Dead Presidents II
Why America's presidential candidates need to listen to more rap

Read the first article Dead Presidents (to Represent Me)

By M. Harrison

Washington’s Bi-Partisan Consensus

America’s fake partisan divide

By: Matt Fay

“Allow me to explain how our federal government works. To begin with, by the federal government I mean Democrats and Republicans working together. And the only thing dumber than a Democrat or a Republican is when those pricks work together.”

- Lewis Black, “Black on Broadway”

If you were to listen to mainstream political pundits, it might seem that the only thing going wrong inside the Beltway is the “partisan politics” that are stopping congress from getting anything done.  In his memoir What Happened, former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan claims that the partisan divide in Washington, D.C. is worse than ever.  This contention, though, would ignore the over two hundred years of American history that have seen actual brawls take place on the senate floor, a nation ripped apart by Civil War, and even one of the Founding Fathers killed by another in a duel.  Outside of bickering, analysis of Red-States and Bule-States, and petty rhetorical posturing during election years, though, bipartisanship is the order of the day and the differences between Republicans and Democrats are less clear all the time.

The Problem with Single-Issue Voters

How to vote like an adult

By:  Matt Fay

As the 2008 election season continues there are a large number of people who are starting to make decisions based on factors other than the color of their skin in voting for the black candidate; their gender in voting for a woman; or their age, personal disposition, or skin color in voting for the old, grumpy, white guy; a concept the mainstream media is yet to wrap its collective mind around.  This large group of people is the part of the electorate that will be basing its vote on the issues.  Interspersed amongst this group is a smaller group.  These are the single-issue voters.  When not being conveniently put into demographic groups based on an accident of birth, such as skin color or gender or year of birth, these are the people that are broken down into pro-life/pro-choice, pro-war/antiwar, or pro-gun/antigun camps.  But to make an informed, mature, and effective decision on whom to cast a vote for, a person must look at a diverse and complex set of issues.  Of course, to do this, many sources outside of the 24-hour news networks are needed because complexity tends to give most modern reporters and pundits a headache.

What, exactly, do you mean by "change" anyway? 

Here's hoping it means more than having a black man or woman in the White House

With all this talk of “change” in the 2008 Presidential Election, I think we should all take a serious look at what really needs to be changed in this country.  While the immediate implication is change from the failed policies of George W. Bush, the change that is really necessary runs far deeper.  There are clear differences in the mainstream candidates – positions on the Iraq War, health care, gay rights, abortion, the economy, gun rights, immigration and the environment.  However, the sound bites and rhetoric give voters little insight into what changes the candidates are really calling for.