http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote Cutting-edge political commentary by OU's finest student journalists Wed, 12 Nov 2008 02:17:35 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en By Warren Vieth Warren Vieth is a visiting professor of journalism at OU. http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/11/my-kind-of-voter/ By Abby Ogle Do our votes really matter in a state that is so predictably Republican? Do our votes really matter in a state with only 7 electoral votes? By the time my friend reached home after voting, our state was already colored red.  I think we should rethink our voting system.  I'm ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/08/are-we-being-heard-by-abby-ogle/ By James Lovett Obama campaign photographer David Katz took these behind-the-scenes photos of Barack Obama, Joe Biden and their families watching the election results from their hotel room in Chicago. Full album HERE. James Lovett, a junior from Norman, writes for the Oklahoma Daily A&E section and hosts a radio program on the ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/07/election-night-behind-the-scenes/ By Kristin Mason Not even two minutes after Barack Obama was named the president-elect of our nation, the Internet become the voice of peoples' strong opinions. Because I am a college student, my attention was focused on Facebook and MySpace. I must say, the comments and accusations made on these ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/06/post-election-opinions/ By Kelly Marose There was a domino effect going around after Barack Obama was announced our new president. I woke up yesterday morning to see many of my Facebook friends had changed their statuses. Many complained of the Electoral College's new choice. I noted some of my peers saying things ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/06/it-was-a-chain-reaction/  By Jaimie Grotjan Nov. 4 was a theatrical climax, not unlike past election days.  However, this titillated atmosphere of victory and defeat is new to me, a first-time voter. A group of African-American students barrel through the dorm lobby brandishing flags and balloons, shouting, "OHHH-bama!"  The victory cries echo four floors up. A ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/05/it-feels-like-the-end-of-a-movie/ By Alex Parker Yesterday, the state of Oklahoma denied my right to vote. Yes, I am an American citizen. Yes, I am over the age of 18. Yes, I was registered to vote in the 2008 presidential election. Not that it has any bearing on modern times, but I am even a white male, and ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/05/no-right-to-vote/ By Elliot Jones Today is such a wonderful and historic day. It started off with me voting, voting for a change. After I cast my vote, I never felt more proud of what this country was coming to. I knew today was going to be a good day. After attending my first ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/05/an-historic-day/ By Daniel Martin The election of a lifetime is finally under way. Literally, the election that will define history and shape the rest of our lives has begun. Will Sen. Barack Obama become the first African-American president in U.S. history, or will the Republican Party have yet another shot at redeeming ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/04/swallow-your-pride/  By Tony Foster Jr. Last night I didn't get much sleep. My stomach was turning, and I couldn't stop thinking about how I was going to feel about the results. I wrote this earlier that day: "Twas the night before the election, and all through the states, the country was busy, had a ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/04/twas-the-night-before-the-election/ By Kristin Mason This is mainly for the younger generation and the few that think there is no reason to vote. We are all vain and selfish in our own ways, so why not direct it to this election? If you have no other reason to vote, then just do it to ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/04/be-selfish/ By Warren Vieth Warren Vieth, a visiting professor at the Gaylord College of Journalism and Mass Communication, approves this blog message. http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/04/marching-orders/ By Natalie Ruhl  In the time I have sat down to vent about campaigning, no less than 10 campaign ads have come across the television screen. Yes, I understand, America is voting tomorrow in the biggest election yet, but that is no excuse to be publicly critical of the competition. I am ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/04/negative-campaigning/ By Kelly Marose                 Let's stop dwelling at the obvious: Obama is black, McCain is white, and Palin is a decent looking female.  We need to focus on the issues. People shouldn't lean for McCain because he's white, just like people shouldn't lean for Obama because he's  ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/03/lets-be-fair/ By Elise Smith   As we all know, the presidential election has never been out of the spotlight over the last few months. But is there a race we may have forgotten? What about the race for the U.S. Senate? Do you even know what your options are for senator? If ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/03/the-forgotten-race/ By Kami Gallagher It’s here. Tomorrow we will know who is to be the next president of the United States. In the country in which we all have a voice, don’t let yours be silenced. If you are eligible to vote, do so. If you don’t know who to ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/03/go-vote-america/ By Whitney Ortega I went to the Oklahoma County Election Board Friday, and was astounded at the nearly mile-long line of cars waiting to get parked so the drivers could then wait in a 100-plus line to vote.  