the pendulum
FroWrunMK emerge for Republican presidential candidate
I III!
Grace Elkus
Senior Reporter
Although the 2012 presidential
election is more than a year away,
frontrunners for the Republican
nomination are emerging and
Americans are beginning to formulate
opinions and speculate the outcome.
The Republican primary is shaping
up to be a two-man race between Rick
Perry and Mitt Romney, according
to Mileah Kromer, political science
professor and assistant director of
the Elon Poll. While other candidates
showed potential early on, they
have failed to keep the attention of
America.
“Jon Huntsman, who some would
argue is the most qualified candidate
with his combination of executive
and foreign policy experience, just
can’t seem to gain traction across
the broad spectrum of Republican
voters,” Kromer said. “Herman Cain
has gained momentum in terms of
appeal and favorability, however he
seems to lack the electability factor.’
Betty Morgan, associate professor
of political science, is skeptical about
how much is really definitive at this
point. Although she agrees that there
are frontrunners, she knows there
is always the possibility of another
entrant. But she does acknowledge the
energy behind the Perry candidacy.
“Very honestly, (Perry) is a fabulous
primary candidate,” she said. ‘ I don t
know if he’s the Republicans best
choice for the general election. That s
something they’re going to work out
on their own."
Another candidate in the running
is Michele Bachmann, who started out
strong when she won the Ames Straw
Poll, a presidential poll taken by Iowa
Republicans, but is now losing favor.
But it’s too early for polling to be
relevant, Morgan said. ^
“Polling at this point probably isn t
even indicative," she said. “Does it
point really to anything that's going
to be relevant? It’s unlikely."
Although Bachmann is losing
support, she will still be around for a
while longer, Morgan said.
“I think it’s likely that Bachmann
and Ron Paul may be around for a
while because it doesn’t cost them
very much to be out there," Morgan
said. “They are making it complicated
for Perry and Romney because they
can bring up difficult topics.”
If Bachmann wants to be a major
contender, she needs to focus on
recapturing the majority of the Tea
Party vote, Kromer said. Currently,
she is splitting it with Rick Perry.
In terms of the current presidency,
Obama is vulnerable, Morgan said.
The next several months will be
extremely important, and what’s
COURTESY 0FMC^amp!5
r, n^m Rir*if pprrv are shaoinq uD to be the two top contenders for Republican presidential candidate,
«cortiirto Mileah Kromer, political science professor The two men sparred at a Republican debate eariierthis mo*.
going to matter is whether there is
any progress on the jobs bill with
Congress, if there is clarity about
the economic situation in Europe and
whether there is any type of national
emergency.
While the Democratic Party
works on staying in good favor,
the Republican Party is working on
establishing an identity, Morgan said.
“What brand of republicanism
it wants to claim is going to be as
interesting and as important as
which candidate gets nominated,
or even maybe which candidate
wins,” she said. “At the end of this
campaign, the Republican Party is
going to be fundamentally changed.
Their decision about which way they
go is going to put them on a different
trajectory probably for the next
decade.”
Voter ID bill vetoed by Perdue, challenges continue
Kassondra Cloos
News Editor
Recent cases of voter fraud that
have come to light in North Carolina
have rekindled the fight to overturn
Gov. Bev Perdue’s veto of a voter
identification bill proposed in the
spring.
The bill, proposed by Reps. Ric
Killian, David Lewis and Tim Moore,
would have required all voters to
present photo identification at the
polls and was vetoed by Perdue over
the summer on the grounds it would
have prevented open access to voting.
“1 was happy she vetoed it," said
George Taylor, professor of political
science at Elon University. “1 don’t see
a need for it. It’s just another way to
keep people from voting."
In a previous interview. Rep.
Killian said voter fraud was the
primary motivation behind the bill.
Investigations were recently filed
against four individuals for voter
fraud, but it is largely not a problem
in North Carolina according to Taylor.
“We must always be vigilant
in protecting the integrity of
our elections," Perdue said in a
statement regarding the veto. “But
requiring every voter to present a
government-issued photo ID is not
the way to do it. This bill, as written,
will unnecessarily and unfairly
disenfranchise many eligible and
legitimate voters."
If the bill had passed, those
without photo identification would
have been able to acquire IDs from
the government free of charge. But
taking time out of work or finding
transportation to the county board
of elections could have presenteiJ a
challenge for those without readily
available means of transportation.
“There was a time in North Carolina
history when the right to vote was
enjoyed only by some citizens rather
than by all,” Perdue said. “That time
is past, and we should not revisit it."
First LIFE@ELON session
focuses on gifts of later life
Nick Zanetti
Senior Reporter
John Sullivan, a former Elon
philosophy professor, presented
the first session of the LIFE(®ELON
program last week, a non-credit
educational program for alumni and
friends of Elon who are 50 years of
age or older. The first session was
called Welcoming the Gifts of Later
Life; Lessons
“Aging is not decline, but
relaxing into something
deeper. We tend to
think of life stages only
in chronology, not in
purpose.”
-John Sullivan
FORMER PHILOSOPHY
PROFESSOR AND LECTURER AT
LIFEOELON
from Autumn
and Winter.
Sullivan
taught for 36
years at Elon.
He has written
four books,
one of which
is specifically
about the
benefits of aging
and the gifts of
later life.
While Dot
Lindley said
she had many
reasons for attending the first session
of LIFE(®Elon, one of the things
she was most excited about was the
presenters.
“When I saw who the presenters
were, 1 knew I wanted to attend,”
Lindley said. “1 admire them all so
much. Elon does everything so well, I
knew this program would be special."
During the lesson, Sullivan
presented the various stages of life
as they were understood in ancient
India, where every stage of life had a
purpose.
“Aging is not decline, but relaxing
into something deeper,” he said. “We
tend to think of life stages only in
chronology, not in purpose. In ancient
India, each stage of life had a task."
Lindley said Sullivan’s presentation
was particularly relevant to her own
stage in life.
“The things that John talked
about gave me such peace and
understanding,” she said.
Anne Maynard was another
participant in the first session. She is
an Elon alumna who grew up in the
town of Elon, just a few streets from
where the session took place in the
Johnston Hall Alumni Center.
“I love the way that John’s stories
put his message into focus. He’s such
a great speaker,”
Maynard said.
Another part of
Sullivan’s speech
centered on the tasks
of grandparents. He
said grandparents
can use their broad
perspective to “keep
the big things big
and the little things
little." He also said
that grandparents
encourage creativity
in young people.
“The youngster
going through the first love and first
betrayal thinks that their whole world
has collapsed, but elders know that
they will find new love, they will live
through betrayal," Sullivan said.
Maynard said the talk helped her
put things in perspective.
“I feel like I have gained a way of
accepting changes in life, and how
1 can use changes to help others,”
Maynard said.
Sullivan also said the transition
into elderhood is one should be re
imagined, and later stages of life are
poorly understood in today’s cuhure.
The LIFE(giElon program will
feature 11 more sessions this fall.
Because of overwhelming response
and participation, there will also be
an additional 12 sessions taught in
the spring.
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