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(10/21/04 6:21am)
Abortion, jobs and negative advertising dominated an exchange Wednesday night between the candidates for Indiana's 9th district as they met on campus for their only debate in one of the tightest congressional races in the nation.\nThe debate, hosted by WTIU-TV, was a repeat contest for U.S. Rep. Baron Hill, the district's incumbent Democrat, and Republican businessman Mike Sodrel. The two faced off previously for the seat in 2002, when Hill defeated Sodrel by about 9,500 votes, roughly five percentage points. \nAl Cox, the district's Libertarian candidate, played a low-key role in the debate.\nSodrel, a trucking company businessman from New Albany, Ind., criticized Hill's congressional record as say-one-thing-do-another, saying what Hoosiers want to hear but not voting the way they want.\n"You have to follow through," Sodrel said. "It's not enough to say the right things. You have to get it done. If people say the right things and they won't vote the right way, they've done half the job -- you can't stay in business if you've done half the job, and you shouldn't stay in Congress either."\nHill said his three terms in Congress have given him the knowledge and experience necessary to help Indiana, and defended himself as a bipartisan cooperator during polarized political times.\n"I've established myself as an independent, a practical person in the Congress, in the tradition of Lee Hamilton, who was my predecessor," Hill said.\nThe two disagreed on many topics throughout the debate, but perhaps no more contentiously than on the topic of abortion. \n"I'm pro-life," Sodrel said. "If you're going to be pro-life, you've got to be pro-actively pro-life."\nHill said while he personally believes abortion is wrong, he wouldn't want to impose his personal beliefs on others, and said the last person a pregnant woman would want to consult is a member of the U.S. Congress.\n"It's a personal choice, not a congressional choice," Hill said. "I do believe there should be restrictions, but we shouldn't ban abortion altogether."\nHill said he supports parental notification restrictions for underage women seeking abortions and also voted to ban the procedure colloquially known as "partial-birth" abortion.\nThe two differed on the proper way to attract jobs to the district. Hill said he coauthored a bill in Congress to give tax credits to manufacturers who keep their jobs in the U.S. \nAlso, he said southern Indiana has a "golden opportunity" to create life science jobs by giving tax dollars back to universities, which can perform research and development to spin off new high-tech jobs.\nSodrel said while he's in favor of the life sciences jobs and high-tech jobs, the district cannot afford to lose its current manufacturing jobs. The government, he said, must reevaluate some trade arrangements and encourage private sector growth.\n"Government doesn't create jobs. Government creates an environment conducive to jobs," Sodrel said. \nIndiana's 9th district cups the lower portion of the state along the Ohio River, extending from the eastern Cincinnati suburbs as far west toward Spencer County, and reaching as far north as Bloomington and the IU campus while dipping down south to the suburbs of Louisville, Ky. \nDemocrats have held the seat for 42 years. Six of those years belong to Hill, while the other 34 belong to Lee Hamilton, who served as the House Foreign Relations Committee chairman and who recently served as the co-chairman for the 9-11 Commission. \nBut today the district is surrounded on all sides by Republican congressmen and has voted with Republican presidential candidates since 1968. President Bush clobbered Al Gore in the district 58 to 40 percent in 2002, a fact that Sodrel said after the debate might allow him to ride the president's coattails.\nThe race has attracted national attention since Republicans only hold a slim 229-206 edge in the U.S. House of Representatives. It's also becoming one of the district's most expensive -- and nastiest -- races.\nBoth candidates have worked to discredit the other, but Hill took time out of the debate to call on Sodrel to end negative advertising.\n"If I believed everything you said about me, I'd vote against me myself," Hill joked. "There's so much negativity in this election, when I walk into my home, my dog starts growling at me."\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu.
(10/21/04 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>They differ on foreign policy, they differ on domestic policy and, it can only be assumed, they differ on the music they would load onto an iPod.
As the 2004 presidential election reaches its homestretch, President George W. Bush and Senator John Kerry have become entangled in a battle to create deep and transparent differences. For the most part, they've been successful -- and one of the many areas where this has become increasingly noticeable is in the soundtracks which accompany the campaign season.
From Bob Dylan's "Times They Are A-Changin'" to Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," from John Mellencamp's "Peaceful World" to the Sex Pistols' "God Save The Queen," music and politics have never been too far detached from one another. But this year's election is offering up a revival of activism in political music unprecedented since Vietnam and Watergate-era America.
POLITICS IN MUSIC: IT'S BLOWIN' IN THE WIND"When I grew up, music had a terrific influence on the mindset of young people," IU music professor Glenn Gass said. "It was a lot more than just saying, 'I like Bob Dylan,' or 'I like Jimi Hendrix.' It was being part of a culture, a counterculture with its own language, hairstyles, fashion, politics and lifestyle choices. The times were so politicized, and music was sort of the common thread that grounded all of that."
Political songs reached their zenith in the 1960s and early 1970s when issues that couldn't be ignored took center stage -- namely the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. Coupled with the turbulent politics of the time, these social issues had a crucial influence on the music coming from the era and on the sensibilities of the culture, Gass said.
The overtly political songs of that area were usually awful, Gass said. The great political songs, which stirred the passions, were few and far between and were much more nuanced than merely singing the virtues or vices of your particular candidate.
"You didn't have to come out and say it in music," Gass said.
The strongest examples of exemplar political songs would be any number of Bob Dylan's early works, which grew in popularity for their messages as well as the music.
"He was so important because he'd say these things that you felt but couldn't put into words," Gass said. "I remember singing Dylan songs at church camp when I was kid with no sense that they were left-leaning songs."
Gass said another influential political song to emerge from the Vietnam era was Neil Young's "Ohio," written after four students were killed and nine were wounded by the National Guard at Kent State University in Ohio during the spring of 1970.
"It made you feel connected, not to feel so alone and not so powerless," Gass said. "It was a direct answer to an event, and that's what people try to do when they try to write a song about Iraq."
The current political involvement from musicians has grown for the 2004 election more so than any in recent memory.
Russell Simmons' Hip Hop Action Network had dozens of celebrities to choose from this season in an attempt to register new voters. The release of albums and songs with political overtones is snowballing, from Toby Keith's "Courtesy Of The Red, White, And Blue (The Angry American)" and his album, Shock'n Y'all, to NOFX's War on Errorism and Green Day's American Idiot.
"Arguably, we're in the worst crisis this country has been in since Watergate and Vietnam, and that's mobilized people," Gass said.
Gass said, for better or for worse, artists should embrace whatever their political ideologies are and not fear for their careers as they attempt to motivate voters or play roles in public discourse.
"I get so tired of people saying you shouldn't listen to artists," Gass said. "Well, who should you listen to? That's what artists have always done: commenting on society. The difference is whether you view it as coming from artists or from entertainers, and pop has gone back to being more of entertainment rather than an artform."
SONGS USED FOR POLITICS: CAN JINGLES REALLY GET VOTES?Music is a commodity. It's a pipeline that can be used to sell almost anything, a fact not lost on any political operative. The pervasive use of songs in commercials has been a cornerstone of the advertising industry for decades, so it should come as no surprise then that every presidential candidate in the nation's history has had a campaign theme song of some sort.
