OPINION & EDITORIAL
Wisconsin primaries should be on radar
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Also by Nathan Braun:
- Want to go green? Try deer hunting first (November 15, 2007)
- Few controversial issues clearly right; but gay rights one of them (November 1, 2007)
- Nuclear power worth risks (October 18, 2007)
- Humans must evolve, realize climate change is real (October 4, 2007)
- Life after Bush: Holding candidates to a higher standard of rhetoric (September 20, 2007)
Related Stories:
- Primaries deserve mature thinking (October 18, 2007)
- Primary responsibility (January 21, 2008)
- Unifying candidate or bigoted clown? (January 28, 2008)
- Recent polls reveal... absolutely nothing (December 4, 2007)
- Primary concern (February 19, 2002)
by Nathan Braun
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.
Many people expected the race for the Democratic and Republican nominations to be decided in Iowa and New Hampshire — and if it wasn’t quite wrapped up at that point, voters in Nevada, South Carolina or Florida would probably finish it up. Surely no race could really remain competitive beyond the behemoth 24-state Super Tuesday. Right?
In case you missed it last year, when confronted with a number of states clamoring to move up their primaries earlier in the year, thereby increasing their influence in the presidential election process, the Democratic and Republican National Committees set Feb. 5 as the earliest date that states without a tradition of early voting could schedule their primaries. Sixteen states moved up their primaries to join the eight already voting on Super Tuesday, to make the largest number of simultaneous primaries and caucuses in U.S. history. In the scramble, some states — notably Michigan and Florida — moved their primaries up too far and had their number of delegates cut in half or taken away all together.
But not in Wisconsin — we actually moved our primary back a couple days to Feb. 19. And now, here we are, the day after Super Tuesday, with the Democratic race still highly contested, and the Republican race not yet over. Sure, we’ve lost a few candidates, but here in Wisconsin we’re suddenly looking at some rather tough decisions.
If no clear frontrunner emerges out of the Virginia, Maryland and District of Columbia primaries Feb. 12 — which is certainly possible — Wisconsin could end up being one of the most important states in this presidential campaign. After our primary and Hawaii’s caucus the next week, no state votes until March 4. A Wisconsin win could make the difference, especially between Sens. Barack Obama and Hilary Clinton.
There are a couple other important factors at play. Wisconsin has an open primary, during which voters registered to any party can vote in either, but not both, of the two primaries This, combined with the fact that Wisconsin has traditionally been a swing state, should tell the rest of the nation something about which candidate is best able to court the independent vote. Our voting laws — which require no registration ahead of time — should help ensure a large turnout.
The outcome here in Madison, which has long been a stronghold for Democratic politicians, could be especially important. Just this week, Mr. Obama’s campaign opened up an office in Laundry 101 on Gilman Street, and it wouldn’t be a shock if we were to get some high-profile visitors in the next two weeks. It’s not a stretch to say what happens right here in Madison could be one of the key outcomes in this primary campaign.
If this turns out to be the case, every person on this campus owes it to himself or herself not only to vote in Wisconsin’s upcoming primary, but to have at least some sort of rational justification for that vote. And voting for someone because they’re in favor of “hope” or because they have “experience” or because the other guy’s a “flip-flopper” doesn’t count. In this age of the Internet and 24-hour news, getting informed and making an intelligent decision is the easiest it has ever been.
Getting informed doesn’t mean voting for a candidate because you think that’s what your dad, your mom or Chuck Norris would want you to do. It doesn’t mean voting for a candidate because Tim Russert or CNN says you are likely to do so. Paying attention to candidates’ priorities and policy proposals and taking campaign ads and slogans for what they’re worth shouldn’t be out of the question either.
There are plenty of reasons to vote for Mr. Obama beyond the fact that he’s pro-change and pro-hope. Maybe you like his $120 billion economic stimulus plan, or the fact that he wants to implement a cap-and-trade system for greenhouse gases and make sure all polluters are charged for every ton of emissions they release (Clinton supports it too). Maybe you respect John McCain’s work on campaign finance reform or Romney’s experience in the private sector. Fine.
These may not be easy decisions, but isn’t it nice that this matters for a change — that we’re at the forefront of the action? So get ready Wisconsin: You have 13 days.
Nathan Braun (nbraun@wisc.edu) is a junior majoring in economics.
Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 7:17am):
Good points, nate. One item that keeps WI in the quiet tier of states is that at 5.5 million residents, we are not delegate-rich like other states. Even in a tight race, I doubt WI gets as much attention as larger states.
Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 1:44pm):
Obama will rock this campus.
Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 1:50pm):
VOTE FOR OBAMA!!!!
You all should go to:
http://www.barackobama.com/issues/
AND COMPARE ISSUES!!!
I will not vote for Hillary because she wants to FINE and MANDATE us who do not have health insurance. I can't even afford health insurance!!!
I'm going with OBAMA at least he will NOT fine or mandate us and he will make it affordable!
WE NEED OBAMA NOT HILLARY!!!!!
Wispacegirl Turnbull (February 6, 2008 @ 2:55pm):
I think it is foolish that Wisconsin has an open primary, because is confuses the issue of who the Democratic and Republican parties each want to represent them. For example, McCain's nomination is a foregone conclusion, so clever Republicans could vote for Hillary knowing she will be less likely to win in November, and this dilutes the growing support for Obama. People who are members of a party should be able to choose the candidate that represents THEM, without interference from the other party's members. I am registered Independent, so to me this is a matter of principle, and allowing each party a time choose for itself. If there are Republicans out there that genuinely support Clinton or Obama, then maybe they should switch sides.
Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 3:47pm):
She also wants to heavily subsidize your health insurance if you can't afford it. Her plan is infinitely better than Obama's.
I was totally prepared to vote for Obama until he started using Republican talking points like this to scare people away from the universal health care this country needs and deserves. It seems that as soon as Edwards dropped out Obama decided that he no longer had to even pretend that he was running as a progressive...
Anonymous (February 6, 2008 @ 10:19pm):
A Chicago ward heeler? Yeah, maybe the snow will get plowed faster.
Anonymous (February 7, 2008 @ 5:02pm):
Huckabee all the way!
Anonymous (February 13, 2008 @ 8:25am):
The Democrate voters are goofy, they will vote for somebody, just because they make them feel good, and not who will do the best job. Obama makes you feel good, but Hilary will do the job. Feeling good is great, but that will not put food on my table, Hilary will.
Anonymous (February 15, 2008 @ 2:25pm):
ronpaul2008.com
If you care about freedom, bringing our troops home and securing our borders, getting rid of wasteful gov. spending and the the IRS, then vote for Paul. Seriously Wis. needs to send a message loud and clear that MoreWarMcCain would bankrupt and ruin this great country. Paul needs to win a few states and get to that brokered convention so he can get his message out.
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