“White, fifty-something year old, male” is usually an accurate description of the head of the Executive branch.  However, this year’s election has introduced us to candidates who fall outside those characteristics.  No matter where people stand on the political spectrum, most agree that this year’s elections are historical- regardless of who ends up winning.  These elections have already set a precedent for years to come.

Age

As a former prisoner of war, cancer survivor, John McCain knows a thing or two about beating the odds.  He was ostracized by his own party and lost the 2000 primaries to a relatively new politician.  Entering this election, he was not seen as a front-runner and had been basically written off as the Republican nominee.  However, he was able to make a comeback, “My friends, you know I’m past the age when I can claim the noun ‘kid,’ no matter what adjective precedes it. But tonight, we sure showed them what a comeback looks like,” said McCain after winning the New Hampshire primaries.  McCain was not just being witty with that remark.

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Since Sen. John McCain chose Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate, the 2008 presidential race has been forever changed.  Palin, a self-described hockey mom who lives the libertarian frontier lifestyle, seemed like an unlikely choice.  The initial public reaction was mixed and still is, but a star was rising; McCain’s campaign was saved from obscurity, and the Republican Party was definitively taken off the endangered species list.

Gov. Sarah Palin. Photo Credit: asecopndhandconjecture(flickr.com)

As a mother of five with a blue-collar, working-class husband, Palin’s story is very relatable to American voters.  Her small town, down-to-earth charm is a breath of fresh air, when compared to candidates that believe people in small towns “cling to guns and religion” or who can’t seem to remember how many houses they own.  Whereas many candidates prattle on about stories of their parents’ or grandparents’ working-class origins, Palin is actually living it.  Her outdoorsy, moose-hunting lifestyle epitomizes the limitless frontier culture that is uniquely American, yet rare in today’s urban-centered political culture.  Conservative MSNBC commentator Tucker Carlson was quoted as saying, “Sarah Palin hunts and fishes. …So as a sportsman, I have a profound emotional attachment to Sarah Palin that a reason doesn’t touch.” Read the full story

With summer coming to a close and the fall season fast approaching, the outdoor climate is exhibiting noticeable changes. Unlike cooling temperatures, however, the political climate this season is heating things up. That’s right…Election 2008 is just around the corner! In case there are some out there, as unlikely as it is at this point, who have not heard the details, the Democrats have nominated Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, while Senator John McCain of Arizona is on the top of the Republican ticket. The candidates for vice president are Democratic Senator Joe Biden of Delaware and Republican Governor Sarah Palin of Alaska.

Despite the historic and unique elements of this election, the same ugly tactics that characterized previous elections have managed to emerge once again. Lies, half-truths, and over-exaggerations continue to be plastered onto television screens around the country. In some instances, members of the media often seem as though they should be in the land of Oz, chanting, “Race, and age, and unwed teenage mothers…oh my!” One issue that should be incredibly important to Americans everywhere is the current balance on the United States Supreme Court. Yet somehow, this issue has received very little attention from the candidates and mainstream media. It is not surprising, however, that it would be put on the back burner with other issues like the economy, the War in Iraq and lipstick on pigs.

Before addressing the current make up of the Court, it is important to identify what role it plays in our system and why politics has a bigger role in the process than most would like to admit. Going back to the ratification of the Constitution, it was established in Article III that, “The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court…” The Court in Marbury v. Madison established the authority of judicial review, allowing the Court to strike down those statutes, both state and federal, that a majority of the justices believe to be in conflict with the Constitution. Some important decisions emanating from the authority of judicial review include recognizing the reproductive rights of women, striking down early attempts to set a minimum wage, and establishing the frequently cited Miranda Warnings.
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On Nov. 4, Californians will vote on Proposition 8, which would amend the California Constitution to state that: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.” The Proposition has garnered national attention, with celebrities like Brad Pitt and Ian McKellen donating money to oppose the measure. In support of the Proposition is a unique and unprecedented coalition of religious organizations, including Catholics, Jews, Muslims, evangelical Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and Mormons. Polls have shown a fairly close race, with a Field Poll conducted on Sept. 18 indicating that 55 percent of voters would vote no and 38 percent would vote yes, while 7 percent are undecided.

If this proposition seems like déjà-vu, that is because in 2000, voters passed Proposition 22, which formally defined marriage as between a man and a woman. However, on May 15, the California Supreme Court, by a vote of 4-3, ruled in the In Re Marriage Cases that Proposition 22, and all other bans on same-sex marriage, violate the state constitution. The court stated that the “California Constitution, guarantees same-sex couples the same substantive constitutional rights as opposite-sex couples to choose one’s life partner and enter with that person into a committed, officially recognized, and protected family relationship that enjoys all of the constitutionally based incidents of marriage.” The state began processing same-sex marriages on June 17, and thousands of gay couples have since been wed. Read the full story

Change and Reform: A pair of synonyms frequently used/abused by Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain to define their bids for the American presidency.  Both have vocalized these words to demonstrate their intent to improve, modify, and revolutionize our country’s frail domestic and international state of affairs.  But as Election Day approaches, many Americans are wondering how much real change or reform the country can get from these major party candidates and if embracing a third party might be the real change.

If you have turned on a television or checked your email, it is likely you have noticed that polls are getting narrower, as the Democrat and Republican platforms have become wider.  This, in turn, has led both Obama and McCain to dance toward the middle of their party bases in the hopes of appealing to more voters beyond their initial supporters during the primaries.

McCain, an Arizona senator known for his bipartisanship “maverick” ways, recently pirouetted to the base of his party by choosing conservative Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate.  This move appeased the Christian right, a fraction of the party that had been feeling left out by their chosen candidate, but for others, it called into question his identity as a nonconformist.  Some believe McCain was pressured by Republican strategists like Karl Rove to select Palin over his longtime friend and supporter former Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman. Read the full story