Kucinich wins USC mock caucus
Originally published in the Daily Trojan
Kucinich wins USC caucus
By DANIEL BALLON and ANNA JEWETT
Contributing Writers
Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) won the first campus-wide caucus Monday night in Taper Hall, with 50 percent of the vote.
The Unruh Political Student Association in conjunction with the Parkside International Residential College hosted the caucus, the first of its kind at USC.
The caucus began with keynote speaker Dr. Ricardo Ramirez, professor of Political Science and American Studies and Resident Faculty at Parkside Apartments, explaining the Democratic style of the Iowa caucus.
The purpose of the event was to inform USC students how elections are done in other places, Ramirez said, and to give them more information on the candidates.
We wanted to create an informed voter population on campus, he added.
National and student representatives of the presidential candidates in both major political parties introduced and explained their respective platforms. Topics included job security, healthcare, foreign policy, the war on terrorism, and the environment among others.
Whitney Francis and Julia Falcone, student representatives for the John Edwards campaign, introduced Sen. Edwards (D-N.C) as compassionate towards the 18-24 age group, emphasizing his support for creating new jobs and helping students finance their education.
Julia Falcone is a staff writer for the Daily Trojan.
Francis described Edwards as "a political candidate who is more honest than a used car salesman."
Deryn Sumner, president of USC for Kerry and a senior majoring in political science, emphasized Kerry's "National Service Plan." Under this plan, people who complete two years of public service, which could include building houses for Habitat for Humanity or working in inner-city schools, would receive free public university education for four years.
Kucinich, represented by Tad Daley and Susan Nowak, was presented as the third Democratic presidential nominee. Daley, Kucinich's national issues director, began by admitting the unlikeness of Kucinich's victory. However he emphasized the importance of the specific ideals of the campaign.
By voting Kucinich, voters would "expand the perimeters of possibility," said Daley.
The Kucinich campaign was the only one with a national representative present.
Brian Chase, Chairman of the Trojan Republican Committee, represented President George W. Bush. He emphasized accountability and said the country has undergone "economic re-development," and offered a conservative response to the Democratic ideals.
After representatives gave their presentations, attendees of the caucus publicly voted by standing under the banner of their chosen candidate. Republicans initially received less than fifteen percent of the vote and were forced to join other campaigns according to the rules of the Iowa-style caucus.
In the final vote, Kerry received, 22 percent, Edwards 32 percent and Kucinich received 50 percent.
"I thought it went well," said James Miao, a freshman majoring in accounting. "I would like to know more about what's going on in the country."
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