Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania’s senior (and only Republican) senator, has officially switched parties. He will run as a Democrat in the 2010 election.
This decision will have serious repercussions in both Washington and Pennsylvania for the foreseeable future. Specter had been mulling a possible switch since his vote on the Obama stimulus package garnered the ire of Pennsylvania Republicans. Former Rep. Patrick Toomey, a conservative Republican who unsuccessfully challenged Specter in 2004 and nearly beat him, announced earlier in the month that he was officially running again. With the state’s demographics shifting Democratic, Republican primary voters have become an increasingly conservative lot. Read more…
To a college student, 21 is a big number. Age to buy drinks. Age to put down on a fake ID. But the new Washington Post/ABC News poll numbers have Democrats yelling “Blackjack!”
That’s right. Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post is channeling a new WaPo/ABC News poll suggesting that the number of Americans who identify themselves as Republicans is at its lowest level since 1983. In comparison, 35 percent of those surveyed identify themselves as Democrats, with 38 percent saying they’re Independents.
That’s quite remarkable. In November, 18-30 year-old voters went for President Obama at a rate of 2-1. The new poll, with Obama now nearing his 100th day in office, shows his approval at a noteworthy 69 percent. Unfortunately, the poll doesn’t get specific on age breakdown. Read more…
College sophomore Alec Webley will be the 2009-2010 chairman of the Undergraduate Assembly.
Webley won the internal UA vote by a margin of 16-8, according to sources inside the meeting. He defeated the current vice chair of external affairs, College junior Zac Byer, in a heated campaign to woo members. The initial meeting to hear both candidates speak and take questions far exceeded the capacity of the Huntsman 260 classroom, and included UA members, members of student organizations and curious, active students.
One year ago today, Hillary Clinton defeated Barack Obama by 9 percentage points in the Pennsylvania Democratic primary. Wow.
On Penn’s campus alone, the lead-up to the primary was incredible. Visitors during that 6-week build-up period included Chelsea Clinton at Perelman Quad, Bill Clinton in Irvine Auditorium, Hillary Clinton in Houston Hall for a big economic speech and all of the Clintons in the Palestra for the final primary-eve campaign stop.
Stephen Colbert graced us with his presence for a WEEK in Zellerbach Theater. On Colbert’s Penn show, his guests included Michelle Obama, Gov. Ed Rendell, Mayor Michael Nutter, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews (a Philly native), former candidate John Edwards (remember him?) and Hillary Clinton. Obama appeared on a giant screen behind Colbert for a satellite interview. Read more…
I’m deviating from regular politics here, and diving into an area of guilty intrigue: the United States Supreme Court.
This week, the Court is taking up the issue of affirmative action presented by Ricci v. DeStefano out of New Haven, Connecticut. Here’s a good breakdown of the details.
Basically, New Haven sought to promote firefighters based on their scores on a two-component exam: written section plus interview. As it ended up, the white firefighters all scored above the threshold and the minority firefighters all scored below it. No minorities could therefore be considered for promotion.
The city threw out the whole process, arguing that the score separation between firefighters was evidence enough that the test was inherently flawed. The white firefighters, some of whom invested in test-taking materials, sued the city claiming a violation of the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment. This is a modern case of alleged “reverse racism,” with the justices perhaps ready to overturn aspects of affirmative action. Read more…
We’re in the midst of an economic catastrophe. International tensions are high from Israel to Palestine to Iran to North Korea to Venezuela. Big government is back and spending billions, but no one can be sure if it’s too little or too much. The average American is afraid and uncertain, and I think rightly so.
Ninety days ago, Barack Obama became the president of the United States. If you’ve paid any attention, the cabinet selection process lined up Democratic (and some Republican) all-stars. Hillary Clinton, Robert Gates, Bill Richardson Judd Gregg Gary Locke, Kathleen Sebelius and a number of others.
Today was the first time that the President assembled his cabinet in one place at one time—three months in. And Sebelius and Agriculture Sec. Tom Vilsack weren’t even there. Read more…
TheDaily Pennsylvanian published an article today about the VOTER Act of 2009. The bill, proposed in the Senate by Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D) and in the House by Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D) and Ohio Rep. Steven LaTourette (R), would allow students to register to vote while registering for classes.
The implementation of the bill rests with the individual colleges and universities, but the point is to utilize what has been a sleeping giant: college-aged voters and campus volunteer mobilization. Some of these efforts are already being done independently on college campuses. I remember an article on Berkeley’s placement of registration forms in every new freshman’s mailbox.
At its best, the bill represents an attempt to bring students, often disenfranchised by the political process, into the voting population more effectively. At its worst, it represents politicking by friendly Illinois Obama allies to institutionalize the Obama campaign’s modus operandi. And you’re kidding yourself if you think the White House wasn’t behind its introduction in some form or another. Read more…
Starting in London, Barack Obama has traversed Europe from one corner to the other (literally). But something profound happened in the midst of meeting with European leaders: Obama completed his tour of Europe in Turkey, a nation yet to be accepted into the European Union.
“Some people have asked me if I chose to continue my travels to Ankara and Istanbul to send a message,” Obama said to the Turkish parliament yesterday. “My answer is simple: Evet. Yes.”
In his remarks, he stated, “The United States is not and will never be at war with Islam.”
Obama was trying to send a signal that Turkey is a part of Europe, while simultaneously speaking to the Muslim world. The problem is: he can’t do both. Read more…
To a college student, 21 is a big number. Age to buy drinks. Age to put down on a fake ID. But the new Washington Post/ABC News poll numbers have Democrats yelling “Blackjack!”
I’m deviating from regular politics here, and diving into an area of guilty intrigue: the United States Supreme Court.
The Daily Pennsylvanian published an
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