4 - Friday, November 10, 2006
The Michigan Daily - michigandaily.com
C74c Mic4igan ail
1RYAN JABER u J sAE
Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890
413 E. Huron St.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
tothedaily@michigandaily.com
EMILY BEAM
CHRISTOPHER ZBROZEK JEFFREY BLOOMER
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS MANAGING EDITOR
DONN M. FRESARD
EDITOR IN CHIEF
Bradley was
a damn good
reporter."
- Veteran reporter and University
alumnus MIKE WALLACE, remember-
ing his "60 Minutes" colleague Ed
Bradley, who died yesterday from
leukemia-related complications, as
reported yesterday by CNN.com.
a.~ y
....ter..... caoo
Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily's editorial board. All other signed articles
and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors.
Making voting fairer
Barriers to voting hinder spirit of political process
The passage of Proposal 2 and the dramatic resurgence
of the Democrats may have grabbed the most attention
this week, but another story was overlooked - and no,
it wasn't Britney Spears's divorce. Reports found intermittent
voting problems across the country, despite the many changes
in America's voting process, mainly stemming from the disas-
ter in Florida in the 2000 election. There are still far too many
inconsistencies nationwide and sorting out these problems is a
pressing need.
Altering the course
The biggest problems occurred in
areas that neglected to prepare for
large voter turnouts. In Cedar Hill,
Mo., for example, the Los Angeles Times
reported that a voter "left her injured
daughter in a hospital (to go vote) only to be
told to come back later because her polling
place had run out of ballots." The Associ-
ated Press interviewed a Riverside, Calif.
registrar who admitted that she would rate
the performance of voting systems in the
state as "needing improvement." In River-
side County, the poll technicians couldn't
replace their printer cartridges efficiently,
causing some voters to give up and leave.
Additionally, reports that three men - one
of them armed - questioned Hispanic vot-
ers outside a polling place in Tucsonbring to
mind the brand of voter intimidation used to
suppress blacks in the time of Jim Crow.
As in the past, the government should
focus primarily on the little things that
hinder the voting rights of some citizens.
Though explicit disenfranchisement is
rarer today than in the past, the spirit
behind racist policies like grandfather
clauses, poll taxes and literacy tests isn't
completely dead, and the pervasive desire
to control who votes is still a staple of our
government.. For example, in 2004, blacks
were disenfranchised because of felony
convictions at a rate five times higher than
whites. Felons typically cannot vote while
in prison, but in 14 states, they may perma-
nently lose their right to vote, even after
completing parole or probation.
The partisan character of the debate
over such disenfranchisement is alarm-
ing. It's bad enough for democracy when
parties gerrymander their voting efforts to
turn out only some voters, but the practice
of denying those who have paid their debt
to society for mere partisan reasons is an
exclusionary relic that has no place in our
society.
There are other constraints on Michi-
gan voters specifically - such the state law
requiring addresses on drivers' licenses to
match those on voter registrations. The
brainchild of Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.),
who was eager to keep Democratic-lean-
ing students in East Lansing from voting
against him, this law particularly harms
college students who seek to vote from the
college towns where they live eight months
of the year. Also, on the federal level, mak-
ing Election Day a national holiday is a
no-brainer - again, seemingly held up for
purely political reasons. Poor and work-
ing-class people often can't afford to take
time off from work to vote. With Election
Day always on a Tuesday, these people are
essentially disenfranchised. It's no secret
that such people tend to vote Democrat,
but partisan pragmatism should carry little
weight in the face of the right thing to do.
The American electorate is routinely
derided for its general apathy, but that's
only partly to blame for this nation's rela-
tively low voter turnout. As long as sys-
tematic barriers such as the ones outlined
above remain in place, the birthplace of
modern democracy will remain conspicu-
ously bare of its spirit.
"Maybe it takes a woman to clean house
Because the fact is a woman repre-
sents what's new, because it's never
happened before."
-Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi,
who will become speaker of the house
in January.
For the first time ever, a woman
is second in line for succession
to be president of the United
States. However frightful this may be
to the many Americans who fear estro-
gen in the White .
