A humorous look at the election: Ted Stevens

11/10/08 2:50 PM

After more than a year of campaigning, debating, caucusing and everything in between, I think most of us are a little tired of serious political news. For that reason, I will focus on some of the more entertaining aspects of this historical election. First up, Ted Stevens. It looks like Stevens, who has served as a U.S. senator since the year Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated, will be reelected after - I emphasize after - being convicted of seven charges of taking several thousand dollars worth of gifts from an oil company. According to the Anchorage Daily News, much of this money was used to make his small Alaska cabin into a luxurious getaway. This is the same Ted Stevens who gained some popularity with the younger generation a few years ago after referring to the Internet as... 0 comment

Looking at the state propositions: How voters decided on moral issues

11/6/08 5:56 PM

It looks like the gay community was the only liberal issue to face a setback in this election. While doctor-assisted suicide was approved in Washington, ballot measures in several states to restrict abortions were shot down, and Michigan voted for more stem-cell research and the use of medical marijuana; ballots in three states — including heavily Democratic California — passed. In one of the stranger — and more conservative ballots — Arkansas voted to approve a ban on unmarried couples, same-sex or not, from adopting children. This could really be an issue across the country, not just within the gay community but I would also think within family rights advocates. Either way, possibly riding the coattails of Barack Obama, more liberal issues like stem cell... 1 comment

More on the Boyda-Jenkins race

11/5/08 8:39 PM

Here is a good piece from the Lawrence-Journal World about Nancy Boyda and the Kansas's return to its Republican stronghold.

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Boyda suffers disappointing loss

11/5/08 10:51 AM

Nancy Boyda was the favorite in the race to retain her 2nd District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives since the race began. But many networks and pundits expected an upset, and they were right. State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, with almost all precints reporting, has 51 percent of the votes — a pretty convincing win. Jenkins win is not a surprise, though, as the 2nd District, which comprises much of the eastern part of the state except the Kansas CIty area and part of Lawrence, is a solidly Republican district. Boyda's loss shows three things: just how fed up the voters were with Jim Ryun in 2006, how big the Democratic rush was two years ago, and finally, how important the coattails of Governor Kathleen Sebelius was for Boyda. Now its Jenkins turn in Congress, but if she does... 1 comment

What does it mean for the younger generation?

11/4/08 11:09 PM

It is pretty clear that Obama will win the election, and Democrats will gain large amounts of seat in Congress, but what does it mean for the future? The idea of change clearly has resonated with many voters across the country, but who was the instigator of that change? Who was the group of people that made the biggest infuence by showing up and campaigning like never before? The Millennial Generation. Sure, the African American population turned out in droves, but it was the younger generation that manned the campaign trails and did all the menial work like sending letters, going to houses and so forth. It was the younger generation that found a reason to get involved behind a candidate in which they could believe. This election is a generational change - a passing of the torch if you... 1 comment