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EDITORIAL BOARD
EDITOR
Adam Beam
DESIGN DIRECTOR
David Stagg
NEWS EDITOR
Michael LaForgia
THE MIX EDITOR
Meg Moore
COPY DESK CHIEF
Gabrielle Sinclair
VIEWPOINTS EDITOR
Wes Wolfe
SENIOR WRITER
Kevin Fellner
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Jon Turner
i
IN OUR OPINION
Get out and make
your voice heard
Unless you’ve stayed in your dorm room for the past six
months with no TV or Internet, you know Tuesday is Election
Day. But on Election Day, all of the money spent on voting cam
paigns and all of the hype espoused by members of the media
mean nothing. All of the talk shows, newspaper articles, campaign
rallies and talking heads have been leading up to this point.
Now, it’s up to you.
Here are a few pointers. First, if you’ve lost your voter registra
All of the talk
shows, newspaper
articles and
campaign rallies
have been leading
up to this point.
Now it’s up to you.
tion card, don’t worry. Just show
your driver’s license at the polls,
where they can look you up on
their rolls and check you off the
list. If you’re voting on an elec
tronic voting machine, and it just
doesn’t make sense to you, you
are entitled to ask for assistance.
Also, based on the number of voter registrations and absentee bal
lot requests, turnout for this election could reach record numbers.
So leave early and plan for long lines. Allot yourself a reasonable
amount of time, like an hour, to get through the line and vote.
Finally, your vote really does matter. Yes, South Carolina is a
solidly Republican state and will undoubtedly cast its electoral
votes for President Bush. But if you’re a Kerry supporter who is
questioning whether your vote can make a difference, consider
that the number of votes Democrats receive in this election will
send a message to the national party as to how much money
they should spend in this state. If the Democrats feel, based on
election results, they have strong support in South Carolina,
they will make a more concerted effort in this state in the
future. Same goes with the Republicans.
But the U.S. Senate race will not be decided through the
Electoral College. It’s the simple majority rule: whoever gets the
most votes wins. With the Senate majority hanging in the bal
ance, you can help decide which party has the edge.
So on Tuesday, voters will decide who’s in charge. Your input
will help make that decision.
IT’S YOUR RIGHT
Exercise your right to voice your opinion
Create message boards at
www.dailygamecock.com
or send letters to the editor to
gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu
GAMECOCK CORRECTIONS
If you see an error in today’s paper, we want to know. E-mail us at
gamecockopinions@gwm.sc.edu.
I-,
ABOUT THE GAMECOCK
EDITOR
Adam Beam
DESIGN DIRECTOR
David Stagg
COPY DESK CHIEF
Gabrielle Sinclair
NEWS EDITOR
Michael LaFofgia
ASST. NEWS EDITOR
Jon Turner
VIEWPOINTS EDITOR
Wes Wolfe
THE MIX EDITOR
Meg Moore
SPORTS EDITOR
Jonathan Hillyard
ASST. SPORTS EDITOR
Daniel Kerr
SENIOR WRITER
Kevin Fellner
PHOTO EDITOR
Jason Steelman
SPORTS PHOTO EDITOR
Katie Kirkland
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Huntley, Daniel
Regensheit, Jason
Reynolds, Jennifer
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Wallace
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E.B. Davis
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Sen. KERRY WILL
LET TERRORISTS
NUKE U.S. CITIES.
KERRY WILL DESTROY
SOCIAL SECURITY AND
PUT YOUR GRANNY
OUT ON THE ICE.
HE'LL HAND IRAQ TO
OSAMA, AND GIVE THE
NEW MASS-GRAVE
DIGGING CONTRACTS
TO THE FRENCH.
HE1L FORCE YOUR KIDS
TO MARRY SAME-SEX
POLYGAMOUS TRANS
VESTITES, AND
PERSONALLY RIP THE
STEM CELLS OUT
OF YOUR CAT.
OH, AND DID I
MENTION THAT HE’LL
SAY ANYTHING TO
GET ELECTED?....
CARTOON COURTESY OF KRT CAMPUS
S.C. needs Inez in the U.S. Senate
■ DeMint’s big ideas
would cause more harm
than good for America
What do you call a man who
doesn’t show up for his own job, but
calls you a whiner when you lose your
own job? What do you call a man who
wants to raise your taxes and send your
job overseas? In South Carolina, you
call that man Jim DeMint, the
Republican nominee for Senate.
DeMint claims to be the candidate
' of “big ideas.” But a big idea that is bad
is nothing but a big, bad idea.
DeMint’s big idea on tax reform is to
replace the income tax with a 23
percent national sales tax. According to
the Institute of Taxation and
Economic Policy, this would raise taxes
on 95 percent of all South Carolinians.