Today, songs are typically used in protest or used to rally and energize supporters at campaign events. And although "every candidate has to have one," political scientists and musicians alike are unsure what kind of impact theme songs ultimately have on any given election.
Before World War II, campaign theme songs were typically written for specific candidates. The election of 1840 first crystallized the necessity for a campaign song as a way to drum up support while furiously slinging mud toward the opponent. Whig Party candidate William Henry Harrison -- nicknamed "Tippecanoe" after he led a defeat of a Native American rebellion at the Battle of Tippecanoe -- and his running mate, John Tyler, turned their successful "Tippecanoe and Tyler, Too" campaign slogan into a rallying song against President Martin Van Buren:Like the rush of mighty waters (waters, waters) onward it will go,And its course will bring you through for Tippecanoe and Tyler, too!And with him we'll beat Little Van, Van, Van is a used up manAnd with him we'll beat Little Van!
Van Buren, however, countered with a shrewd parody of the beloved "Lullaby," mocking Harrison's reportedly frequent use of alcohol:Rock-a-bye, baby, Daddy's a Whig,When he comes home, hard cider he'll swig.When he has swug, he'll fall in a stew,And down will come Tyler and Tippecanoe.
As the Great Depression began to grip America, Franklin Delano Roosevelt tapped Milton Ager and Jack Yellen's peppy and optimistic "Happy Days Are Here Again" for his theme song, which served as a reassuring antidote to growing American concern:Happy days are here again,The skies above are clear again,So let's sing a song of cheer again,Happy days are here again!
In the years following World War II, campaign theme songs began to evolve from songs specifically written for a candidate into mainstream popular musician. John F. Kennedy used a recording of "High Hopes" by Kennedy family friend Frank Sinatra on the campaign trail in 1960.
Ronald Reagan unsuccessfully tried to use Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA" in 1984. The Boss fiercely relented; outside the red-white-and-blue chorus, "Born" is actually a sharp protest song about the government and ultimately a poor choice for any presidential campaign.
CAMPAIGN MUSIC OF TODAY AND BEYONDBill Clinton, the first baby boomer to hold the Oval Office, went rock 'n' roll as well and used Fleetwood Mac's idealistic tune "Don't Stop" for his theme song when he knocked off incumbent George H. W. Bush in 1992.
This election cycle, the two candidates' musical selections once again mirror the perennial cultural clash in American politics: Republicans versus Democrats, tradition versus change and, of course, country music versus rock 'n' roll.
The Bush campaign has adopted country music duo Brooks & Dunn's "Only in America," an overtly-patriotic tune which praises the can-do work ethic of American citizens in the land of endless opportunity, as one of its campaign songs. The award-winning duo, as well other country and Christian music artists, headlined the Republican National Convention in New York.
Kerry took the stage at the Democratic National Convention in Boston to the tune of Springsteen's "No Surrender," an anthem of bravery. Springsteen, who is headlining the "Vote for Change" tour to unseat Bush, is an avid Kerry supporter and, while known for his odes to the common man in his music, has never been involved in partisan politics -- until now.
"In this particular election, the decision is so clear, and the potential result so important to the country, that myself, along with a lot of other musicians and artists, felt democracy in the end is something you do," Springsteen told the Associated Press.
Kerry's running mate, Sen. John Edwards, frequently used John Mellencamp's "Small Town" during the Democratic primaries. Both candidates are also hoping Chuck Berry's "Johnnie B. Good" will send them to Washington this November.
"This is the first time I've really seen clear echoes of (political activism in music) in a long, long time," Gass said. "But I think the music doesn't have the moral authority it used to have. Today there's no Bob Dylan or no Neil Young to write 'Ohio.'"
One of the problems, Gass said, is there are no heavyweight moral compasses in the musical industry that there used to be, and people don't look toward music like they used to.
Using music as a tool for political exhaustion then has declined overall since the heights of Vietnam, Gass said, but it is still important today in the current blistery political climate,
"The issue has to be in your face. Until recently there haven't been global issues in your face. In a weird sort of way, it's a positive thing, and we need to engage this," Gass said. "Music is fragmented, just like our society is. I'm not sure where the new great songs. I think that's really important is that younger bands embrace it. It can't be the same old 1960s musicians doing it when they're 80 years old. There has to be younger people taking up the torch."
(10/18/04 4:54am)
NEW ALBANY, Ind. -- Gov. Joe Kernan and gubernatorial challenger Mitch Daniels took off the gloves Sunday night for a contentious second-round bout at the final Indiana governor's debate.\nBoth men sought to portray the other as out-of-touch with Hoosier voters in an aggressive exchange that largely passed over Kenn Gividen, the Libertarian gubernatorial candidate. Gividen was nearly excluded from the debate, held at IU-Southeast, but in the end it almost didn't matter: Kernan and Daniels spent their time proposing their plans for the future or directly attacking each other, a sharper contrast from their first, rather quiet debate at Franklin College.\nKernan repeatedly referred to Daniels as "my friend from Washington," a political outsider who has spent much of his life working in the nation's capital rather than Indiana. The governor also implied Daniels "trashes Indiana" when he speaks poorly of the condition of the state and was critical of Daniels' plan to help Indiana's economy.\n"It's the Washington solution to strengthening Indiana's economy." Kernan said, adding his administration would fix the state "the Hoosier way, by focusing on our strengths."\nDaniels, however, said Hoosiers are craving a change in their state government, "a fresh start and a new crew after 16 years of one-party rule," citing fiscal faults on behalf of previous Democratic Governors Evan Bayh and Frank O'Bannon that are going to have to require the state to "play catch-up."\n"Every garden needs weeding every 16 years or so," Daniels joked.\nJobs, taxes, the economy and state finances once again took center stage at the candidates' second 90-minute meeting. In a discussion of high-technology jobs, all the candidates emphasized the need to move the state forward to meet modern day needs while not leaving behind current workers.\n"By focusing our attention in the area of life sciences and agriculture in the advancements made there, does not mean in any way that we are abandoning our responsibilities to the other members of our work force," Kernan said. "We don't have to give up emphasis in one area in order to add emphasis in another."\nGividen said Indiana is "ideally situated" for the distribution business, and has the ability to serve as a technological and industrial hub for the United States. Not allowing the state to move in that direction would border of irresponsibility, he said.\n"Here's a statistic: nine to one," Gividen said. "Surrounding states outpace Indiana nine to one in distribution jobs."\nDaniels said under the traditional definition of a high-tech job, Indiana is among one of the only states in America to lose them.\n"We'll have to fire on all cylinders to bring back what we've lost," Daniels said. "Workers of this state are capable of so much, I see men and women everyday who have learned and relearned skills in order to keep up with the technology in their own business."\nDaniels said the small businesses have been beneficial to the state, but the state is not a very friendly place for small businesses.\nEnvironmental concerns and public safety from harmful chemicals within the state were not addressed during the televised debate, but all three candidates answered questions regarding the environment during press conferences immediately following the debate.\n"Of all three candidates, I'm the only one who has dedicated a section exclusively to the environment," Gividen said on his Web site.\nThe Libertarian, who opposed the proposed I-69 extension from Indianapolis to Evansville, said bringing the interstate down through the southern part of the state will cause "gratuitous destruction of the environment." \nHigh mercury levels from coal-burning plants have put many Indiana lakes and rivers on special alert, and Hoosiers are recommended not to eat fish from specifically cited Indiana waterways.\n"We better start generating clean power," Daniels said.\nDaniels said he doesn't think the state is an unsafe place to live because of these risks, but said there needs to be more done to help the state's environment. It's important to move ahead with economic growth in mind, Daniels said, but the state still needs to be mindful of its role in public safety.\n"I don't run into too many people who want to see our (environmental) standards lowered."\nKernan said the state has seen a decline in emissions. The state needs to clean up the environment, he added, and the state must balance responsible cost effectiveness to protect the growth of new jobs.\n"The environment is a responsibility of ours in this state and our community," Kernan said.\nThe candidates traded jokes in the press spin room following the debate. There was a concern Daniels and Kernan may not have shaken hands at the start of the debate, something Daniels quickly dismissed.\n"We shook hands backstage," Daniels said. "And I straightened his tie. I couldn't let my governor go on TV like that."\nKernan was grateful.\n"It's the only nice thing he's done over the course of the last 15 months," the governor joked.\nGividen proclaimed during the debate he is not conceding defeat, but afterward said Daniels would make "a great governor" and described Kernan as "a man of great character," following the debate.\n"If Indiana citizens vote their conscience as if they were the only voter, I'd win," Gividen said.\nNevertheless, he added, he hopes Daniels and Kernan both lose.\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu.
