Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 7, 2007)
4 Clackamas Print Campus Poll: Who might you vote for in the upcoming election? “I’d vote for Al Sharpton before I would vote for Hillary.” Clark Hickman “I’m so undecided at this point. I’m leaning towards Barack. I’ve listened to several of his speeches and conferences.” Barbara Simington “The Republicans have been in office too long. So, I’d like to see the Democrats or Greens take over.” April Smith Is CCC a party campus? Ott Tammik The Clackamas Print “We’re Right, Are You?” asked a recent flyer posted by die college Republicans Club. The Democrat Club responded with their poster, “We’re Not Right, we’re Correct.” And so the majority believes they are both right and correct - but what of the minority? Many voices go unheard or per haps unvoiced on campus. Currently, there are only two political parties represented, the largest being the Democratic Party; the college Democrat Club has about 50 members. But lately, there has been talk that some college Democrats might break away to establish an alternative voice, specifical ly, the Libertarian. According to the Libertarian Party of Oregon, there are about 15,000 registered members in the state. The number is small in comparison, but none theless shows that there are more than two ways of thinking in a democracy. Others, however, like Bret Bemhoft, chair of the Democrat Club, are satisfied with the.cur- rent efforts and accomplish- “[.just want to vote for whoever is for stopping the war.” Kimbdrly Schiewe Campus Poll compiled by Nicholas Baker and Brandy-marie Faulhaber party club. “Activism starts young, and the need to address political issues that pertain to youth is also important. So, while we are interested in having fun as a group of like-minded friends, it is important to begin to understand how our world, and especially our country, functions from a practical perspective,” said Bemhoft. So, where are the Libertarians, Constitutionalists and the Green i Party? Anyone can start a club on cam pus, and die first thing to do is to ; create a constitution for ASG. There are a number of responsibilities that go along with leadership, yet after fundraising and recruiting new mem bers, the Democrat Club is planninJ lighter events, like their next paint ball game. In the end, ASG hopes that clubs will enrich the community. In the club start-up packet, it states, “Your enthusiasm, creativity and Torts are the tools that will make your club a success.” Oftentimes we may be more similar than we think, and it is only our diverse paths that maw us different. This excerpt from the flyer produced by the Republican^ Club seems to depict more than just their values: “The strengtBof our nation lies with the individual, and that each person's dignity, free dom, ability and responsibility must be hon ored.” ■ a The premature plots of presidential people i Ott Tammik The Clackamas Print Andy Prince “We will hopefully be having our first female president here at Clackamas; hopefully it’ll carry into office.” ments of their party. “A third party candidate is a waste of a vote, as it does not ultimately improve the circumstance of our sys tem,” Bemhoft said. Still,Bemhoftcontinuedto expand on the importance of being politi cally active, and both the Democrat Club and Republicans Club mem bers encouraged those seeking to express their views through a third I» Alot of confusion drifts on campus and elsewhere as citizens wonder about the country’s political future and next year’s election. Decreasing popularity in the handling of the Iraq war is clearly present in the media, as well as among politicians, as several resolutions in the Senate resist President Bush’s troop “surge.” Furthermore, there * is no clear candidate from the current administration, as it is the first time since 1928 that neither the incumbent president nor vice president has at least entered the candidacy. But perhaps the most interesting feature of the upcoming election is that two of the individuals, who have thus for been the most outspoken of their ambitions, are both minorities. Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have both launched exploratory committees on their Web sites in the past few weeks. Chris Friesen Commentala Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2007 Polls have been fairly even, with one conducted by Rasmussen in Clinton’s senatorial state ofNew York, claiming a 22 percent to 21 percent win for Clinton. Both, of course, are highly accomplished individuals, but in a country so deeply rooted with civil discrimination, a minority in the president’s office is unprecedented, especially considering that inequality was a reality "for some of the older members in Congress today. The trend has been clear, though, and minorities have found themselves in power more and more after the first black presidential candidate ran for office in 1964. Now, the new Speaker of file House, Nancy Palosi, is the closest woman to the presidency in