THE PENDULUM
^Volume 32, Issue 4
September 14, 2006
Elon University's Weekly Student Publication
WWW. elon. edu/pendulum
Cook predicts Democrats
Misdirection among reasons for shift in political majority
ikys.
FEATURES
p. 15
Eton student can
cer sun/Ivors
share stories.
entertainment
p. 19
A/fovfes use two different
styles to commemorate
Sept 11.
Parker McAllister
Reporter
Dr. Charlie Cook, a non-partisan politi
cal reporting guru, visited Elon on Sept. 7
and delivered a presentation with his predic
tions for the upcoming midterm election, as
well as for the 2008 elections. Cook
believes the Democrats will win the
midterm elections, and he delivered four
reasons why.
Cook said the 2006 midterm elections
are usually fairly predictable.
“When sizing up an upcoming election,
people usually look at voting patterns -
who’s got the incumbency, the better cam
paign, the better candidate and the most
money,” he said. “However, one out of
every five elections is out of the usual.”
“This election is that one out the five,
which means that the laws of political grav
ity are suspended.”
Students found Cook’s views toward the
upcoming elections stimulating, and many
admitted they had not previously thought of
Cook’s theory.
“It is interesting to see that in a ‘wave’
election, as Cook described this cycle, that
there is no real predicting results because
well funded, well qualified and good candi
dates are more apt to lose to the inferior
candidate,” senior Garrett Kachellek
said. “But, I believe that this could also be
See COOK p. 2
s., .'/.J
.'i
SPORTS
p. 21
Men’s soccer ranks
25th in the nation.