(10/14/04 4:37pm)
Gone, it seems, is the young, bluesy Kenny Wayne Shepherd who hit it big with his 1997 hit, "Blue on Black." This much we know simply from looking at Shepherd, who appears on the cover of his new album, The Place You're In, looking like what appears to be a Backstreet Boy with an anger management problem. Also gone is much of Shepherd's regular fare as well. Yet it's not a flop waiting to happen. For Place, he tries on a variety of new hats, including his first outing as a vocalist. Noah Hunt, who provided vocals for many of Shepherd's previous songs, including "Blue on Black," appears here as well, but unfortunately, just briefly. \nPerhaps Shepherd took all the criticism too literally when many people said he was like a carbon copy of Stevie Ray Vaughn. (I always thought it was a compliment.) The much-heralded bluesy-rock guitar for which Shepherd is famous has been thrown out here, replaced with a sharp, loud current of electricity in catchy songs like, "Be Mine" and "Get It Together," akin to Kid Rock, who also makes a surprise appearance.\nOnly if you happen to hate guitar rock, or if you're still desperately seeking blues Kenny, is The Place You're In definitely not for you; otherwise, it's a decent follow-up and as musical makeovers go, one of the less disastrous.
(10/14/04 6:11am)
President George W. Bush and Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry were overall disappointments Wednesday night following the third presidential debate, a panel of undecided IU voters agreed.\nIn an exchange dominated largely by domestic policy, the candidates failed to deliver the electoral goods the undecided voters were looking for to help settle their questions.\n"I think you could say that the candidates were pretty evenly matched tonight. Neither was at his best," said Ed Burmila, an associate instructor for the political science department's Election 2004 class. "This was a little bit sloppier than the first two debates." \nThe panel reached a consensus that the debate lacked the spark the first two had. The candidates looked tired, the panelists said, and their answers were at times uninspiring.\n"I really think that they're tired of campaigning," Burmila said.\nThe diagnosis from senior Zach Richer was similarly grim.\n"I thought tonight was the debate that might as well not have happened," Richer said to a room that largely agreed. "People might have stopped watching, and the debate didn't help move them" toward a candidate.\nSophomore Kirk Nathanson was disappointed with what seemed the candidates sticking to their scripts too much and being too deliberately cautious with their answers.\n"The past two debates seemed off-the-cuff and reckless," Nathanson said. "This one seemed more trained, more thought through. My personal impression was a more deliberate feeling from both of them." \nSenior Amber Grove said the previous debates seemed more exciting because a large amount of the focus was on the war in Iraq, a contentious issue this election. With such a focus on Iraq, domestic issues seemed bland by comparison.\nMaster's student Brian Johnson noted the panel was discussing the finer points of the candidates' deliveries more than they were talking about the issue content in the debate. Sadly, he conceded, it means people might be voting on presentation and content, and when the issues were discussed, they were lost in explanation.\n"I just think that the garble of statistics that comes out of their mouths goes over everyone's head," Johnson said.\nSenior Jacob Farmer noted Bush's use of humor, for better or for worse, as playing an important role in the perception of the debate.\n"When Bush said 'A plan is not a litany of complaints,' it has the same kind of humorous edge," Farmer said. "It was a very strong answer."\nBut Farmer was ultimately uneasy about what he called "cheap shots" from the president in some of his attempts to be funny. The president's humor soon turned abrasive.\nThe president also could have given a much more commanding performance, if he had made valued use of his time and stopped talking once he had made his point, Farmer said.\nMaster's student Kevin Makice said he has an emotional attachment to a lot of domestic issues, and while the candidates discussed a number of points, some were still lacking.\n"Did I miss the question about the environment?" Makice joked. \nMakice said going into the debate he didn't want to vote for Bush, but was undecided whether to vote for Kerry, who needed to give Makice something to hold onto.\n"And I haven't found it," he lamented.\nFarmer disliked the smugness he thought Bush exuded on television, adding it wasn't a quality he wanted to see in a commander-in-chief.\n"I don't have doubts of Kerry's integrity and ability to lead," Farmer asked. "The only question I have is, does he have a direction to take us in?"\nFarmer, however, said he couldn't answer his question.\nSenior Aaron Gwin said he thought the senator had improved, but wasn't sure it was enough to affect voters.\n"There were a couple occasions when he (gave examples and specifics). He did exactly what I told him he needed to have done," Gwin said. "I think the big question for Kerry now is whether or not it's too little too late."\nGwin said he has a candidate chosen, but he wasn't willing to say who.\n"On the right, we have the conservative Bush, who's making these policies that may be regretful. On the left, we've got Kerry, who I can't say has really convinced me he has any solid direction," Nathanson said. "Without explicitly saying it, Kerry's entire campaign is almost 'Vote for me, I'm not Bush,' and that's not a reason to vote for someone."\nWhen it comes down to it though, Nathanson said with a deep sigh, he is probably going to have to vote for Kerry.\n"And I'm going to hate myself in the morning," Nathanson said. \nAn exasperated Richer, expressing a similar dissatisfaction with Kerry, added, "What do we want of a candidate?"\n"God only knows," Nathanson said.\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu.
