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by EDWARD SZTUKOWSKI
News Reporter
A political seminar was held for students and faculty Wednesday concerning the political scene in North Carolina and how it affects the nation.
Seth A. Effron, deputy press secretary for Gov. Mike Easley moderated the debate and began by thanking the sponsors and students for coming out to Price Lake Room in the Plemmons Student Union.
“Just remember, we can disagree without being disagreeable, but it’s important to get involved and vote,” he said.
The seminar then began in earnest, with a discussion of how unpredictable the presidential campaign has been.
“There
are many first-time voters who are looking for something they’ve never
seen before,” J. Ballard Everett, owner of a political consulting firm
said. “Voters are tired of hearing about the lead up, they want to see
the real issues now.”
Kara L.
Bolton, communications director for the North Carolina Democratic Party
agreed with how unpredictable the campaign has been.
“People
are dissatisfied with our current brand of politics,” she said. “Both
Senator McCain and Senator Obama both offer new kinds of politics that
we haven’t seen before.”
Effron
said the campaigns are more energized than compared to the past, and
more people, especially young people, have been getting involved.
“Candidates
have failed to connect with young people until now,” Bolton said.
“Obama has something special that Democrats have not seen in
generations.
He’s a great speaker and connects with people.”
Everett said Obama does have a great stage presence, but is also excited for McCain.
“John
Kennedy was our first made for TV president, and I think Obama is
channeling that,” he said. “He’s very exciting to hear speak, but I
worry that people might not be listening.”
While Everett said he thinks Obama is energizing, he feels McCain will also have the same effect on people.
“McCain
also energizes people. He’s proven he’s a maverick, and I think people
are very excited about his selection of Sarah Palin as vice president,”
he said.
“People are saying she doesn’t have the qualifications, but this is a race where age doesn’t matter.”
So what has been the biggest change this year in the race?
“The
Internet has been one of the biggest influences on this campaign,”
Bolton said. “Lots of people don’t have cable, but they can go on
YouTube and check out the advertisements.”
Everett and Bolton said they agreed the public has not gotten to know
either candidate as well as they will in the next coming weeks.
“Palin has developed trust with her family situation, and Obama is
[slowly] gaining trust as well. People may think that Obama is too
arrogant, but then again,the public has never seen anything like Obama
before,” Everett said. “One thing is for certain, the press are having
a heyday with Obama and Palin.”
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