Being a college student has its benefits. We can be radical on any random issue and not be judged by our complete “lack of understanding.”
Similarly, college students always have been considered swing voters — unpredictable, disloyal voters. Our attitudes toward abortion, religion and politics in general can be innovative and shockingly moderate, considering the fact as we continue our education more factors come into play within our lives.
West Texas is well known to be a conservative place, or at least conservative-like. Religion is placed above other activities on almost every day of the week. Even as one drives closer and closer, there are more and more billboards advertising God and his message. Even in the middle of nowhere, we are asked to believe.
There is simply no escape from our responsibilities. Not even in a far-off West Texas town where the nearest grocery store seems to be so far away the ice cream melts on the way back home, can one escape his or her civic duty.
It’s a gubernatorial election year, and you know what that means: Let the nasty commercials begin. Who’s up for a slow porch-swinging, dog-barking overlay with an unfocused, biased message? After all, those commercials are as wholesome for our minds as Fruit Loops are for our bodies: colorful, holey and soggy. Those darn bite-sized pieces.
They know exactly where are our sweet spots are, so we are drawn in even more to that bottomless bowl.
So should we keep the current one — you know, the smooth, shiny-haired Gov. Rick Perry, originally appointed by former President George W. Bush? To me, he represents a piece of good-ol’-boy politics. Even so, there’s no doubt he has worked on behalf of Texas, and I would be very curious to see whether he aims to become a presidential nominee if allotted the chance.
During the last publicized Republican debate, he could not convince me of his intentions. He stated he would make it through his term, but if he failed to make it through, it would be from death. Still, the allusion toward such a leap remains on the back of my mind.
Now Perry’s competition isn’t so new to the scene, either. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison is vying for his seat in a highly strong-willed manner. The word assertive is an understatement in terms of describing her “political stick.” Having served as a U.S. senator from Texas since 1993, this pro-choice Republican is a stickler for her harsh words on Gardasil, the Trans-Texas corridor and immigration.
Her counterpart, Debra Medina, who visited Texas Tech on Feb. 1, is a more grass-roots based Conservative. Seeking to weld the constituent and the government disconnects together, Medina’s “we Texans” strategy has been doing well enough she is closing in on Hutchison’s turf.
On the other end of the spectrum, there’s former Mayor of Houston, Bill White. Although I am from Houston, I don’t support his run to become the next governor. I just can’t see it.
Yes, our economy in Houston has been flourishing for years now, but he really isn’t too different from Hutchison’s platform. I prefer to think he may be better at getting things done in a micro rather than in a macro scale.
The last major democratic contender, Farouk Shami, is a billion-dollar hair entrepreneur from the West Bank. He certainly is no one to fool with. Considering money is no issue for him, can he gather a large enough Democratic base that is willing to vote for him? He debated White on Monday, and I’m curious to see how his campaign will continue to develop.
So, why not vote? College students are notorious for having an opinion, but they also tend not to vote for whatever reason (failure to file an absentee ballot, etc.). I encourage those who have not already analyzed where they stand in terms of voting should do so. It is too late to register to vote in time for the primary, but the primary reminds us to get all of our business taken care of before our vote really counts: Election Day.
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