(10/14/04 4:00am)
Gone, it seems, is the young, bluesy Kenny Wayne Shepherd who hit it big with his 1997 hit, "Blue on Black." This much we know simply from looking at Shepherd, who appears on the cover of his new album, The Place You're In, looking like what appears to be a Backstreet Boy with an anger management problem. Also gone is much of Shepherd's regular fare as well. Yet it's not a flop waiting to happen. For Place, he tries on a variety of new hats, including his first outing as a vocalist. Noah Hunt, who provided vocals for many of Shepherd's previous songs, including "Blue on Black," appears here as well, but unfortunately, just briefly. \nPerhaps Shepherd took all the criticism too literally when many people said he was like a carbon copy of Stevie Ray Vaughn. (I always thought it was a compliment.) The much-heralded bluesy-rock guitar for which Shepherd is famous has been thrown out here, replaced with a sharp, loud current of electricity in catchy songs like, "Be Mine" and "Get It Together," akin to Kid Rock, who also makes a surprise appearance.\nOnly if you happen to hate guitar rock, or if you're still desperately seeking blues Kenny, is The Place You're In definitely not for you; otherwise, it's a decent follow-up and as musical makeovers go, one of the less disastrous.
(10/11/04 5:17am)
ST. LOUIS -- Fiercely disagreeing on nearly every foreign and domestic policy question presented to the candidates, President George W, Bush and Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry flung accusations and contentiously sparred last Friday night during their second 90-minute debate.\nEighteen uncommitted voters from Missouri, selected by the Gallup Organization, questioned the two presidential candidates on everything from Iraq to health care to tax policy in a town hall-style debate on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. \nThe questions, two written for each candidate by all 140 voters in attendance, were pre-chosen by debate moderator Charles Gibson of ABC News and "Good Morning America." Gibson said no one had seen the questions he had chosen, and each audience member was unaware of whether they would be selected to ask a candidate a question. \nKerry sought to portray the president as a commander who has enacted a series of wrong decisions for the war on terror. \nIraq and homeland security took center stage again as the candidates took shots at each other's proposed foreign policies, echoing the first presidential debate Sept. 30 in Coral Gables, Fla. \nKerry specifically criticized the president this time around over a report released last week by Charles Duelfer, the chief U.S. weapons inspector, which concluded Saddam Hussein did not possess nor did he have the capacity to produce weapons of mass destruction at the time of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.\n"He didn't have weapons of mass destruction, Mr. President. That was the objective," Kerry said. "And if we had used smart diplomacy, we could have saved $200 billion and an invasion of Iraq. And right now Osama bin Laden might be in jail or dead. That's the war against terror."\nBush, spending most of the foreign policy portion of the debate on the defensive over his decision to go to war, sought to portray Kerry as too wishy-washy to successfully lead a war on terror.\nWhen one audience member said her coworkers thought Kerry was too "wishy-washy," Bush replied that he understood where they were coming from and questioned Kerry's consistency on Iraq.\n"He said he thought Saddam Hussein was a grave threat and now said it was a mistake to remove Saddam Hussein from power," Bush said. "Now I can see why people think that he changes position quite often. Because he does."\nWhile they differed sharply on issues relating to war, both candidates were able to agree on one issue: they both are entirely opposed to reinstituting a draft for compulsory military service.\nFraming the candidates for their third debate in Tempe, Ariz., devoted exclusively to domestic policy, the second half of the town hall forum focused on domestic issues, ranging from abortion to judicial nominations to economic policy.\nBush questioned Kerry's proposal to roll back the president's tax cuts on those making more than $200,000 a year, and sought to portray Kerry as a tax-and-spend liberal out of step with mainstream America and who wants to increase the role of the federal government.\n"He's proposed $2.2 trillion in new spending. And he said he's going to tax the rich to close the tax gap. He can't. He's going to tax everybody here to fund his programs. That's just reality," the president said.\nKerry, seeking to portray a fiscally irresponsible administration which squandered a budget surplus on tax cuts for the wealthy while compiling record deficits, dismissed Bush's liberal charge.\n"The president is just trying to scare everybody here with throwing labels around," Kerry said. "I mean, compassionate conservative? What does that mean? Cutting 500,000 kids from after school programs? Cutting 365,000 kids from health care? Running up the biggest deficits in American history? Mr. President, you're batting 0 for 2."\nBush, however, persevered and said Kerry's congressional voting record doesn't reflect a history of fiscal restraint and tax-relief on his behalf.\n"It's just not credible when he talks about being fiscally conservative. It's just not credible. If you look at his record in the Senate, he voted to break the spending caps over 200 times," Bush said. "And here he says he's going to be a fiscal conservative all of the sudden. It's just not credible. You cannot believe it. Of course he's going to raise your taxes."\nAsked by an audience member if he would look into the camera and make a solemn pledge to Americans making less than $200,000 a year that he would not raise their taxes, Kerry quickly glanced around for the nearest camera and said, "Absolutely, yes. Right into the camera, yes. I am not going to raise taxes."\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu.
(10/11/04 5:17am)
ST. LOUIS -- It was a busy week for Washington University students, but not because of an increased homework load. \nThe national media descended from above: MSNBC and CNN set up stages in the campus' center quad. Security levels went through the roof, and students were asked to keep a student I.D. on-hand at all times to prove they actually needed to be on campus. The transformed Athletic Complex interior, with a red-and-blue stage ready for to go live on all major networks, was virtually unrecognizable to some students.\nThe two men vying for the presidency, President George W. Bush and Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry, were coming to visit the otherwise peaceful private university.\nWash U, as its students casually call it, hosted the third presidential debate in the college's history Friday night -- previously in 1992 and 2000 -- and students of all political backgrounds were excited to be the epicenter of the political universe if but for a few hours.\n"Personally, the past week was consumed with a lot of organization, planning, hard work, media interviews, long hours and very little class," junior Nicole Soussan, president of the Wash U College Democrats, said following the debate.\nSoussan said her organization wanted to make sure students were excited to be in live audiences and interact with the media in order to display their support for Kerry.\nJunior Jackie Graves, president of the Wash U College Republicans, said the students on campus had been involved in a variety of ways.\n"The Student Union and other leaders on campus held a weekly forum called 'Educate Yourself,' which provided a panel of speakers on a particular topic and provided different viewpoints on particular issues," Graves said.\nFor the debate, Graves said the College Republicans had been trying to make their campus voices heard in the media. Republican students did a number of interviews, as well as holding signs and answering questions for live television broadcasts.\n"People have been really excited," Wash U junior Catherine Kelly said while holding one end of a gigantic "Kerry/Edwards" sign as she stood behind a live CNN show. "A lot of people have been getting involved between classes. We're very lucky to be here to see this in action."\nKelly said she was compelled to come out and demonstrate because she's been dissatisfied with the direction of American foreign policy.\n"I've been very unimpressed with the war in Iraq," Kelly said. "We need a change and need to win back our European allies."\nAaron Powers, a Wash U junior waving Bush/Cheney signs nailed to a piece of wood in front of MSNBC, said foreign policy was on the front of his mind this election season as well, but with a markedly different view.\n"Bush understands the most important thing is to take the fight to the terrorists, attack them in strongholds," Powers said. "Appeasement didn't work for Chamberlain, and it won't work now."\nPowers said he perceives Bush to be strong and steadfast, qualities he admires in a leader. He's not sure if Kerry possesses these qualities.\n"I know where George Bush stands, and he'll do everything he can to protect America," Powers said. "I don't know where John Kerry stands. He hasn't said 'I'm John Kerry, this is what I believe.' If Kerry came through with a definite plan, I'd listen, but all he's done is criticize the president."\nBoth Soussan and Graves admitted the campus has a clear left-leaning tilt to it. Demonstrating Kerry supporters outnumbered demonstrating Bush supporters easily on debate night.\n"Students view Kerry as a strong leader because of his personal military experience and his background and know that other nations will respect and work with America again with him as our leader," Soussan said.\nConservatives on the campus are a minority population, Graves conceded.\nBut Republican students are more involved and excited this year than in years past, Graves said, particularly because the close election has motivated them to help push Missouri, a notable swing state, into the Bush column.\nThe Commission on Presidential Debates, sponsoring this year's three debates, allotted tickets through a lottery to Washington University students. At least 105 students were able to sit above the debate and watch live, with student volunteers randomly awarded tickets throughout the week. \nOther students, such as Wash U junior and undecided voter Heather Jones, were able to watch the debate in large gatherings on campus in a performance auditorium and a large nondenominational campus chapel. \nJones said she liked the town hall-style format of the debate, and preferred it to the behind-the-podium style of the first debate.\n"This had a different feeling than the first debate," Jones said. "The nature of the questions was able to provide clear answers, which were more politically and emotionally charged."\nAlso, with a wider range of topics discussed, Jones believed such a format would be more helpful for an undecided voter.\nJones also said she felt it was obvious Bush was on the defensive and Kerry seemed confident on television. The debate pushed her closer toward deciding, she said, but she's looking forward to the third debate before she finalizes her decision.\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu.