I think it's amazing that some of the people had been waiting for quite ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/03/and-it-keeps-going-and-going-and-going-and/ By Stacy Kaplan Tomorrow is it! Don't just sit and watch the poll on TV, get out there and VOTE. Many people who complain about the economy and what should be done think their vote may not matter....but it does! Either way it goes....history will be made....So get out there tomorrow and ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/03/get-out-there/ By Jackie Clews While many journalists hold strong opinions about whom they support in this election, I feel they should have done a better job keeping their personal opinions out of their reporting. Many stereotypes are created by a few in a group, but everyone as a consequence becomes associated with that ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/03/to-give-a-biased-report-or-notthat-should-not-be-a-question/ By J.B. Ruble Election day is about here. Thank goodness.Anxiety and nervous energy filled the tents of numerous tailgates this Saturday in Norman. This had little to do with Nebraska coming to town for the evening kickoff. As close as we are to Nov. 4, politics was not off limits.Some interesting conversations ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/03/the-weight-of-the-free-world/ By Ashley FosterSorry to disappoint everyone, but it appears we have more than one socialist in the race to the WhiteHouse. Watch more The Daily Show with Jon Stewart videos on AOL Video  There ya have it. McCain's a socialist. Oh, my! In all seriousness, "socialist" is probably not the best word to ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/03/pot-calling-the-kettle-a-socialist/ The early voting locations have had record-breaking voter turnouts. Some lines have been a half-mile long, and voters have said they waited for two and a half hours. Many of them indicated they were Obama supporters. Why are there so many more voters coming out to vote this year? Can ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/02/reading-between-the-lines/ By James Lovett Looks like it will be a sunny election day in Oklahoma, but voter turnout will depend on the weather in several states. Weather.com has a great election day weather page that includes current forecasts for swing states Ohio, Pennsylvania, Missouri and Florida. It doesn't look ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/02/election-day-weather-forecast/ By Kristi McMullen We are only two days away from the election. If you weren't aware of that fact, now you are. Even though I am so excited for this election, I am very ready for it to be over and done with. It has been a constant sense of entertainment for me ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/02/its-almost-here/ By Gregory R. Gullberg My fellow students… What the heck are you doing!!!? What aren’t we voting? This election was predicted to see the largest turnout of our young demographic ever.  The 35-and-under voters were expected to come out in record numbers and single-handedly decide the entire election. We are numerous, and we are idealistic. Unfortunately, ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/02/what-is-wrong-with-us/ By Cassie Little It’s official--Regardless of taste, hobbies or political apathy, anyone can find a point of interest in the 2008 presidential election.ct> Elk City sophomore Cassie Little is a staff writer for the Oklahoma Daily and hopes to work as an arts and entertainment journalist throughout life. http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/11/01/something-for-everyone/ By Chad Taylor With all this talk about this being the most important election ever, it makes me wonder… Is it really? I think not.  Every election year, we hear people say, “This is the most important election ever.” But I beg to differ. Where does our generation get off saying that ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/10/30/most-important-election-2/ By Jamie Hughes I’ve been watching a dramatic, comedic sitcom for over a year. And frankly, it’s getting boring. This sitcom won’t be found on during some carefully scheduled time slot on a television network. This melodramatic series, however, is somewhat like Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy or any other show a 21-year-old ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/10/30/the-sitcom-that-never-ends/ By Amy Grimes Long after Barack Obama won the Democratic presidential nomination, Bill Clinton finally appeared on stage Wednesday night with his wife’s former campaign nemesis. Clinton, who openly talked trash about Obama for months, waited until six days before the election to make a joint appearance. This seems a little ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/10/29/when-ememies-become-friends/ By Griffin Shaffer I hope the 2008 election has as much excitement as the previous two.  Who doesn’t want a repeat of the 2000 and 2004 elections?  All that drama!  It was great!  It was like “The Play” in the Cal-Stanford game, or the miracle Hail Mary by DougFlutie.  You know what, wouldn’t it be ... http://blog.newsok.com/soonervote/2008/10/29/4th-and-inches/