4A Thursday March 15, 2012 The Daily Illini www.DailyIllini.com
Opinions
EDITORIAL
Every election an opportunity to let your voice be heard
T
he presidential race is finally coming to us. On March 20, Illinois will hold the GOP primary. Illinois’ influence is usually diminished in the primaries because it falls after Super Tuesday, the day when a large chunk of delegates have already determined the trajectory of the race. But this year, it’s not over just yet. With Rick Santorum racking up late wins — which may not be enough to catch him up with Mitt Romney but certainly gives Santorum momentum — the GOP primaries are shaping up to be an interesting battle, one that students should participate in. Illinois holds what is called a semi-closed primary, a ballot that independents can cast but registered Democrats cannot. Unfortunately for those who are allowed to partic-
ipate in this primary and are registered in Champaign, the primary falls during spring break, and most of us will be going home. Nevertheless, it is important to take the primaries seriously, and if you can vote, to plan accordingly. Like local elections, primaries are often discounted as unimportant because they are not part of the big federal election cycle in the fall. But primaries have just as much an effect on citizens, and perhaps a more direct one than the national election. It is true, certainly, that the push to get students registered and voting is much less noticeable — if present at all — during the smaller races. It is not necessarily the fault of students that registration and voting happen at lower rates during these times. But it is important, as stu-
POLITICAL CARTOON LANGSTON ALLSTON THE DAILY ILLINI
The Daily Illini Editorial Board Editorials reflect the majority opinion of the board, which comprises: Jill Disis, editor in chief; Joe Ward, managing editor reporting; Rosie Powers, managing editor for online; Sam Kargol, news editor; Nora Ibrahim, opinions editor; XiXi Tian, copy chief; Kevin Dollear, daytime assignment editor; Nathaniel Lash, assistant news editor; Darshan Patel, news staff writer
dents and citizens, to think about the implications of being informed and on top of things, even if there isn’t a flyer in your face reminding you to do so. Circumstances, such as missing the registration deadline or being a registered Democrat, may prevent you from voting in the upcoming Illinois GOP primary, but even so, it is a good opportunity to reflect on the impact of letting your voice be heard at every opportunity you have and not just once every four years.
KEEPING IT REAL
Despite portrayal of Sarah Palin in ‘Game Change,’ fans stay true NISHAT KHAN Opinions columnist
I
’ve seen “Game Change” twice now. At first watch, you almost feel sorry for Sarah Palin, thrown into the 24 news cycle and possibly the most intense campaign of her life without seeming to understand what she was really getting herself into. The second time around, you wonder what the McCain camp was really thinking. The 2008 election was many things, and like the movie title suggests, it was a game changer. Before watching the movie, my impression of Palin centered around her shocking brand of bizarre and untruthful declarations (“Polls are for cross-country skiers and strippers” or “But obviously we’ve got to stand with our North Korean allies”). Much of the movie centers around Steve Schmidt’s character, the senior campaign advisor to McCain who is portrayed as intuitive, smart and intent on winning. He describes Obama as a celebrity, a man who is able to pull in more than three times as much funding without having any “real accomplishments.” He says what the McCain campaign needs is something different, something that changes the game. After a polling strategist is consulted, Schmidt decides the only way to win the race is to close the gender gap (in other words, pick a woman for the V.P. nominee). In a promising effort to find a candidate, campaign manager Rick Davis is shown sifting
through YouTube clips of women political figures and finally lands on a clip of Sarah Palin on Charlie Rose. He seems completely enamored; by what, though, remains unclear. And so, the nation’s most notorious hockey mom was born. Palin, who is played by Julianne Moore, is portrayed as pretty, willing and a tad naive but eager to support McCain. Eventually unable to handle the pressure and responsibility of her position, her character deteriorates to someone who denies the truth, decides to take matters into her own hands and consistently blames others for her lack of political prowess (she blames her Katie Couric interview on Katie Couric). The media chewed her up and spit her out about as quickly as McCain decided his election was going to be more about winning than it was about running the kind of campaign he really believed in. After it becomes clear that her foreign policy skills are seriously limited (she thought the queen was the head of government in England) and didn’t have a grip on our own governmental institutions (didn’t know what the Federal Reserve System did), the McCain campaign realizes it may have bitten off more than its campaign could handle. However, the movie seems to be less a critique of her character than of the McCain campaign’s decision to pick her. In an attempt to put “Country First,” the Arizona senator may have made one of the bigger mistakes of his life while also leaving a lasting stain on American politics. Schmidt recently gave an interview to Joe Scarborough
of Morning Joe, saying that the movie was “very accurate.” He also took ownership of his role in Palin’s nomination: “When a result happens that puts someone who’s not prepared to be president on the ticket, that’s a bad result. I think the notion of Sarah Palin being president of the United States is something that frightens me, frankly. And I played a part in that. And I played a part in that because we were fueled by ambition to win.” In an effort to battle Obama’s “celebrity” status, Schmidt chose a candidate that had star power but scarcely had the credentials to be a governor, let alone vice president. It changed the dynamic of the race to one that was less about the campaign’s values and more about winning at all costs. In the movie, McCain expresses interest in choosing Sen. Joe Lieberman as the V.P. nominee, but Schmidt responds by saying, “Choosing Lieberman is the right thing to do, but the wrong way to win.” Besides dragging down the campaign, choosing Palin left the McCain camp looking less credible than ever. It also gave rise to, in many respects, a frightening political personality. Palin may largely be regarded as a loose canon, but she remains a hero to her fans. Her nomination gave way to a persona that shouldn’t represent the Republican party, or any party really. Her rise to power has by and large come from inciting fear in people, rather than from an established platform. She would regularly tell large crowds that Obama has covert ties to domestic terrorism and that he wants to see the United States defeated in war. Rather than discussing the issues and coming up with real solutions, she has made her name by rallying people against the current administration. In doing so, she changed the nature of the McCain campaign and campaigning in general. At the end of the movie, there seems to be an understanding that Sarah Palin would fade as quickly as she came. There’s a moment where Schmidt’s character tries to console Palin as she tries to take in all the criticism “News is no longer meant to be remembered, its just entertainment”. That may or may not to be true, but Sarah Palin isn’t going anywhere — and neither are her fans.