(10/08/04 5:04am)
The thirst for blood and the quest for immortality have found their way to IU as Bram Stoker's chillingly timeless horror "Dracula" opens the theater department's season at 8 p.m. tonight in the Lee Norville Theatre and Drama Center.\nEnglish Professor Joss Marsh, who specializes in Victorian literature and culture, will talk about Stoker's novel before play at 3 p.m. today in the Ruth N. Halls Theatre.\n"It's a very moving and entertaining and insightful play to open the season with," said Acting Professor Dale McFadden, the play's director. "The standards are high across the board." \nPlaywright Steven Dietz's adaptation of the 1897 novel was first brought to life in Arizona in 1995. McFadden said it's a compelling adaptation of one of the most enduring literary creations of all time.\n"This particular version of the play is a very good version, close to the novel, with a strong story involving content between characters that we don't really get in the movies," McFadden said.\nThe role of Dracula belongs to third-year Master's of Fine Arts student Sam Wootten, who will embody the character for his MFA thesis.\nIn looking at this season's roster, Wootten said there was a particular interest in finding and creating a rich and multi-dimensional lead character that was worthy of thesis work.\n"It was suggested that in 'Dracula' I might find some challenges that would specifically help me in my process," Wootten said. "The role was chosen because it was the title role and it had a lot of history to explore and research."\nPreparation began once the role was assigned. Wootten said he took the summer to read Stoker's novel and study art, architecture and dialects. He also saw the cinematic adaptations, which he said gave him an appreciation for the silent film actors of the 1920s and '30s.\n"Dracula" is also the thesis project for third-year MFA student Kristen Held, who is serving as the play's costume designer.\nHeld said she had certain ideas coming into the project that she wanted to incorporate into her designs. \n"In his novel, Stoker explores what lies beneath a proper Victorian façade, and I wanted the costumes to echo that somehow, especially the women," Held said. "In designing their costumes, I incorporated lots of sheer fabrics and layers so that we're always looking past the surface of a garment at what's underneath."\nHeld said there are around 25 created costumes for the play. \nAlthough the costume department had budgetary concerns, they had to decide the most important aspect of the design that the designers really want to go all out on. \n"In this case, it was obviously Dracula," Held said. "Sam also happens to be 6-foot-6, so we had to custom-build garments that would fit him."\nHeld said Christian iconography influenced the costumes. The literal translation of Dracula's name -- "dragon" -- inspired the design of his leather doublet and cape for the performance, meant to simulate a dragon's wings.\nAfter 20 hours of rehearsal per week for four weeks, McFadden had only positive things to say about his theses students. \n"Sam Wootten has done a wonderful job and created his own Dracula that is both believable and impressive to the audience," McFadden said. "Kristen created a very impressive array of costumes in the Victorian time in which the story is set, dealing with not only how Dracula and the vixens look, but the world of London as well."\nMcFadden said hopefully the play will take the audience away to another time and place. Like any good period show, he said, it says more on a deeper level about the present than it does about the past.\n"The novel will come alive with live actors in front of you, creating characters and people, not just the imagination of the reader, but the imagination filtered into an interpretative performance," McFadden said. "There are moments in the production where only in the theater, in the presence of other people, can you have a moment of insight and realization."\nWootten said he hopes the audience will make a connection with his performance and the play that will flesh out their appreciation for the artwork.\n"People connect to theater in ways they never can with film. A human shared experience is worth all the films ever made," Wootten said. "The impression created is indelible and palpable. When theater is done well, it is one of the greatest expressions mankind can make."\n"Dracula" opens Friday and plays at 8 p.m. nightly onOct. 9 and Oct. 11 through 16. Ticket prices are $15 for adults and $13 for students and seniors.\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu .
(10/05/04 4:55am)
Welcome to Democracy 101 -- but don't snore yet, because you're in for a treat. The self-effacing and quick-witted Jon Stewart, host of Comedy Central's immensely popular faux-news program "The Daily Show," will serve as your professor while you walk down history lane.\nYour primary reading will come from "America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction," a new satirical textbook of American government from Stewart and his fellow "Daily" writers that, hands down, will turn into a much better investment than that civics book currently collecting dust on your dorm room floor.\nThe book is so true to its schtick. As a matter of fact, it goes to great lengths to look like a clone of a civics textbook you would have once had, replete with colorful graphics, pretend study questions at the end of each chapter and even a "This book is the property of" stamp inside the front cover. \n"America" was, in fact, frequently mistaken for a real textbook as I carried it from class to class, which leads to a note of caution. "America" is what one could consider as embarrassingly funny for its reader, and should be read in controlled environments, such as outside of class so you don't giggle loudly during a somber lecture.\nThe book doesn't skip a chance for mockery, from early Rome's legacy ("a numerical system that allowed future generations to more easily keep track of Super Bowls") to the present-day media (which "serves to inform the voting public on matters relevant to its well-being," adding, "Why they've stopped doing this is a mystery").\nThe book might as well be considered a hardcopy annex of "The Daily Show." It performs the same precarious balancing act as the show -- savvy political artfulness evenly weighed with zany comedy. The book, much like the show, holds no punches in a "this is too serious to be taken seriously" sort of way, regularly taking bipartisan jabs.\nA judicial activist, it says, "sees the Constitution as a living document that can be adapted and re-interpreted to protect the needs of a changing society, such as 'marriage between sodomites' and 'impulse abortions.'" However, a strict constructionist interprets the Constitution according to the language and original intent of the text at the time of its writing. "Fortunately," it reads, "they have been endowed by God with the super-human gift of being able to read the minds of people who died 200 years ago. Naturally they use this power only for good."\nThe book's format and layout is busy, but ultimately it's more of a boon than a bane. Each of the 225 pages is loaded with so many jokes that you have to back-pedal to catch everything while holding off the urge to read ahead. Plus, it would be too difficult, I think, to read this book from start to finish. But as far as textbooks go, it's not suggested reading; it's certainly required, and you'll be satisfied when you're done.\n"America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction" is available on \nwww.amazon.com for $16.97.
