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Vote Obama, McCain in 2008 primaries
Editorial | 1/29/08
Posted online at 3:42 PM EST on 2/1/08
/ Last updated at 6:45 PM EST on 2/1/08
Whether registered as Democrat, Republican or independent, we are all first and foremost Americans. Despite acrimonious politics filled with wedge issues that divide and manipulate us, we all want what is best for our country-even if we have disparate visions. It is with this idea in mind, that we hope that Democratic and Republican voters at Brandeis, as well as the rest of the country, select the candidates most capable of transcending the party divide and inspiring rather than shooting for the lowest common denominator. Throughout their lives and campaigns, Sens. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) have striven to bridge the great divides enmeshing this country.
Voters in the Democratic Primary appear to be choosing between two candidates with very different views of what it means to be president. The issue at hand is not policy- both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama have nearly identical policy stances-but about leadership style. Where Mrs. Clinton likens herself to the chief executive officer of an enormous bureaucracy in which meticulous governance is as important as vision (i.e. why Lyndon B. Johnson was as important as Martin Luther King, Jr.), Mr. Obama is the true catalyst for change and the candidate who most desires a movement away from decades of partisanship. Of all the candidates, only the Senator from Illinois has the ability to be a truly different kind of candidate.
Everything about Mr. Obama seems to project union through diversity. From his mixed racial and ethnic background-with a mother from Kansas and a father from Kenya-to his upbringing abroad in Indonesia and his infamous middle name (Hussein), the very fact that Obama stands as a viable contender for his nomination and the presidency is inspiring. Yet, despite what Mrs. Clinton's campaign may tell you, it is perhaps Mr. Obama's experience that is most encouraging. After college, he went to work as a community organizer in Chicago fighting to improve the life of inner city inhabitants. This experience certainly helped develop his profound empathy and understanding. In the candidates' ongoing debate over experience, we believe these years of work at the grassroots level are deeply meaningful--no less significant than Mrs. Clinton's experience.
Voters in the Democratic Primary appear to be choosing between two candidates with very different views of what it means to be president. The issue at hand is not policy- both Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama have nearly identical policy stances-but about leadership style. Where Mrs. Clinton likens herself to the chief executive officer of an enormous bureaucracy in which meticulous governance is as important as vision (i.e. why Lyndon B. Johnson was as important as Martin Luther King, Jr.), Mr. Obama is the true catalyst for change and the candidate who most desires a movement away from decades of partisanship. Of all the candidates, only the Senator from Illinois has the ability to be a truly different kind of candidate.
Everything about Mr. Obama seems to project union through diversity. From his mixed racial and ethnic background-with a mother from Kansas and a father from Kenya-to his upbringing abroad in Indonesia and his infamous middle name (Hussein), the very fact that Obama stands as a viable contender for his nomination and the presidency is inspiring. Yet, despite what Mrs. Clinton's campaign may tell you, it is perhaps Mr. Obama's experience that is most encouraging. After college, he went to work as a community organizer in Chicago fighting to improve the life of inner city inhabitants. This experience certainly helped develop his profound empathy and understanding. In the candidates' ongoing debate over experience, we believe these years of work at the grassroots level are deeply meaningful--no less significant than Mrs. Clinton's experience.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 12
ashley shaw
posted 2/01/08 @ 10:37 PM EST
I am highly offended that this editorial column would be sent to my email as "BREAKING NEWS". I am thoroughly qualified to make my own decisions as to who I will vote for in the primaries, and somebody else's opinion as to who they think will best suit their personal needs is in no way breaking news to me. (Continued…)
Anonymous
posted 2/01/08 @ 10:37 PM EST
It think it is disgusting that The Justice would choose to endorse any candidate for this election. This is a student paper that is chartered to give students the news and commentary that reflects campus, it does not receive student funds to impose its personal political views. (Continued…)
educated reader
posted 2/01/08 @ 10:50 PM EST
educated readers might check out http://www.thehoot.net for a non biased look at actual things on campus and not some kind of biased politics machine for those who happen to be in charge of the newspaper. (Continued…)
Warren Bloom '95
posted 2/01/08 @ 10:58 PM EST
How is an editorial "breaking news"? Odd.
Michael Schakow '01, MA '01
posted 2/01/08 @ 10:59 PM EST
I think it's fine for The Justice to endorse candidates. If regular newspapers do, why can't student publications? But here's a thought: how about actually saying that's what you're doing? What obnoxious editor(s) allowed a "breaking news" email to be sent out without using the word "endorse" a single time? I happen to disagree with you about Mrs. (Continued…)
Mary Baine Campbell
posted 2/01/08 @ 11:15 PM EST
I'm surprised by these comments! No newspaper is going to make you pick a certain candidate, but one that had no views on the most important thing going on in any American's life right now would seem strangely infantile. (Continued…)
Stop Brainwashing Brandesians
posted 2/02/08 @ 12:54 AM EST
i am disgusted by this article. you have no right to tell us who to support. stay as far away from me as possible, mr "justice" and don't send me this crap. (Continued…)
David Bokovoy
posted 2/02/08 @ 10:31 AM EST
How is this breaking news? Anyone who has paid any attention to the media coverage of the current race knows that with Obama and McCain it's a win/win for anyone with a liberal political perspective. (Continued…)
Justin Sulsky
posted 2/02/08 @ 11:18 AM EST
If the Justice thinks its presidential endorsement matters, then I would like to release my own endorsement.
I, Justin Sulsky, senator for Ziv Quad endorse Hillary Clinton for president because
* Hillary has a long history of support for Israel – from supporting the Jewish State's right to build a security barrier to standing up against anti-Israel rhetoric and discrimination in the world. (Continued…)
New York Times Reader
posted 2/02/08 @ 4:48 PM EST
Just as a point of information, the New York Times also sent a breaking news alert (to those who had signed up for NYT breaking news alerts) when it endorsed Hillary Clinton and John McCain. (Continued…)
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