House - which
may come about in
2008 - this social f
triumph is undoubt-
edly a mark of prog-
ress in a country
that so often moves
backward instead
of forward. THERESA
After Tuesday's 1(EJr4 Uy
elections, House
Speaker Nancy
Pelosi (D-Calif.) now holds argu-
ably more power in Washington than
any other woman in U.S. history. But
unfortunately, with power and tri-
umph come responsibility - a word
not so often used to describe Pelosi's
party in recent years. In these critical
months before the race for the White
House gets underway, it will be Pelo-
si's job to hold her party accountable
for responsible activity in order to suc-
cessfully mobilize Democrats for the
presidency.
Not having controlled either house
of Congress for an extended period of
time since 1994 puts the Democrats
in a rocky position. As the minority
party in these years, Democrats have
primarily acted asa condemnors, criti-
cizing of the Republican agenda rather
than actually working to push legisla-
Cartoon would seem
racist ifroles reversed
TO THE DAILY:
I am deeply offended by the cartoon
in yesterday's Daily (Joy, 11/10/2006).
To say that white people get into the
University because of their parents'
huge donations or playing sports (have
you noticed the race of many of our star
football players?) is just as offensive as
saying minorities are here just because
of affirmative action. My dad didn't
donate money, and I am the first Wol-
verine in my family. I earned my way
here, and to say that I get preferential
treatment because I'm white frank-
ly pisses me off. If that cartoon had
reversed roles, it would be deemed rac-
ist, so why doesn't the other way apply?
Bridget Bienkowski
LSA sophomore
Break from state
drastic, expensive
TO THE DAILY:
Considering that he graduated from
the University's School of Public Policy,
I was amazed at the shortsightedness
of Scott Schlimmer's letter (Univer-
sity may need to break free from state,
11/09/2006). I seriously doubt that any
diversity goals the University is fight-
ing for would be served by a tuition
increase of tens of thousands of dollars.
Without state funding, in-state tuition
would increase to at least the current
out-of-state level; that's an approxi-
mate increase of $20,000 per student.
A sizable chunk of the student body
would leave, taking their money with
them. And that's not even considering
how shunning the entire state over an
ideological disagreement would look to
potential donors.
Then again, Scott's already gradu-
ated, so I suppose more than doubling
the yearly tuition wouldn't affect him
so much. Maybe Scott doesn't realize
it, but a majority of Michigan's voters
chose to enact the MCRI - and its bal-
JOHN OQUIST I
tion. And in their criticism, Democrats
have typically only offered "money
grows on trees" alternatives to Repub-
lican initiatives - effectively losing
sight of reality and failing to suggest
real solutions to the problems plagu-
ing the government and the country.
But now that they have the power to
actually get things done in Congress
and can no longer sit around as angry
spectators, things could get ugly.
Pelosi has already announced that
upon assuming her position as speak-
er, she will push as much legislation
as possible that will give heed to the
Democratic agenda. In terms of the
war in Iraq, she has vowed to fight
the "stay the course" strategy - and
much of her party has hopes to with-
draw as soon as possible. With almost
30 percent of Americans saying we
should immediately pull out all troops
from Iraq and with Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld's resignation just
hours after the House was called for
the Democrats, the end to "stay the
course" may be within sight. But just
how much the Democrats can do to
alter the Republican foreign policy has
everything to do with the Democrats'
commitment to responsibility.
To maintain the trust Democrats
have acquired from voters, they need
to reconcile with Republicans and
plan an efficient, economical and civi-
lized method for withdrawing troops.
A complete reversal of "the course"
could very well throw Washington
into a tailspin, thus undoing any prog-
ress America has made - and in turn
painting the Democrats as the bad
guys. Working with, not against, the
minority party is a strategy Democrats
should adapt, especially since they
may find themselves in the minority
once again in a couple of years.
If negotiations across parties are
successful, the Democrats will have
the power to jump from a ship quite
clearly heading in the wrong direction
in Iraq. The concern the Democrats
have driven into the American people
about the current administration's
failed strategyinIraqand thecriticism
they have given the Republican Party
and defense secretary for their actions
in the Middle East will just be a bunch
of baloney unless they act effectively.
But the interparty negotiations and
the course of action Democrats take
will require Pelosi's astute facilitation.
Pelosi's term, however monumental,
cannot be marked with selfish exer-
tions of Democratic power. The Wall
Street Journal quoted a House Repub-
lican yesterday who anticipated the
vigor with which Pelosi and Demo-
crats will operate, saying, "Pelosi will
drive Democrats so far left that we
come storming back in two years."
And indeed, while perhaps only out
of excitement from their victories
on Tuesday, the way Democrats are
speaking right now makes this predic-
tion seem very likely.