American history, being second in the line of succession. Die two Democratic candidates also have strong support from the entertainment business and the media, as Fox’s TV show 24 has prepared the American public for such a scenario. Certainly a lot is at stake with the upcoming presidential race, which will also likely be the most expensive in U.S. history. According to the Herald Tribune, the Federal Election Commission expects the final two candidates to raise about $500 million in the election. Many are already calling it “the billion dollar race.” Whether or not the two Democratic candidates will play hardball with each other when the election draws closer is yet to be sure. The widespread confusion in the Republican Party also makes it more likely for the Democrats to win the White House, as the campaign lacks tiie unity of the 2004 election. The question of who will be the main rallying force of the Republicans remains vague at best. Among the better-known Republican candidates is Sen. John McCain of Arizona, who already announced his exploratory committee as well, though controversy surrounds him among his fellow Republicans. For one, he would be 72 years old by the time he would step into office. The election is still almost two years away, however, and while the Republican Party currently lacks a focused center, the Democrafl i political landscape has proverlt j. change drastically in the same shffl period of time. Sea Obama did nc even appear in the public eye ® 2004. ■ For now, though, Demo® already seem to have confirm ■ favorites as fans rally behind C J in Iowa and Obama tours the co® considering his candidacy. Thiln itself is already a historical changlfq minorities, and there is the inevi® question of whether or not the peB will empathize with the discrimin® that the candidates have experien® Indeed Obama’s statement see® to pertain to both the state o® country and the changes that haw already occurred when he annou® his dream for candidacy one day ® giving a memorial speech on M Luther King Day: “As I’ve spoken to many of yi my travels across the states these fig months, as I’ve read your e-mail^^_ read your letters, I’ve been struc^K how hungry we all are for a kind of politics.” 1 1 Letter to the Editor: Hockey fan speaks out for sport of choicel I am a little upset [about] tire issue that was just printed. In The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly section, listed under “Bad,” was the comment, “The NHL recently held their mid-season All-star festivities ... who even knew the season started?” This upsets me for a couple reasons. One, I am a hockey fan, and I have watched every game on VS since tire season started, and watching the All-star festivities was not only exciting, but entertaining. This isn’t the only reason I am upset; I understand that there may riot be as many hockey fans as there are football, basketball, or baseball, and everyone is entitled to their opinion. If all you can think of to put hockey under the “Bad” category is [that] you didn’t know the season had started yet, then maybe you just shouldn’t mention it at all. Diere are millions of people who love hockey. If hockey was a sport that didn’t make money (the fans pay for sports, really), then there wouldn’t be the NHL packages on Comcast, or multiple NHL channels on XM Radio. VS shows commercials houriy for the NHL. I don’t understand how you can throw hockey at the top of the “Bad” list without even having any reason for it to be bad. If you have something legitimately bad to write about hockey* that’s completely understandable, but I don’t understand why you feel the need to speak negatively towards something just because it isn’t one t of your interests. For the record, I personally can’t stand foolball or basketball, so I guess if I wrote the column, those two sports would be in the “Bad” column with all the antics of the players. Funny how you almost never see hockey players on the news for drag, rape, or other similar charges. I also can’t remember the last time I heard of a hockey playa leaving a game and being out for who knows how long because of a sprained ankle, or a broken nose, or pretty much any other injury. These guys play with broken fingers, broken feet, concussions, and all sorts of other injuries. If a baseball player gets a bad bruise,- he’s out ff-a football player sprains a finger, he’s out If I a basketball player twists his ankli he’s out Give me the choice to watch a bunch of overpaid, wliiney babies, or watch hockey... I’ll late hockey any day of the week. In my opinion (everyone? is relative, I know), hockey is the most fast-paced, entertaining sport on TV I just wanted to voice my “concern« Being a student there, I appreci® that you guys put a paper out and I enjoy reading it; I was just a li perturbed when I read this partic column. Thank you for your time. Enn Green, Student To send a letter to the editd e-mailittochiefed@clackam edu, or drop,it off at The Pri^ office, Roger Rook 135. c V ÏI lo cal
