A Friday in the hands of Robert Bell

I did not have any classes today so I woke up about 12:30 and had some egos. My friend Zach called me and I met him at RCC at about 2:30 so we could hang out a little before he went back to Cave Junction. I went to the Rogue Foundation and got a copy of my scholarhsip application because I needed one for my CG 100 class, which is a college success class that wanted proof that I was applying for scholarships. Which is good.

While I was at school I played a game of ping-pong with and Greg and I lost. He was waiting for Daniel to help him with his statistics HW, but for some reason Greg dissapeared by the time Daniel got there.

Since Daniel had office hours in the student government, we played a cpl of games of ping-pong in the game room, which is right next to the student Government office. We played best of 5 and for the first time, I actually beat him, without him playing left handed. He said it was because he didin't have his glasses on but I didn't care. He wen't to the restroom and I ate his cheese-its. We wen't back into the office and he drew me while I was on the computer doing some HW for my Web-CT class. which is CG 100. After I was done, he got on the computer and checked his grade, then I drew him and then we left. I got home, ate a bananna, talked to tahisha on the phone, and then I blogged. That brings us to this point in my life. Now i'm gonna check myspace, eat something, and drive to Cave Junction to spend the weekend with my family. God Bless and Farewell.

Robert Bell

Be more than a demographic. Be a part of history.

Do you fit the mold of... Soccer-Mom, NASCAR-Dad, elitist, blue-collar, white-collar, green-collar, or a Gen-"X"er? Do any of these labels accurately describe you? Probably not, and the truth is most of us could be described by several or none of these popular political demographics.

You may have heard these terms circulated throughout the news or in everyday conversation. For instance, the term "Soccer-Mom" became popularized during Bill Clinton's 1992 Presidential Campaign. The so-called soccer-mom proved to be a vital voting-bloc that the Clinton campaign appealed to. This particular demographic tended to include middle to upper-class suburban women who tended to hold liberal social values and conservative views on public safety. Similarly, in the 1980 Presidential Election, Republican Ronald Reagan attracted a significant voting-bloc consisting of working-class Caucasians....this demographic became labeled "Reagan Democrats."

With an electorate consisting of millions of voters, campaigns tend to target specific demographics in order to get the most out of their limited campaign contributions. Just like any resourceful operation, campaigns want to get the biggest bang for the buck. While such methods are typically successful and appeal to major blocs of the electorate, they often leave the general public feeling overlooked. When campaigns focus their messages towards specific demographics, the remaining population often becomes apathetic or resentful towards politics, which consequently reduces voter turnout.

So how does the "non-categorized" American combat this dilemma? I'm sure you've heard it before and are sick of being bombarded with the cliche..."Get out and vote!" But it's true, the only way to have your voice heard is to vote. Want proof? The reality is that political consultants have access to your voter data, not who you vote for, but information including your: party registration, gender, address, age, and how frequently you vote. While this information appears vague and general, political consultants utilize this data to target specific voting blocs. For instance, voters who have participated in at least 4 of the past 5 elections are probably a more resourceful demographic to target than voters who only participated 1 out of 5. Political consultants can also tailor specific messages to target a specific demographic. For instance, a message involving prescription drug coverage for seniors would be most effective if targeted to voters over 50. You get the point.

The reality is if you don't vote you don't exist in the eyes of political campaigns (except the children, because they are "our future" and definitely help beef-up political ads). If you vote, and enough people similar to you vote, then politicians are surely going to recognize YOUR needs and target YOU as a significant voting bloc. Easier said then done, right? For sure, but there's no time like the present make a change. But what if you're not registered? That might be hard and take up a lot time, right? How about if someone were to make it really easy for you to register.....

Associated Student Government is hosting a voter registration drive Thursday, April 3rd in the G lobby. There will be representatives from both the Democratic and Republican parties to provide information on candidates and ways to get involved. But what if you already have lunch plans?....ASG will even feed you.

The 2008 Presidential Election will be remembered (if not for anything else) for historical, record voter turn-out. Would you rather be overlooked again, or be a part of history?