(10/01/04 6:08am)
If undecided voters across the nation remain as unmoved as undecided IU student voters following Thursday's first presidential debate, then President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry both need to gain more than either would have preferred.\nAn estimated six in 10 adults, or roughly 50 million people according to some estimates, were to have tuned in to the 90-minute debate from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., that focused largely on foreign policy and homeland security. Polls show as much as a quarter of likely voters said their minds could be swayed by watching the debates.\nBut to the six undecided student voters the Indiana Daily Student surveyed following the debate, there wasn't much movement, or when there was, it was only miniscule.\nAll six students said they were interested in hearing more from the candidates before deciding definitely for whom they would cast a ballot this November. \n"The important thing isn't that one of (the presidential candidates) won or lost, but that this is very close," said Ed Burmila, an associated instructor for the political science department's Election 2004 class who helped moderate the post-debate discussion. "Anyone who tells you there is a clear winner or a loss is probably very partisan. Both left a lot of questions, and both answered a lot of questions."\nBefore the debate started, senior Zach Richer said he expected to see something stronger come out of Kerry's campaigning. Richer said he thought Kerry has been generally weak for the entire campaign season, which created frustration for Richer. \n"What Kerry needed to do was really question what has happened to the war on terror," Richer said. "Bring up Afghanistan, Iran, Osama bin Laden -- what happened to these key figures to the war on terror? Bush needed to make whatever Kerry said, no matter what he said, seem complicated, and I think Kerry exceeded what I could have possibly imagined he could."\nRicher said he wrote a note to himself at the beginning of the debate that read "George kicks ass," but as the debate progressed, he felt Bush's performance deflated.\n"At the start of the debate, I thought (Bush) was going to slaughter Kerry. I am very surprised at the end of the debate to think Kerry won," Richer said. "(Bush) was just nailing the debate. He was bringing it down to very simple solutions. I just think he ran out of steam. I think he hit the same thing too many times."\nSenior Aaron Gwin said he is the undecided voter Kerry really needs, and if Kerry can't capture him or likeminded voters, they could be Bush pick-ups.\n"I have a lot of faith Kerry can pull a huge swing vote, but he has to come out of his shell to do it," Gwin said. "In the past, I've identified as being a Republican. This is the first time where I've actually been able to look at both candidates with basically equal standing. But I have faith Kerry could say something or do something to sway my vote in his favor, but if he doesn't do that, people are going to go with what they know rather than what they don't know."\nGwin said Kerry did a good job of appearing dignified and steadfast, almost grandfatherly in a very respectable way, but comparatively, Bush struck him as a more real person. \n"I would say that because Kerry was conducting himself in a manner to elicit respect from people, that would almost send up a red flag for me," Gwin said. \nA voter can get more out of the candidates when the candidate puts an emphasis on what he's saying rather than concentrating on how he's saying it, Gwin said.\nBody language was a large factor in senior Kourtney Teegardin's analysis of the debate.\n"I think it went well for both of them. I think Bush was really defensive, but he did a good job. I think that Kerry seemed more stiff, but he looked relaxed, looked more formal and confident," she said.\nThe panelists watched the debate live on C-SPAN, which broadcast a split screen allowing viewers to watch one candidate speak as the other candidate reacted. Teegardin noticed the president putting his elbows on the podium and looking around the room, while Kerry seemed to watch Bush during the president's responses.\n"Kerry appeared more confident, but their responses looked equally confident," she said.\nKevin Makice, an infomatics master's student, said he was turned off by the president's casualness and approach of leaning into the debate podium.\nMakice said he believed that, when judging performances, Kerry picked up quite a bit during the rebuttals, while Bush did not seem very confident thinking on his feet and maybe relied too much on prepared material.\n"(Bush) must have had his talking points because of how many times he had to say the same things over and over again," Makice said.\nBefore the debate, Makice said he had low expectations and was looking for something, anything, from Kerry that showed a sign of life.\n"Of what I saw tonight, I felt a lot more confident in (Kerry's) ability to make decisions and lead than I probably ever have," Makice said, although he still hasn't made up his mind.\nBurmila, whose dissertation topic is presidential debates, said one of the terms the campaigns negotiated in a 32-page agreement for the debate was that a candidate would not be shown reacting to a question while the other was speaking. \n"I think having the split screen worked against President Bush, who didn't keep his reactions focused, but there were other things he did well," Burmila said. "The first thing I noticed was (Kerry) went to great lengths to look composed, calm, confident and dignified."\nBurmila said the controlled environment of the panel forced the panelists to watch the debate intently, but a lot of other people might not have observed the debate so closely.\n"By and large the important thing in television is how they came across," Burmila said. "That's kind of shallow, but for most individuals watching this, they're trying to get a feel for the candidates. Overall, I think that the impression that the candidates cast would give a little bit of an advantage to Sen. Kerry. The way he was conducting himself to a casual viewer could have come off as more presidential."\nJunior Jeremy Webster said when it comes to Iraq policy, Kerry can only differ from Bush so much. Webster said more specifics were needed on Kerry's behalf to complete any future plan for troop withdrawal from Iraq.\n"You can get them out in six months if everything works perfectly, but it's not going to work perfectly, unfortunately," Webster said. "In the next month, (Kerry) needs to establish very solid, concrete differences" between himself and the president.\nFreshman Emily Evans said what makes her so nervous about Kerry is that the general election is so close and the Massachusetts senator still hasn't been able to make American voters feel sure about choosing him. Defining himself and not criticizing Bush, she said, could have helped him in the debate.\n"Everyone knows Kerry disagrees with Bush," Evans said. "Kerry spent too much time saying he disagreed with him. He spent 60 seconds bashing Bush and 30 seconds saying what he was going to do himself. It could have done him better if he turned that around."\nMakice disagreed slightly, saying Bush's criticism was just as prevalent as Kerry's; it was just that the president used fewer words than the senator to do it.\nEvans said, though, one thing voters can all probably agree on is that they know how they feel about Bush, and that could prove advantageous.\n"They either agree with him or they don't. People aren't sure if they agree or don't agree with Kerry," Evans said.\nHowever, Burmila said he thinks for Americas going to the polls this November, merely agreeing or disagreeing will prove to be more complicated than that, and that might prove to be one of the reasons there was such little movement following the debate.\n"I think there are a lot of people who are not necessarily seeing this (election as) picking two different kinds of ice cream where either way you win," Burmila said. "People aren't necessarily ready to be persuaded by Kerry, but not prepared to say yes to four more years (of Bush). President Bush hasn't done enough to persuade people the last four years have been positive, and Kerry isn't saying enough to say how it would be different under him."\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu .
