Super Tuesday: The Day After

Yahnae Barner — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 19:17:51 +0000

Even though the weather on February 6th wasn’t appealing, an array of Clayton State students attended the ”New York Times” discussion on the outcome of Super Tuesday. Facilitators Dr’s Joe Corrado and Augustine Ayuk began with a question and answer session where students and faculty enjoyed pizza and drinks. Hot topics included Clinton’s wins in California and Massachusetts and Obama’s in Georgia. One student believes that the fight for the Democratic vote will depend on a series of events, which could sway the vote in either direction. The overall Democratic vote in Fulton County was about 30% higher than usual. Next, four discussion questions were given on topics ranging from division of delegates to gender. Students and faculty were divided into small groups, and the debate began. Each cluster elected a presenter to talk to the overall politically-minded crowd about which questions or issues sparked interest. One group debated about Clinton’s and Obama’s overall healthcare plans; Nazish Haqqaui, elected group leader, feels like each candidate needs to address the illegal immigrants in their healthcare platform. Margaret McCall expressed her thoughts on why southern and average woman tend to dislike Clinton, “a lot of southern women dislike Clinton because she married a southern governor [and] that she wasn’t a traditional southern wife, and the average woman has nothing in common with her because she has not led an average life.” Margaret went on to say that “northern women tend to like Clinton because she is a progressive-minded individual”. Alexis Hill, another participant, said that “the discussion was very informative,” and that he would come again. The overall conversation was similar to the media’s coverage of the primaries and the presidential election. In general, it was geared toward the Democratic race whereas the Republican candidates were barley mentioned. In past elections, Super Tuesday front-runners were determined hastily and went on to become the elected presidential candidates for their particular party, but this year’s race doesn’t seem to be following that pattern. Indeed, Super Tuesday wasn’t as “super” as the Democratic candidates anticipated; the race continues and will continue until the last vote is in. Dr. Corrado encourages any fellow Clayton State student who is interested in politics to attend one of the six ”New York Times” discussions. I was very proud to see many fellow students and faculty wearing the “I’m a Georgia Voter” sticker, and I hope to see this much of an outcome in November.

Creative Commons Image taken from moria’s (Heather Kennedy) flickr stream.

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What is Super Tuesday?

Yahnae Barner — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 04:02:16 +0000

Today is Super Tuesday, and that means it’s time to vote. What’s this about? Why should you care? Find out more as we explore the history of Georgia’s primary.

2008 is not only an election year, but one where we get to chose a new President, along with several other key posts in our government. Republicans and Democrats start with several candidates, but for each party, there can be only one (President that is).

When asked about Super Tuesday, Senior Helena Pezce fell silent. Although Helena knew about the primary election, the name “Super Tuesday” didn’t register. She’s not alone in her lack of knowledge about presidental primaries. Much of Clayton State, as well as the country in general, could benefit from a little history lesson.

Georgia’s primary election was given the name “Super Tuesday” during the 1988 primary presidential elections. It was an effort by Southern states to increase their influence in selecting their candidate. Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Kentucky, Alabama, and Georgia were included in the U.S. States that voted March 8, 1988. Influential wins in Super Tuesday primaries have typically determined the party nomination. Though the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primaries receive much of the press attention during these early campaign agendas, they are criticized for not representing the country as a whole.

This election year, Super Tuesday will be held on February 5, 2008 (today) with the polls open from 7am to 7pm. For those balancing school and work, remember you can still vote if you’re in line by 7:00 p.m.. If you want to miss the rush, visit the polls during slow times. The rushes happen at 7:00 a.m. until 9:30 a.m., 4:30 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. and during mid-day lunch hour.

Clayton State Students and Georgians 18 years or older should be sure to cast your vote this year and every year to come. Voting is one few ways that we have as Americans to let our voices be heard loud and clear by our representatives. For more information on individual polling precincts or to become a register voter please visit the Georgia Voting Website. See you at the polls.

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Bent Tree News » Yahnae Barner

Super Tuesday: The Day After

What is Super Tuesday?