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UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA ASHEVILLE
The Blue B anner
Thursday, Oc tober dO. 2008
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Palin visit stirs emotion
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JONATHAN WAia ZAK- NHWS riCITOR
(iov. Sarah Palin, above, .signs autographs alter speaking
to an about 8,000 supporters. Palin supporters, below,
wait for the candidate to arrive. 'Pensions ran high at some
points between Palin supporters and Obama protestors.
JONATHAN WAI.e/.AK- NIIWS I.DTCOK
Palin speaks in Asheville before 8,000 supporters as historic election nears
Jonathan Waiczak
News Editor
JMWALCZA@UNCA.EDU
Gov. Sarah Palin spoke in
Asheville Sunday, evoking
passionate emotions from both
her supporters and detractors.
While a majority of McCa-
in-Palin supporters were civil,
several cried out “Vote McCa
in, not Hussein,” a reference to
Sen. Barack Obama’s middle
name, and held signs associ
ating Obama with Osama bin
Laden.
On the other side of Hay
wood Street, Obama protesters
yelled at McCain supporters
waiting in line at the Asheville
Civic Center, where Palin
spoke before a crowd of about
8,000 people.
“I think this is the most
heated election in years, and
I've never seen so many people
involved,” said Teresa Pricek,
a saleswoman from Asheville.
“I think it’s a great thing, and
freedom of speech is good. It
can sometimes get a little ugly,
but I think everybody has a
right to what they believe.”
Palin’s visit came nine days
before the election. All four
presidential and vice presi
dential candidates campaign
in North Carolina this week,
a sign of its newfound signifi
cance as a battleground state.
Brandon .Searcey, a 2007
UNC Asheville graduate and
cofounder of the campus chap
ter of the College Republicans,
said he supports Palin because
of both her personal and pro
fessional achievements.
“Palin has five kids, she
raised them all. she came from
nothing to running for office,”
Searcey said. “She’s made a
huge name for herself and 1
just respect her a lot.”
Searcey also said he op
poses what he referred to as
Obama’s socialist policies.
“If you look into his back
ground, there are a lot of ties
that are Socialist,” Searcey
said. “It’s almost as if he was
groomed for this position, to
bring Socialism to America.
It’s not fair for people who
work hard for their money and
make responsible decisions
to pay taxes for those who
didn’t.”
Many McCain-Palin sup
porters echoed Searcey’s
sentiment, with some yelling
“communists” and “socialists”
toward Obama protestors.
"1 think that when we spread
the wealth around, it’s good for
everybody,” Obama said while
campaigning in Ohio Oct. 11.
Joe Wurzelbacher, a plumb
er who Obama made the com
ment to, questioned Obama’s
prcjposed tax policy of rais
ing taxes on small businesses
making more than $25(),()()0 a
year.
fhe Obama campaign stat
ed recently that the remark was
overblown and taken out of
context.
John Underwoods, a
42-year-old plumber from Can
dler, wore a T-shirt that said ‘1
am Joe the Plumber.’
“I’m Joe the Plumber be
cause I’m one of the people,”
Underwoods said. “I’m one of
the ones who arc paying for all
these bums who are out here
doing nothing and I'm tired of
it.”
When asked why Palin
draws such strong emotion
from both her supporters and
detractors, Underwoods cited
her religious beliefs.
Seh PALIN Pagh 2 I
\’ol. PI, Lssiie 8
Election
captivates
foreign
students
Annika Reinert
Stai=f Whiter
ANNIKA.REINERT@GMAIL.COM
Studying abroad is not
only about learning and
attending classes not of
fered at home. Far more
important is the cultural
experience - and Ameri
can campaigning and elec
tions are a culture shcK'k
for many international
students studying at UNC
Asheville.
"In France, nobody
would wear a 'P-shin with
a politician's name on it,
except at political meet
ings. But I had some crazy
friends who did it any
way,” said Alice Brision, a
student from the Universi-
tc Catholique de I’Ouest in
France. “The French have
no political signs in their
front yards, no stickers all
over their notebooks.”
From May to Septem
ber, Gallup conducted
polls in 70 countries to
determine the preferred
candidate and how much
people think that the
American elections matter
in each respective country.
Obama was the clear fa
vorite in most.
The polls showed that
South Americans gener
ally felt the outcome of the
elections would not affect
them much. Paul Espino-
Sek vote Page 2 I
Campus
Republicans
find place at
UNCA
Cassidy Culbertson
Staff Writer
CJCULBER@UNCA.EDU
It is often difficult to ex
press conservative views
at a liberal campus like
UNC Asheville, according
to campus Republicans.
“Some arc (willing to
listen) and others are just
immediately turned off. If
you say you’re voting for
Obama, I want to know
why. I will disagree and
argue, but I respect your
decision,” said Julian Cau
dill, a supporter of Sen.
John McCain. “(Being on
a liberal campus) allows
me to view other peoples’
opinions, and see the other
and half of everything,”
Caudill said. “I respect
fully disagree.”
Youth voters comprise
somewhere between one-
third and one-fourth of
the electorate, statistics
show. According to statis
tics provided by the Young
Democrats of America,
young supporters of Sen.
See views Page 2 |
News
Bob Dole talks
to the Banner
Page 3
News
New State Polls
Weather
Page 10
#
THURSDAY
60
33
SATURDAY
62
41
_
ChH
Q
FRIDAY
64
38
SUNDAY
57
33