QU Faculty and Their Views

Lately all we've heard about is students voting, why is it so important that they vote, and why they believe they should vote. Why should students support one candidate more than the other, what issues are important to them? But what about the faculty at Quinnipiac and others not considered part of the youth group, are they the forgotten group in this election?

Why has the focus shifted to the youth vote, and how does the faculty at Quinnipiac and the others that no longer fit into the youth vote category feel about the election and politics. After speaking to some faculty members at Quinnipiac about how they see the election playing out Associate Professor of Journalism Paul Janensch summed up each of the candidates very well. When asked how he feels about each of the candidates Janensch said, "Obama is smooth, almost too smooth. He sometimes comes across as professorial. McCain comes across as a friendly uncle with a bit of a temper. He's effective at fielding questions in town hall forums but is not nearly as a good as Obama in delivering a formal speech. I think the televized debates will be crucial in determing who will win."

Of course there is concern too around the vice-presidential candidates. There have been many questions raised about Sarah Palin and her experience in politics. While the focus has been on her many people have not heard about Joe Biden, Obama's vice-presidential pick. When asked how he feels about the picks by the presidential candidates for their running mate, Janensch pointed out that each candidate picked somebody who made up for what they lacked. He stated that "Obama, a fresh face, picked Joe Biden, an old pro who is especially strong on foreign policy. McCain, who is 72 and has been in Washington for decades, picked Sarah Palin, a fresh face who actually draws bigger crowds than McCain."

The publicity of the election and the campaign commercials by each of the candidates explaining to the country why they are the better pick for the next president that will help the nation and solve all the problems it faces as a whole are also very important in the election. There are also those reports on the news and in the papers that make a scandal out of all the candidate's private lives. When asked how he felt about the publicity of the election Janensch said, Both campaigns have issued their share of half-truths and outright falsehoods in their speeches, ads and news releases. But a review of fact-checking by news organizations, independent policy groups and Internet campaign watchers shows that the McCain campaign is doing more lying than the Obama campaign. Even when news stories say a claim is false, McCain, Palin and their camp keep repeating the lie. One example is the charge that when he was an Illinolis state senator, Obama supported a bill under which kindergarteners would be taught sex education even before they could read. Actually, the bill called for instructing youngsters how to watch out for predators."

What it comes down to in this election year is that every vote is important and although the focus may be on one group more than another every person needs to vote. There are many reasons why one person supports a certain candidate more than the other, and why they believe one candidate is better for the country than the other. Whether your are voting for McCain and Palin or Obama and Biden everybody needs to have a say in the election. As Janensch said in closing, "The backgrounds, programs and temperaments of the candidates are dramatically different. If you don't vote, you shouldn't gripe afterwards."