Youth Radio - Topic: On the Campaign Trail

Young Voters in Ohio

nate — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 16:15:10 -0600

This is a short video piece where young Ohio voters were interviewed about the election and expectations. Race plays an undeniable factor there, just north of the Mason Dixon Line.

Dancing With The President

nate — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:49:30 -0600

This video kills the stereotype that all black people can dance, but at least he's on beat. He gets 100 kudos points from me for actually going through with it. I want to see him do "The Harlem Shake", wouldn't you?

We Voted: Denise Tejada

nate — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 23:36:31 -0600

Prop 8: Last minute efforts

miguel — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 13:22:51 -0600

On my way back home from school Monday night, I run into to two mini protest rallies for and against Proposition 8. I’m personally crossing my fingers and hoping that enough people vote no on it so that anyone, man or woman can have the right to marry the person they love.
So, as I was waiting for the bus at school, students were holding up and waving “vote no on 8” signs and getting people passing by to honk their horns in support. This was in Los Angeles, on Cesar Chavez Ave. and Atlantic Place during rush hour traffic, so needless to say there was a lot of commotion going on. Students were on all four street corners showing their support, even as two lonely stranglers were holding up signs that read “yes on 8”. It was also strange to see some commuters getting a kick out of flipping off people as they drove by. About 15 minutes later I get off the bus only to see another mini rally on all four corners of Cesar Chavez Ave. and Soto, the heart of East L.A. During the few minutes I spent observing the scene and listening to a preacher telling people to save the sanctity of marriage over a mega phone, I saw parents crossing the streets back and forth proudly holding up their signs. I wouldn’t be going out on a limb if I said that most of the people there were probably part of one of the numerous evangelical churches that surround the immediate area.
More than anything, I thought that running into two separate rallies for and against the same proposition in the same night, is a sign that people are stepping up and having their voices heard… and that’s what makes this country so great. The fact that everyone has the right to vote for what/who they believe in without anyone prohibiting them from expressing themselves.

Voting in McCain's Home State

miguel — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 10:46:42 -0600

I am in Flagstaff, Arizona and it is 9:02 am. I am getting my documentation ready to vote. I am so excited since this is the first time I am going to vote. It is kind of cold but I feel really warm inside. My vote can actually make a difference. I am in a swing state. This is kind of ironic since Arizona tends to be strictly Republican and since McCain is from Arizona. We will see how the election here turns out but I know who I am voting for. Wish me luck- I am going to vote!
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I got my "I VOTED" sticker and I'm wearing it loud and proud. I finally voted! It was so fun. I am keeping track of public opinion data on who is going to win. The Spiral of Silence Theory by Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann states that people will keep silent if public opinion does not match their personal opinion and that voting is a type of speaking. So… my interpretation of this is that if people believe Obama will win they will vote for him even if they do not agree with him.

I Got A Crush On Obama

nate — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 12:11:52 -0600

This video was one of the biggest videos on the web in 2007, and it hasn't derailed yet. You know how I love seeing viral videos, so here's another one for your enjoyment. I'm guessing that it's only gonna get more popular now that Barack Obama is president.

We Voted, We All Won!

nate — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:33:36 -0600

As Youth Radio's news department wildly were cranking out stories the night of the election, some members decided to take some time out of there busy schedule and record a personal message about how they felt about Barack Obama becoming America's next president.

College Town Observations from Wisconsin - By Nico Savidge

lissa — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:28:44 -0600

Walking around Monday afternoon, I saw (and not for the first time) an Obama message in the sky. Someone rented one of those planes that will trail a message, and flew it above Madison with an Obama “O” logo and “Vote Obama.” I doubt this was an official campaign expenditure (more likely a supporter with a knack for creative, amusingly old-school advertising), but it has been by far the strangest form of campaigning I’ve seen so far. I wonder if a McCain supporter will be inspired to rent a sky-writer and put “MAVERICK” in the air above Pennsylvania.

At his weekly press conference Monday, Wisconsin football head coach Bret Bielema spent most of the time explaining why his team fell to 4-5 on the season, but was also asked “who are you voting for tomorrow?”

Bielema joked, “I didn’t know there was an election” and said he would remain a neutral representative of the University.

Playing off of the traditional Wisconsin song “Varsity” (sung at half-time, after games, and whenever we really feel like it), an Obama supporter created a t-shirt that parodies its main line, which reads, “U-rah-rah Obama.”

Madison’s annual Halloween “Freakfest” celebration featured several revelers dressed as Sarah Palin.

Before Wisconsin played Penn State a few weeks ago, the hosts of a pregame party outside Camp Randall Stadium were handing out McCain/Palin signs to attendees. The party had all the marks of a true Wisconsin tailgate – beer, brats, beer pong, music, and more beer. I’m sure that’s exactly what McCain wants the campaign to be associated with: (mostly underage) binge drinking.

The Quick Election - Nico Savidge

lissa — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 00:22:57 -0600

Nico Savidge

Considering all the hype, all the anticipation, and all the nerves surrounding this nearly two-year-old election, it could be over very quickly, depending on who wins. Take a look at this map of the closing times for each state.

Polls in three of the four states I talked about will be closed by 8:00 p.m. eastern time (Virginia at 7:00, Ohio at 7:30, and Pennsylvania at 8:00), and if Obama wins in two of those three states, this election will be all but over. He would only need to cement his wins in states like New Mexico and Iowa, where he already leads comfortably, to earn the 270 electoral votes needed to become President, assuming that reliable blue states will stay that way, and there’s no indication they won’t.

Barring surprises from North Carolina or Indiana, if McCain takes Ohio, Florida, and Pennsylvania, we won’t know the election results all that soon. Polls in Nevada close at 10:00 and McCain needs all four of those states to break his way to win this election.

However, we may also see news channels reluctant to call the big states (and the election as a whole) one way or another, as they did with Ohio in 2004, even though it was clearly going for Bush. This all dates back to Florida in 2000, when the networks prematurely called the state and the election, then reversed their calls as more numbers came in.

How late this election goes will more or less be up to voters in three of those four crucial states and the confidence of the news outlets.

The Mood of the Democrats: Cautious Optimism

jsilberg — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 21:33:58 -0600

Today is the big day when all our hard work pays off. In my heavily Democratic school, excitement is rampant. Yesterday, every time the election was mentioned, cheers went out across the room featuring more than a few "Yes We Can"'s. Four years ago, the final poll said Bush 48 percent, Kerry 47 percent. The final election poll had Obama at 54 percent and McCain at 42 percent. Still, we aren't ready to announce mission accomplished just yet. After letting the last two elections slip from under our fingers, it seems the closer Obama gets to the White House, the more possible it becomes for McCain to win. It turns out that the supporters of the candidate so popular for his message of Hope are quite weary of open optimism.

Personally, I check Pollster and RealClearPolitics constantly, as if the race changed every five minutes. I think the importance of today's election is just sinking in. As I was working on my US History homework, I realized that future generations will have numerous new chapters to study all based on what happens tomorrow.