In order to maintain her party's
majority in 2008, Pelosi mustn't allow
her party jump the gun and go too far
with liberal policies too quickly. She
knows that she can bring about a big
governmental reform and she knows
she can bring new ideas and strategies
into Congress to get America out of
the political mess it is tied up in. What
she might not know, though, is that
the key, for either party, to staying on
track to win the presidency in 2008 is
proceeding responsibility - clearly an
objective Republicans have lost sight
of in the past couple of years.
Theresa Kennelly is an associate
editorial page editor. She can
reached at thenelly@umich.edu.
SEND LETTERS TO: TOTHEDAILY@MICHIGANDAILY.COM
ALEX WATSON
Prop 2 and the grassroots
lot language was clear. The University
exists to enlighten, educate and ulti-
mately to serve the people of Michigan.
To ignore the will of the people through
such a drastic decision is to utterly
abandon that purpose. I, for one, would
not like to see the University sink to the
level of a spoiled child, taking its toys
and running home to Mommy.
Geoffrey Hicks
Engineering sophomore
Coleman, 'U' have
admirers in E. Lansing
am African-Am
does not give m
I play rugby, I'
cal science maj
the war in Iraq;
those play a fari
my opinions tha
ing that minoriti
opinions and e
racist? Why no
that are relevar
experiences -s
differences - in
my experience, r
Jane Coaston
LSA sophomore
The Democratic Party has increasingly por-
trayed itself as populist in recent years, brand-
ing Republicans as out-of-touch plutocrats in
the pockets of big business while promoting
themselves as champions for common people.
It's a potent message, and one that has resonat-
ed strongly with the University, with Demo-
crats dominating campus precincts since time
immemorial.
As a result, the passage of Proposal 2 is trou-
bling for Democrats and the campus activists
who fought so strongly against it. Proposal 2
was opposed by both gubernatorial contend-
ers, nearly all major party candidates for state
office and University President Mary Sue Cole-
man. In short, people and organizations that
view themselves as populists fighting for the
underdog were rejected by the very people
they counted as their greatest supporters.
Proposal 2, with nearly 60-percent support
among voters, easily dwarfed the 42 percent
Dick DeVos managed on the same ballot. Sup-
port for Proposal 2 even exceeded support for
Gov. Jennifer Granholm. It's clear that Repub-
licans weren't the only ones voting for Propos-
al 2. Only grassroots support for the proposal
could explain such a disparity between the vote
totals for Proposal 2 and those of Republican
candidates.
Judging from editorials and interviews in
the Daily and The Ann Arbor News, this is a
bitter pill for many students to swallow. After
all, University students, with a history of activ-
ism and involvement in left-leaning political
organizations, are accustomed to being at the
forefront of populist and grassroots causes.
One could be forgiven for thinking that mas-
sive grassroots opposition to Proposal 2 was
fermenting, given the signs, chalkings and
other aggressive campaigning on campus in
the weeks leading up to Nov. 7.
Campus votes bear this out, with results'
exactly opposite of statewide totals. Given the
resounding Democratic victories in Michigan
in which University students found themselves
firmly aligned with the rest of the state, how
could students differ so greatly on this issue?
Michigan has its own blue-red divide, with
Ann Arbor and the eastern half of the lower
peninsula firmly in the blue. Students and
young people as a whole, especially at the Uni-
versity, also tend to vote blue. This means that
the extensive campus opposition to Proposi-
tion 2 was, in essence, preaching to the choir;
espousing blue values and issues ina decidedly
blue area. Proposal 2 would have been defeated
by a wide margin in Ann Arbor even without
the aggressive campaign against it.
The University has also been a focus of
nationwide debate on affirmative action, which
it still uses in its admissions policies. This
has undoubtedly led to a greater-than-usual
awareness of the issue at the state level, since
the University is a highly visible institution.
I've known many people who applied to and
were rejected by the University. Many blame
their rejection, rightly or not, on the Univer-
sity's use of affirmative action. The relatively
recent fracas about the University's policies,
which went all the way to the U.S. Supreme
Court, similarly brought affirmative action to
the forefront.
Thus, many people who otherwise voted a
straight Democratic ticket may have opposed
the University's affirmative action policy. This
opposition could be a reflection of the policy's
media portrayal, personal experience or the
result of a hundred other factors. But make no
mistake; the University itself has played a large
part in forming perceptions about affirmative
action - good or ill.