Anyone making $120,000 would pay
more under the DeMint plan. Sure,
DeMint’s plan gets rid of the IRS, but
it replaces it with three new
bureaucracies to collect the sales tax —
the National Sales Tax Bureau, the
Excise Tax Bureau and the Office of
Revenue Allocation. Only in
Washington is it a good idea to replace
one old federal bureaucracy with three
new bureaucracies.
DeMint’s other big idea is to
support every single trade agreement
that has sent jobs overseas. DeMint
was the only Congressman in S.C. to
support the Chinese Trade Deal that
has sent thousands of jobs overseas.
And when he was asked about his
ANNA FOX
MEMBER,
USC YOUNG
DEMOCRATS
support of
unfair trade
agreements, he
told the Hilton
Head Island
Packet that
people should
“stop whining
about job
losses.” But
DeMint’s own
j o b
performance
leaves much to
be desired.
According to
the Clerk of the
House of Representatives, DeMint
missed more than 300 votes in
Congress this year - the third worst
attendance record in Congress.
With bad ideas like these, it is no
wonder that DeMint and his
campaign surrogates have had to
resort to empty name-calling and
negative campaigning. They say that
Inez Tenenbaum wants to raise taxes
by 40 percent. But if you apply the
same fuzzy math to the DeMint tax
plan, sales taxes would increase 560
percent - from 5 percent to 28
percent.
Republicans accuse Tenenbaum of
being a liberal - despite the fact that
she supports the death penalty, our
troops in Iraq and 98 percent of the
Bush tax cuts. Republicans accuse
Tenenbaum of wanting to raise taxes —
despite the fact that her economic plan
contains 10 different tax cuts. You can
read it for yourself at
www.inez2004.com
DeMint talks about how close he is
with President Bush. But even if Bush
wins, he will only be in office for four
more years. The U.S. Senate term is six
years long. And if Fritz Hollings and
Strom Thurmond are any indication,
the senator we elect on Tuesday will be
in office for a few decades. Presidents
come and go, but a U.S. Senator is
forever. We need someone who can
deliver for South Carolina no matter
who is in the Oval Office.
Tenenbaum is the only candidate
in this race who can and will work
with both parties to put the interests
of South. Carolina first. How do I
know this? Because Tenenbaum has
already done so as superintendent of
education. Inez worked with
Republicans and Democrats to reduce
class size, fund new school
construction without raising taxes,
and strengthen accountability
standards.
We need a Senator who will put
South Carolina first. Tenenbaum is
that candidate. South Carolinians have
watched a long, contentious and
competitive Senate race. Tomorrow,
they decide who will represent us in
the U.S. Senate.
The long-awaited end to the
campaign cycle is here - the end of the
TV ads, phone calls and counties?
volunteer hours. Election Day 2004 is
tomorrow and for South Carolinians
this means a new senator - that senator
will be Inez Tenenbaum.
IN YOUR OPINION
We deserve better
political discourse
As we approach Election Day,
the state of American politics falls
farther and farther into disrepair.
All around the country, candidates
stage campaign events which look
and feel more like a high school pep
rally than an expression of political
ideas. Supporters are worked into
fervor before being sent off - full of
tired cliches and meaningless
rhetoric - to rally others around
their cause.
Campaigns, parties and interest
groups run misleading ads designed
only to vilify their opponents and
convince Americans that their way
is the only way to achieve a brighter
tomorrow.
While it would be nice if we
could simplify our current political
issues and debates into yes or no
choices, it is important to recognize
that the reality is much more
complicated than Bush vs. Kerry,
Inez vs. DeMint or Moore vs.
Limbaugh. We should also realize
that the current political
atmosphere applauds attempts to
mock the opposition more than
efforts to support and justify a
position.
Campaign tactics unfortunately
only encourage such thoughts and
actions. Recently, a group of
students at USC passed out stickers
asking others to “Flush the Johns”
and press the lever on a nearby toilet
— complete with the candidates’
faces underneath the seat. Although
it is hilarious to note that both
members of the Democratic
presidential ticket have first names
which can be used in place of the
world “toilet,” doing so contributes
nothing to the mature discussion of
American politics which is vital to
our democracy. The Kerry-Edwards
campaign team also engages in such
juvenile actions and should not be
viewed or acknowledged as. merely
the victim of such attacks. Both
groups should be equally ashamed
of themselves.
The bitter, polarizing arguments
of our candidates and parties have
assailed the mentality of American
civic participation. The candidates
attempt to replace substantive
discussion of issues in government
with heated, empty shouting
matches similar to those of football
fans on a Saturday afternoon. The
“politically aware” now gather at
bars to watch televised debates so
that they can order another round as
they listen to the latest, carefully
crafted catchphrases and quips. A
candidate’s supporters high-five,
hug and howl with laughter after
one side reels off a zinger - all the
while eagerly buying into the “us vs.
them” nature of our current
political atmosphere.
