CU perspectives on the Republican National Convention
Republicans gathered in Minnesota this week for their national convention to formalize their nomination of Sen. John McCain for president in the 2008 November election.
“This is a landmark election,” Andrew Crown, a junior international affairs major, said Thursday night.
With the Democratic National Convention having ended the evening of Aug. 28 with Sen. Barack Obama’s acceptance of the Democratic nomination, the McCain campaign lost no time revving up supporters for their convention with the announcement of Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin’s nomination for vice president. The news came early Aug. 29, directly on the heels of the Democratic National Convention’s grand finale at INVESCO Field.
Palin’s nomination was a surprise pick for many, even within the Republican Party. CU students attending a meeting for the College Republicans, an extension of the national Republican Party, say they were surprised to hear of her nomination.
“I think it was a risky pick,” Chris Swan, a junior finance major, said.
Swan has done his homework.
“I’ll be honest-I had never heard of her, but I did some research and she seems like a well-rounded candidate,” he said.
Some, like freshman film studies major Mitchell Haba, are less convinced but maintain faith in McCain’s choice of running-mate.
“I think she was a good choice,” Haba said. “Although I would like to see someone else picked, I think it’s all right because of her policy views and energy plans.”
Crown, who is the chairman of the College Republicans, said Palin’s speech was inspiring to listen to.
“Palin’s speech (Wednesday) night was phenomenal,” Crown said. “It definitely created a lot of positive media attention.”
With many questions surrounding Palin and her nomination, one thing is certain in the mind of political science professor and former President of the CU system Hank Brown: Palin is a novelty, and rightly so.
“Her major impact is as a role model for women,” Brown said. “We haven’t had many women who have had it all-the family and the successful political career. She becomes a role model whether people agree with her or not.”
The independent vote is predicted by many to play a significant role in this election, and both parties have been making efforts to expand their voter base to include those who don’t subscribe to a particular party line. With many independents voicing desires for change, some students say they believe the choice of Gov. Palin may influence which way independent voters will go on election day.
“I think she’ll get some of the people’s votes . especially because of her daughter, it will appeal to teens and late teens,” Ruth Graham, a junior psychology major said. “Plus, she’s done some really, really good things for Alaska.”
Others like freshman international affairs major Liz Walsh, aren’t counting on Palin to swing the independent voters.
“The independent voters are different demographically than Republicans, so my guess would be no,” she said.
With so many new factors being introduced in this year’s election, the conventions may have played a significant role in swaying or solidifying the opinions of staunch party members and independent voters alike.
“Both conventions became opportunities to present party philosophies,” Brown said. “In that way, they were more influential than in the past.”
For more information about the RNC, visit the GOP’s 2008 convention Web site.
To learn more about the CU College Republicans, visit the College Republicans Web site.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Emily Sawyer at Emily.c.sawyer@colorado.edu.