The popular groundswell that propelled
Proposal 2 to victory is not inscrutable or an
anomaly; it was created and thrived through
the normal avenues of grassroots campaigns.
It was direct democracy writ large, either
as an affirmation of the process or a heinous
example of mob rule, depending on one's point
of view. It's also a fascinating example of what
happens when popular sentiment goes against
self-identified populists - bewilderment, con-
fusion and a profound sense that, despite its
mandate, the result cannot be right.
Whether Proposal 2 stands or is struck down
in court and how the University responds to it
will be are matters for another day. For now,
the result stands as a fascinating political case
study, one with which University students can
and should engage themselves. Regardless of
your political affiliation, the proposal's pas-
sage and the climate in which it passed prom-
ise to have an effect on Michigan politics for
years to come.
Alex Watson is a first-year graduate
student in the School of Information.
TO THE DAILY:
Thank you, President Mary Sue Cole- Take tim
man, and your university for exhibiting
the courage to stand up and fight for stand div.
affirmative action. During a time of
great uncertainty, you have fanned the TO THE DAILY
embers of hope in many people. I hope A student shs
the faculty, staff and students of the student's abilit3
University realize how lucky they are academics. Nut
to have a leader like you. story of a person
I would be proud to have you as bution to the Us
president of my university. Although The admission;
the administration of my university, at a person grad
Michigan State, has not supported the cants to list ext
University of Michigan in this fight, and requires tha
know that many of the faculty, staff It takes mo
and students here at MSU support your and a high scor
efforts. it through colle
Once again, thank you for being a than a high grac
leader, thank you for putting the minds lege to make iti
at your university to work to increase takes more than
diversity and thank you for giving me, es for their ma
my students and my colleagues hope by field. It takes pe
doing what is right. (spoken and w
comprehension
Kevin Leonard experience, not
The letter writer is a senior program coordi- It is imposs
nator of multicultural business programs at understand eat
Michigan State University. important not
about people's w
stand where th
Focus on economics, where they wa
..to not assume tf
not race for diversity is representative
opportunity to
TO THE DAILY: someone with d
Proposal 2 passed. The world didn't
explode. I think the University is incor- Jene Colvin
rect in its definition of diversity. Yes, I LSA sophomore
erican, but that alone
.e different "opinions."
o a history and politi-
or, I'm worried about
and I'm Catholic. All of
more important role in
n my race. Isn't assum-
ies will bring in defined
xperiences somewhat
t focus on disparities
ant to having different
such as socioeconomic
stead of race, which, in
has no real impact?
e to under-
erSilty
ould not judge another
y to succeed solely on
mbers don't tell the full
n's character or contri-
niversity's community.
s office not only looks
des, but also asks appli-
racurricular activities
at they write essays.
re than good grades
re on the SAT to make
ge. It also takes more
de point average in col-
in a career or in life. It
n A's in one's core class-
jor to make it in their
ople skills, verbal skills
ritten), passion and a
of life that comes from
from books.
ible for a student to
ch person's story. It's
to make assumptions
worth before you under-
ey came from and see
nt to go. It is important
hat any single anecdote
e of the group. Take the
have a dialogue with
ifferent experiences.
WHATCHA UP TO?
IVE DECIDED THAT THE DEMOCRATS
WON'T DO A GOOD JOB, IT WILL JUST
BE PARTISAN BICKERING AS USUAL. SO
I'M STARTING MY OWN PARTY.
0H YEAH? WHAT KIND?
WELL I'VE BEEN READING A LOT OF MARX
AND i LIKE SOCIALISM, BUT I WANT TO
START A NATION-WIDE MOVEMENT.
WHAT DO YOU THINK?
CALL ME WHEN THE PROTESTS START.
! EVEN CAME UP WITH THIS
GREAT ABBREVIATION. WANT
TO HEAR IT?
14TVA
CIA ISI
I
Editorial Board Members: Reggie Brown, Kevin Bunkley, Amanda Burns,
Sam Butler, Ben Caleca, Devika Daga, Milly Dick, James David Dickson,
Jesse Forester, Gary Graca, Jared Goldberg, Jessi Holler, Rafi Martina,
Toby Mitchell, Rajiv Prabhakar, David Russell, Katherine Seid,
Elizabeth Stanley, John Stiglich, Neil Tambe, Rachel Wagner.
In-" 71M i7, MAII 1 [ t U7/,5V//A t I } -i3