While it is nice to see Americans
taking some interest in the political
system, it is disheartening to see and
hear my peers treat government as
though the upcoming elections were
little more than a football game.
Debates should not be something that
can be won or lost. They should be
forums for the discussion of issues, the
presentation of ideas, and the
recommendation of solutions.
American government is not
supposed to be Clemson vs. Carolina.
Carolina fans should tailgate every
Saturday, hurl insults at Tommy
Bowden and Brad Scott, talk trash
about “Tiger Rag,” and despise every
possible shade of orange. However, we
should not and cannot continue to
mistake our democratic system for a
trivial athletic event. The elections
should be a time for Americans to
come together, think rationally,
discuss options and decide on the best
course of action for our country. How
can we better America on Nov. 2 when
we insult, humiliate and
disenfranchise our fellow countrymen
on Nov. 1?
VANN HOLDEN
Graduate student in the
College of Education
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DeMint
will make
Senate
vote count
■ President Bush needs
a second conservative
senator to help him out
The race between Republican Jim
DeMint and liberal Inez Tenenbaum
gives South Carolina the chance to make
a huge difference ip the nation. We have
RANDY
DARGAN
CO-CHAIRMAN,
USC COLLEGE
REPUBLICANS
an opportunity to
send another
Republican to
Washington to
help Lindsay
Graham support
President Bush. A
Democrat will no
longer cancel out
Sen. Graham’s
vote and South
Carolina will
have her voice in
the Capitol.
The main
focus of the
election has been
the war on terror
and the war in Iraq. Mrs. Tenenbaum
will join hands with Tom Daschle and
Hillary Clinton to oppose President
Bush’s tax cuts, judicial appointments
and, most importantly, the war on
terror. We are making progress in Iraq
and on aJ Qaeda and need President
Bush and a Republican-controlled
Congress to stay the course to defeat
terrorism. With Osama bin Laden on the
loose and U.S. forces getting closer to
him each day it is no surprise that he
endorsed John Kerry. We have to say on
track with the war; we have to prevent
any other 9/1 Is.
Despite Mrs. Tenenbaum’s best
attempts she is very mush a liberal and a
supporter of John Kerry. She said that
she is “very much comfortable” with
being on the Kerry ticket in South
Carolina. Tenenbaum will continue to
cancel out Lindsey Graham’s vote for
South Carolina and label us as a liberal
state.
Tenenbaum is a Democrat and will
vote like one. She has attempted to claim
herself as an independent; I ask why she
still has a “D” beside her name.
Tenenbaum is a liberal to the worst
degree: she’s not only in favor of
abortion, she lobbied for it and has
received the endorsement from EMILY’S
List.
On the other side we have an
opportunity to send help to President
Bush and Lindsey Graham. Jim DeMint
represents South Carolina and its values.
In Congress, Jim DeMint voted for rax
cuts and supported a ban on gay
marriage. Electing Jim DeMint will give
South Carolina two votes instead of zero
because of a Democrat canceling out
Graham’s vote the past two years.
DeMint will fight for South Carolina to
keep President Bush’s tax cuts permanent
and judicial appointments approved.
The most important thing Jim
DeMint will do is ensuring that we win
this war on terror and in Iraq. He will
fight for the troops and make sure they
are adequately supplied and protected.
The war in Iraq is the most important
issue we face on the ballot Tuesday. We
have a choice between Jim DeMint, who
will stand with President Bush and his
leadership, or Inez Tenenbaum who
wants to stand with John Kerry and his
indecisive ability to take a stand.
We have to show our support of Bush
and send him help in the form of Jim
DeMint. We have to take a stand on
terrorism and stick with it; the liberals in
this country have disrespected the war for
their political gain and we have an
obligation to our nation to fight
terrorism wherever it may be and to make
this world a safer place.
Tomorrow you have a choice between
someone who stands firm against
terrorism and someone who will flip-flop
on the issue for political gain. You have a
choice between someone who will help
that flip-flopper or someone who will
fight for South Carolina and stand strong
with President Bush to keep America
safe. Jim DeMint is the answer - he will
fight for our country and for the people
of South Carolina.
COLLEGE QUOTE BOARD
MINNESOTA DAILY
ITY OF MINNESOTA
e’s ideology should not, in theory, affect his or her ability to interpret the
s exist not to push agendas or make laws, but to interpret them.
Admittedly, sometimes it’s hard to determine where interpretation starts and leg
islating from the bench begins. Still, both politicians and society have unfortu
nately made judicial nominations overly political.
DAILY PENNSYLVANIAN
UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
Often, in the last days of a dose dection, unsubstantiated rumors and ideologi
cal bickering will trump mature debate on policy. While a certain amount of this is
unavoidable, try not to let it dominate your personal discussions and interactions.
Clarify your understanding of the candidates’ positions. Motivate your friends.
Know your polling place, and if you do nothing dse Tuesday, just get out and vote.
U-WIRE