C. J. Gabbe and Peter Larson's purchase of cookies and coffee did during last spring's elections, but it's a sorry state of affairs nonetheless. Here's a brief rundown of the ASUO’s gaffe: The ASUO com piled a list, with names and phone numbers, of all the stu dents it registered to vote. The list is being used for a Yale study on student voting. But a member of the ASUO gave the list to some one who wanted to call students and ask them to vote for a particu lar candidate. An ASUO senator also took names off the list to make phone calls. Some student voters were called before the mis take was caught. Another student discovered the release of the list and asked that, out of fairness, it be given to anyone who asked. We are concerned about this lack of discretion. OK, to be fair, anyone can pay the Lane County Elections Office to get a list of all registered voters and then whittle that list down to students. It’s pub lic information. But students are a highly sought-after demographic, and a pre-sorted list of student voters would be valuable to many campaigns. Students who registered to vote with the ASUO surely did not ex pect that, because they gave their registration card to their student government instead of mailing it themselves, their information would be given out to partisan causes. And these students shouldn't have had to expect such shenanigans. The list should have been confidential. Students were barraged this election season with the message that their votes counted and that voting is the most important thing they could do. Voting is what keeps our democracy running, and it is important. With all the talk of how critical voting is, and all of the good work done by the ASUO to register students and to be involved in a potentially im portant study of voting, why was this list not treated with the ut most discretion? We’re not that concerned with the possibility that a few students got phone calls. Many calls were made by groups all across the country, asking voters questions and stumping for a candidate or a cause. We’re not even so And the 'winner' is... SAINT AND PROFITS ERIC PFEIFFER Even as we wait for a new president amid threats of a “constitutional crisis,” American voters have al ready been declared the winners in this year’s election. Several trends have appeared as we inch closer to the moment when a winner will surface as the 43rd president of the United States. First, the winner loses. Accord ing to some Washington insiders and even a few elected officials, our next president won’t have a lot of room to maneuver. He will take office without a mandate, fac ing an evenly divided Senate and House. Couple that with an econ omy already in the process of cooling, and you have a president elect whose greatest challenge will be surviving the inevitable fallout from Clinton nostalgia. If the presidency goes to Texas Gov. George W. Bush, look for him to once again follow in his father’s footsteps, this time suffering the wrath of a public that loves turn ing on those it once elevated. And if the office goes to Vice President Al Gore, he will face a public almost certainly ready for change, having had the same par ty in office for eight years. The good news for us is that things couldn’t have turned out better. While a divided govern ment sounds difficult, it’s exactly what our founding fathers had in mind. What it means for America is a prescription drug plan, a bal anced budget, fair tax cuts, thoughtful military spending and moderate Supreme Court justice appointments — all the things the two candidates promised, but nei ther would have delivered had they won on a sweeping mandate. At this point, only one thing is certain: Republicans will retain control of the House for the next two years. Depending on which party captures the Oval Office, Congress could see a dramatic backlash like the one that put Re publicans in control in 1994. In the Senate, the GOP also main tains a razor-thin majority. With Washington state Senate results still coming in, Republicans cur rently hold a 50-49 edge. Howev er, even if Democratic candidate Maria Cantwell prevails in her race against Republican Sen. Slade Gorton, control of the Sen ate will remain in Republican hands. In the first scenario, the Senate is tied 50-50, with the deciding vote falling on the newly elected vice president. A Bush-Cheney administration would have the vice president casting his decid ing vote in favor of a GOP majority. In the second case, a newly elected Vice President Joe Lieber man would be forced to resign his Senate seat, where a Republican governor has already promised to replace him with a GOP ap pointee. In that case, the tally goes back to 51-49, with Republicans piejauig euauiijes iuueAo;9 concerned that the Yale study may have been tainted by the slip, although that's possible. What's really frustrating about this error in judgment is that it can make students distrustful of gov ernment. The national elections I may already do that on their own: According to CNN, only 51 per cent of potential voters actually cast ballots this year. The contro versy about the presidency should make more people want to be in volved in the process, but it might turn some away. I I I Likewise, not being able to trust campus government could length en the list of students who have given up on the process — and that’s one list we do want to let go. This editorial represents the opinion of the Emerald editorial board. Responses can be sent to ode@oregon.uoregon.edu. 1 Official Florida Presidential Ballot Follow the arrow and Punch the appropriate dot. Bush— . .^ in control. Outside the two major parties, there is plenty of excitement in the election’s aftermath. Green Party candidate Ralph Nader failed to gain the 5 percent that would have guaranteed his party federal funding in the next elec tion. While it’s a disappointment for Green supporters, it’s far from a defeat. After all, the Green Party isn't about big money. Their victo ry came in the foundation of a na tionwide alliance of progressive voters. If they stay united, thev are the future of American third-party politics. As for the Reform Party, they are finished. The only consolation in this sad demise of a once-prom ising movement is the hope that Pat Buchanan will sink with the ship. The best thing for the country to do right now is to wait. When you turn on the TV and hear politi cians or media analysts talking about a crisis sweeping the coun try, don’t be fooled. There is no constitutional crisis concerning the future of the White House. In fact, the Constitution is simply running its natural course and so lidifying the strength of our re public. The next great wave of po litical change in our country is at least another four years away. Eric Pfeiffer is a columnist for the Oregon Daily Emerald, currently serving an in ternship at the National Journal Hotline in Washington, D.C. His views do not nec essarily represent those of the Emerald. He can be reached at epfeiffe@glad stone.uoregon.edu.