(09/30/04 4:35am)
FAIRMOUNT, Ind. -- James Dean has been dead for 49 years, but his image, his legacy and his energy are all alive and well in the rural Indiana town where he spent much of his adolescent life.\nDean starred in only three films, "East of Eden," "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Giant," but erupted into stardom and was permanently crystallized in Americana as the quintessential rebel following his automobile accident death on Sept. 30, 1955.\nHis face is plastered all over the town of Fairmount, Ind. Billboards advertise the town's claim to fame; road signs direct you to his childhood home and his Fairmount grave site, where fans leave flowers, unsmoked cigarettes, pennies, Oreos and lip-stick kisses on the headstone. "Where Cool Went to School" signs whip in the wind on lightposts down Main Street. \n"He's become a legend," said Darlene Campbell, a member of the Fairmount Historical Museum board of directors. "There are kids who weren't even thought of when Jimmy was living, and they love him. He had charisma, and he was a nice looking young man. His popularity is just growing."\nCampbell refers affectionately to Dean as "Jimmy" because she attended high school with him.\n"It was one small high school," Campbell laughed. "You just knew all the kids in a class."\nCampbell remembers Dean as "a cut-up, a practical joker," who hung around with classmates and friends on the high school basketball team, where he played guard. Dean's initial fame, however, registered little with Fairmount residents.\n"The town really never thought too much about (his celebrity) until after his death," Campbell said. "Then his scene just exploded."\nFairmount hosts a four-day annual "Museum Days" festival during the last full weekend of September to commemorate the late actor.\nWith a roaring car show, amusement park rides and vendors peddling deep-fried foods and various kabobs, the festival has all the trappings of a common county fair, but underneath it all, and perhaps more importantly to the faithful, Dean's legacy leaves an indelible fingerprint that quietly overshadows the festivities.\n"We get anywhere from 20,000 to 40,000 people, and this is a town of 3,000," Campbell laughed. "People come from all over the country and the world."\nRobert Fish, a minister at a Unity Church in Fremont, Calif., and Pat Taylor, a professor of dramatic literature at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., are old friends who bonded over James Dean when they were teenagers. They use the festival as an opportunity to catch up with each other. \n"(Dean) was incredibly brilliant as a performer. I was attracted from the beginning by his vulnerability. We weren't used to actors who opened themselves," Fish said, wearing a bright red jacket, white T-shirt and dark denim jeans, reminiscent of Dean's most popular role in 1955's "Rebel without a Cause."\nTaylor, wearing a tan-colored blouse patterned with Dean's face, said the actor was "one of a kind."\n"There have been a lot of actors who tried to emulate Dean's style, like Michael Parker and Martin Sheen," she said, "but nobody ever got there." \nDean changed acting with his use of vulnerability, openness and intensity.\n"'Rebel' was the first teen movie about clean-cut, middle-class kids who were struggling," Fish said. "All of a sudden, middle-class kids have problems, too, and someone on the screen understands how we feel."\nThis year's festival boasted a new opportunity: a new six-room, 7,200 square foot James Dean Memorial Gallery relocated in May to Gas City, Ind., located minutes outside of Fairmount. The shiny art deco building sports the largest private collection of Dean memorabilia in the country. \n"There is a room (in the gallery) dedicated to each of his three films," said David Loehr, curator of the gallery. "We have a dozen pieces of clothing, original wardrobe pieces, artwork of paintings and drawings Dean did, hundreds of books and magazines, novelty items and a piece of the car that he was in killed in, with a note that he left before."\nHundreds of photographs and newspapers line the display cases. An ironic "JD" flask Dean owned is on display, and a small library full of files, books, buttons and magazines is positioned next to a small movie theater with a continuously rolling documentary on Dean.\nLoehr, whose interest in Dean was sparked in 1974 after reading a loaned copy of a Dean biography, said Dean's identifiable status in his few films creates much of his allure.\n"(Dean) had just made three films, three good films with three good roles and three good directors, and they still hold up. He had incredible charisma and looks, and people can identify with him," Loehr said. "He was an Indiana farm boy, a New York Bohemian, a race car driver, a painter, a sculptor, a movie star -- a lot of different people can connect with him."\nPam Crawford, a school teacher from Little Rock, Ark., said she agreed. \n"There's a little bit of James Dean in all of us, and there was a little bit of us in him," she said.\nAs the president of the only official Dean fan club, with members in all 50 states and abroad, Crawford's organization publishes a quarterly magazine in remembrance of the actor and also to keep fellow fans abreast on current events. "He always loved normal people, even after going to Hollywood," Crawford said. "He had a love for race cars and appealed to the rebel in us. He was an artist, a sensitive soul, interested in everything and constantly reading and seeking." \nCrawford said it's fair to say with Dean's rapid rise and post-mortem fame following only three films, nothing in entertainment history parallels Dean's story.\n"James Dean has the greatest fans in the world -- and I've met a lot of Elvis and Beatles fans," Crawford said. "Dean's fans are down-to-earth people, extremely diverse." \nTaylor said she likes to fantasize about what Dean's career might have been had he not passed away so early.\n"He wanted to do 'Hamlet' and wanted to do more stage work," she said. "I like to think he would have grown up, continued to mature and contributed artistically."\nFish agreed and said a hypothetical career from Dean would have provided a lot to the world of acting, adding, "He couldn't have stayed a rebel forever."\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu
(09/29/04 7:01am)
FRANKLIN, Ind. -- Democratic Gov. Joe Kernan, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mitch Daniels and Libertarian candidate Kenn Gividen offered their respective plans for the state and exchanged mild criticism in a debate Tuesday night. \nThe three candidates vying for control of the Indiana governor's mansion appeared for the first time together in a 90-minute debate at Franklin College.\nThere was tension between Kernan and Daniels, the frontrunners locked in what many believe will be a tight race up to Election Day. Gividen, with a nearly lost gravelly voice, used the debate as an outreach platform for his campaign, which has been largely ignored in the contentious match between Kernan and Daniels.\nEach candidate was allowed a 2-minute response and 1-minute rebuttal for each question; however, although the format was generally tight, the candidates were able to drift further from a specific question and into generalities with each round of answering and rebutting.\nFor example, a question about affordable health care and housing for Hoosier minorities easily turned into a debate about whether Indiana should encourage the importation of pharmaceutical drugs from Canada. \nBoth Kernan and Daniels said the debate was productive from their vantage points. Daniels declined to comment on his own performance, saying he preferred to leave the judging to others; Kernan said he felt good following the debate and that the forum allowed the demonstration of the differences between the candidates on what he described as "complex issues" with different viewpoints on those issues.\nOne of those issues was the contentious I-69 proposal to extend the interstate from Indianapolis to Evansville. Both Kernan and Daniels support the proposal, but the candidates disagreed sharply on how to pay for it.\nKernan, who assumed office after Gov. Frank O'Bannon died of a stroke in September 2003, said he continues to support the final route O'Bannon signed off on and mocked Daniels' idea of creating a toll road to fund the project. \n"There should not be a toll road," Kernan said. "(Indiana) has one toll road, and that's one too many."\nDaniels said he became an advocate of the extension for a number of reasons.