BETWEEN THE LINES
Unhealthy success: Striving for perfection shouldn’t completely overwhelm our lives MEGAN GRAHAM Opinions columnist
T
hese days, I usually give a simple “How are you?” — a big fat lie of a response. Because when I say “great,” I’m really watching as the asker’s face inevitably turns into that of a waggling-fi ngered professor or an unfi nished job application or a summer transcript request I forgot to mail. I save the honest answers for my mother, who listens to me babble on about my frightening workload, my impending jobless future and how the only time I can catch my breath is between 5 p.m. Friday till bed Sunday night. And Ma, bless her heart, never fails to help me realign my priorities and make me realize, at least for five minutes, that my problems are pretty insignificant in large scope of things. “You have all your arms and legs, right?” she always asks, reminding me just how lucky I really am. I don’t ever fear for my life and I’ve never had to worry where my next meal came from; even if, God forbid, I spend a few months of postgraduate unemployment back at home, my family will be more than happy to have me. Although somewhere deep down I suppose I knew all of this, I end up at a loss for the
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breezy, carefree self I was just last year, when I could shrug off the occasional bad grade or spat with a friend — problems that I then felt had consequences of apocalyptic proportions. Even things I usually fi nd therapeutic — writing my column, for instance — made me feel like I was standing in the shadow of a huge piano about to fall on my head. I’m going to simplify: In three words, I was stressed. It was early Monday morning in a week when I decided I was fi nally ready to escape the stress once and for all — or at least stave it off for a few months. So I made the call to see a counselor. And though I didn’t want to, I went. The fi rst time I sat down with a counselor, I got about as far as a sincere “How are you doing?” before the big, fat obnoxious tears erupted. I was literally sputtering like a broken engine. It was kind of horrifying. There was no real reason for it. Out came everything ranging from mild to major significance — in liquid form. And even though it was mortifying, it felt good. It felt honest. I was a little scared it would happen again during my second visit, but when I went this week, I felt a little more lighthearted and a lot more dry-eyed. And when we went through some of the things we talked about last week, I heard myself say, “I have trouble remembering that I’ll be total-
ly fi ne even when I screw up.” Though I don’t know how realistic it is visualizing myself on the beach looking at a sailboat thing, I have learned some things: Stress is normal. Stress can be good — it’s what keeps us working hard and staying up late to study and strive for success. Stress keeps us out of the bar seven nights a week and off our parent’s couches. But too much stress — the crying-likea-newborn kind — will only make us miserable. The bottom line, I realized, is this: I don’t want my memories of senior year to consist of me sitting by myself every night at my usual Espresso Royale table until close time with a fi zzling caffeine buzz and a to-do list that will never have everything checked off. I want my memories to consist of my best friends’ faces, sitting on the Quad on sunny days and feeling light while my responsibilities in life are still relatively inconsequential. I won’t ever be able to change my ever-present desire to succeed or my fear of screwing up. I know I’m not the only one that has tests and papers and all-nighters and stress. But I think we all deserve to be a little less hard on ourselves. And when someone asks, “How are you doing?” We should say, “Great.” And really mean it.
Megan is a senior in Media.
your thoughts
Daily Illini wants to hear your stories, your voice E-mail: opinions@dailyillini.com with the subject “Letter to the Editor.” Mail: Opinions, The Daily Illini, 512 E. Green St., Champaign, IL 61820 The Daily Illini reserves the right to edit or reject any contributions. Letters must be limited to 300 words. Contributions must be typed and include the author’s name, address and phone number. University students must include their year in school and college.
Nishat is a senior in LAS.
Reader’s opinions: The Daily Illini reserves the right to edit or reject any contributions. Letters must be limited to 300 words. Contributions must be typed and include the author’s name, address and phone number. University students must include their year in school and college. Mail: Opinions, The Daily Illini, 512 E. Green St., Champaign, IL 61820. E-mail: opinions@dailyillini.com with the subject “Letter to the Editor.”