JUST A THOUGHT COLUMN: Laughing all the way to the White House
By Nate Bloomquist
It’s crunch time in the national election. The two leading candidates, Bush and Gore, are pulling out all the stops. They’re trying to squeeze every last vote they can out of so-called battle ground states.
Gore is making himself out to be the champion of health care, while Bush prides his education plan as being the best. Each candidate pushes his rhetoric to the masses and tries to dodge any mistakes he might make along the way.
Many voters won’t be swayed by those issues. Instead, those voters are more interested in a candidates character. Their votes will be won based on the candidates’ performances on the Jay Leno and David Letterman shows. Whoever wins onNovember 7 could be laughing all the way to the White House.
Both candidates recently appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show, however, not much of their rhetoric was disclosed. Instead, a more light-hearted approach was taken. Bush told a joke, and Gore high-fived Oprah, immediately winning the favor of Oprah’s television audience.
The election may be won in swing states like New Hampshire or Missouri (our neighbor to the southwest has correctly picked the winning candidate in every election since Dwight D. Eisenhower). But where does the Illinois Valley, and more specifically IVCC fit into the national scene?
It’s unlikely that either candidate will make a stop on campus, but that doesn’t mean the candidates don’t want the Illinois Valley’s votes.
This election, more than any other, will directly affect those in attendance at IVCC. This is why it’s important for us to know the issues and where each candidate stands with them. Because they probably won’t come to the college to tell us specifically where they stand, there needs to be a substitute.
This is where the Apache-sponsored “A Political Roundtable on the Presidential Election” comes into play. The event will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday Oct. 11 in the Cultural Center. It is free and open to the public.
The roundtable will feature a discussion on the issues that are important to college students. It will consist of college students, non-traditional and traditional, and various members of the faculty. Being a political junkie, I feel as though I am qualified to moderate the discussion.
I’ll ask various questions probing the minds of the panelists to see what issues are important to them and why. I’m addicted to shows like CNN’s Crossfire, The McLaughlin Group, and all of the Sunday morning political talk shows.
I’m hoping that this event will be as lively as those shows can be at times, and will be able to provide as much insight as they do. IVCC students have strong opinions on a number of different issues. It would be a shame to miss this opportunity to voice your opinion and to hear that of others.
For more information on the event you can e-mail me at n8dog4971@home.com, contact Dr. Lynch, or call the Apache office at 224-0310.