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Matthew Kolasa

Senate race lacks the enthusiasm of 2008

Senate race lacks the enthusiasm of 2008

By Matthew Kolasa · March 28, 2010

Two years ago, it was difficult to get away from politics on campus. Back in March 2008, the Pennsylvania presidential primary election was just a few weeks away. The state was the center of the national political circus as then-Senators Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) competed for the Democratic nomination. But today, even though Pennsylvania has one of the most contested Democratic Senate primaries in the country, student engagement in the race remains relatively low — a fact that both student groups and the candidates themselves are trying to change. Both candidates in the Democratic primary, current U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter and U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, have loyal followings on Penn’s campus. But student leaders say that outside these groups, the election is much less pervasive on campus than the 2008 primary, when students widely volunteered for Obama or Clinton and attended political events around the city. “Our biggest fear and concern is that there’s no motivation this year,” Penn Democrats president and College sophomore Emma Ellman-Golan said. She said the group is stressing to students that “all elections are important” and has a table on Locust Walk every day to encourage students to register to vote. “In an off-year election … there’s going to be an overall sense of complacency around campus,” Penn Students for Sestak coordinator and College senior Cameron Clark said. “No one is going to be as excited [for this spring’s primary] as they were for Barack Obama.” Another complication with harnessing student energy is that the primary doesn’t take place until May 18, the day after Penn’s Commencement ceremony, by which time most students will have already left campus. Penn political groups are encouraging students to register to vote by absentee ballot so they can still take part in the election. To a certain extent, experts say, capturing the excitement of 2008 is impossible because turnout for midterm elections and primaries is always much lower than that of a presidential election. Peter Levine, director of the Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement at Tufts University, said it’s difficult to predict the youth turnout in 2010 but that it will be comparable to previous midterm elections, not to the 2008 election. “Turnout might go up or down compared to 2006, but it will be in the ballpark of 25%,” Levine wrote in an e-mail. “In presidential years, youth turnout is always more like 50%.” Political Science professor and Fox Leadership Program Director John Dilulio agreed. The 2008 election turnout was “especially robust,” DiIulio wrote in an e-mail, but predicted that the 2010 turnout will be “relatively anemic.” Despite difficulties in student engagement this spring, student groups plan to up their campaign efforts in the coming weeks to increase the election’s visibility on campus — as do the candidates themselves. Specter and his campaign plan to get young people excited “by emphasizing the need for citizen participation,” he said on a conference call. “I think the more information people have, the more likely they are to participate in the political process.”

Palestra rally ends Clinton's Pa. push

Palestra rally ends Clinton's Pa. push

By Matthew Kolasa · April 22, 2008

The chants at Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's rally at the Palestra last night were not all that different from those at Barack Obama's Philadelphia rally last Friday. But instead of saying "Yes We Can," the crowd in the stands cheered, "Yes She Can." The cheer is symbolic of the way many Americans - and many Penn students - feel about Clinton. "We all want change in Washington, but the change I want is results," said Penn for Hillary spokeswoman and former DP Spin editor Julie Siegel. "Her ability to make the same great plans and have the same great ideas and really dream big, but then figure out how to get from point A to point B . is really what brought it home for me, and what will bring it home for Penn students." This rally in the Palestra came the night before today's influential Pennsylvania primary. The rally was Clinton's last stop before the polls open today at 7 a.m. About 8,000 people attended the rally, according to the Clinton campaign. Clinton was joined on stage by former President Bill Clinton, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, among others. The most recent polls show Clinton ahead of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama by 5.9 percentage points in the state, according to RealClearPolitics averages. Before Clinton arrived, she was introduced by her husband. He spoke about how Hillary would be a better president than he was. "I believe if you elect her . if we do the things we ought to do, I think we will have more prosperity than we did when I was there," Bill Clinton said. But he also joked with audience members. "I am about to commit candor, which is a dangerous thing for a politician," he said, to laughs from the audience. "My job is to talk until Hillary gets here." However, Bill Clinton assured the audience that his wife would arrive soon, and several minutes later, Hillary Clinton walked onto the stage. "Hello, Penn and hello, Philadelphia!" she said. The cheers from the audience were almost deafening as the Palestra turned into a sea of Hillary posters. After thanking the people who introduced her, Clinton addressed the historic nature of this year's primaries. "This is a turning-point election in the history of our country," she said. She said America needs a president with experience in order to reverse the policies of the Bush administration. "If there were ever any doubt about what difference a president makes, the last seven years have erased that doubt completely from America's political scene," she said. "The wealthy and well-connected have had their president, and now it's time for a president for everybody else again." Clinton then addressed several key campaign issues including clean energy, universal health care, education and the war in Iraq. Despite the challenges, Clinton expressed optimism about solving America's problems. "There's only so much a president can do, but there's nothing the American people can't do," she said. Students at the rally said they were impressed by the event, and they said the "Obamamania" among youth wouldn't overpower Clinton's influence in Pennsylvania. "I think people are going to be very surprised," said Wharton junior Bo Finneman, a member of Penn for Hillary. "People can't count [Clinton] out."

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