\n"I'm only for it because I concluded it would be in the interest of the whole state," he said. "There could be more jobs if we had this continuous thoroughfare, and I do believe I-69 is that kind of asset, and I support its construction."\nDaniels said, "only to an administration that hasn't had a new idea" does the toll road idea seem radical.\n"Somebody better be thinking about it," Daniels added. "We don't have the money to do this otherwise."\nGividen, who reiterated his support for the abolition of the Indiana state property tax that he calls "inherently evil" and "immoral," said he opposes the new I-69 terrain, which he said will divert necessary funds from other programs within the state.\n"The City Council in Bloomington voted not to approve this route," Gividen said. "The people of southern Indiana simply don't want it. Why are we forcing this on them?"\nCollege education in the state was not addressed during the debate, but all three candidates answered question regarding affordability at the state's institutions during three respective press conferences following the debate.\nGividen said the issue of college affordability is a conflict between idealism and realism.\n"Ideally government should not be funding higher education," Gividen said. "But that's not the case." \nGividen cited the state university system in Wisconsin, which he said successfully cut $250 million from their higher education budget with few problems. He said he would aim for a similar plan in Indiana.\n"We should cut back state funding drastically and let the private sector do its business," Gividen said.\nDaniels emphasized the importance of allowing parents and students to have more money in their pockets as part of the solution to making college more affordable, as well as some internal reform.\n"We are long overdue for a review of how our large public institutions spend their money," Daniels said. \nThe Republican challenger told a story about a college student who said to him that Indiana does not have a system of universities but rather a collection of institutions.\nThis is part of the problem, Daniels said, and the universities should gear toward greater efficiency and effectiveness, which he said are needed for good higher education performance. \nEarlier this year, Kernan asked state university presidents to cap tuition increases at 4 percent or less. He defended his decision at the press conference, saying it is an important first step in making college more affordable and is not only needed for this year but for the 2005-2006 school year, as well.\n"The cost of college is putting a squeeze particularly on the middle class," Kernan said. The governor added that controlling the rising costs of college is important so that people have the ability to access "Indiana's world-class institutions."\nIn addition to his request that universities cap their tuition increases, Kernan said he has also appointed a college affordability task force to look at the cost of tuition.\nThe debate was closed to the public, but supporters, including the IU College Republicans, gathered outside the building to support their respective candidates.\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu.
(09/28/04 5:58am)
Indiana voters will have their first chance to see the candidates for governor face off tonight in the first of two scheduled gubernatorial debates. Democratic Gov. Joe Kernan, Republican challenger Mitch Daniels and Libertarian challenger Kenn Gividen will meet at 7 p.m. for a 90-minute radio and television debate from the campus of Franklin College.\nThe debate will be simulcast on public television and radio stations across the state. It will be broadcast live locally on WFIU-FM radio, and will be replayed for a 10 p.m. broadcast on Bloomington's PBS television channel WTIU. A live webcast will take place on www.wfyi.org.\nAll three campaigns express hope that the debates will allow them to connect with voters on the issues which will face the state in the next four years.\nTina Noel, spokeswoman for the Kernan campaign, said the governor will highlight the issues he's been focusing on since he assumed office a little more than a year ago, particularly "job growth and business development, affordable health care and education."\nBill Oesterle, Daniels' campaign manager, said Daniels plans to be very consistent with the issues he's addressed since he began campaigning, namely "the need to reverse Indiana's economic decline, the need to hang onto Indiana's best and brightest, and make state government more responsive and more effective and more accountable."\nGividen wants to focus on education reform, property tax abolition and his opposition to the I-69 extension proposal, said Sheri Conover Sharlow, communications director for the Libertarian candidate.\nJames Andrews, professor of communications and culture who focuses on political rhetoric, said debates such as tonight's can be advantageous for a candidate when everything goes smoothly. Ideally, a candidate wants to be clear, direct and relatively simple, he said, but often this over-simplicity sacrifices substance.\n"One of the problems with debates is they are not very nuanced," Andrews said. "They take very complicated issues and try to offer their solutions in the most simplified way possible, because they want to appear decisive and as if they have a solution."\nKernan's campaign staff has put together some background material on specific issues for the governor to look over prior to the debate, Noel said. However, she added that this information will only be supplemental to what Kernan has learned as he traveled throughout the state.\nOesterle said he believed to some degree the previous 15 months Daniels has spent traveling through all of Indiana's 92 counties functions as a nonstop preparation tour for the debates. Oesterle said the candidate has heard ideas and stories from voters and witnessed successes and failures.\nSharlow said Gividen's background as a pastor and his many appearances speaking publicly makes his campaign comfortable and confident about the debate. She said the campaign platform Gividen will take into the debate has been a product of much research and advice from libertarian economists.\nWhile the candidates play down exhaustive plans for the debates, Andrews said no candidate ever wants to do something inadvertent during a live broadcast, so remaining focused is a key aspect of any debate.\n"(Candidates) want to avoid stupid little things," Andrews said. "Because they're trying so hard to avoid the gaffe, the silly little thing people might focus on. It means they're going to be pretty scripted. They want to stay on message and they want to preserve the integrity of their image, who they are and what they do."\nAndrews said while the debates have the potential to greatly affect any given campaign, it's hard to know exactly how much they accomplish.\n"My own feeling is that with the debates themselves, an awful lot of people who watch the debates will be looking for reinforcement for the decision they've already made. Those who are really open to persuasion are a small percentage," he said.\nThe candidates are scheduled to meet once more for another debate Oct. 17 somewhere in southern Indiana, but the details have yet to be hammered out, the Kernan and Daniels campaigns said. Sharlow said she hopes Gividen will be allowed to participate in the second debate, but was unsure whether he has been invited.\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu.
(09/24/04 5:52am)
More than one third of the nation's colleges give themselves a C or worse when it comes to judging their effectiveness at registering students to vote, according to a study released by Harvard University's Institute of Politics and The Chronicle for Higher Education.\nThat number falls drastically short of their legal obligations spelled out in the 1998 Higher Education Act, which requires any university receiving federal funds to request sufficient voter registration forms for its entire campus four months before registration deadlines.\nApproximately 815 college and university presidents were e-mailed the survey and asked to grade themselves on their campus' effectiveness at registering young voters; only 249 schools responded to the survey, and they were allowed to respond anonymously if they so chose. \nThirty-seven percent of respondents gave themselves a C or worse. Only 17 percent of colleges and universities report to be in "strict" compliance with the HEA, but when the definition is loosened to whether schools are in compliance with the "spirit" of the law, the numbers improve to nearly two in three.\nIU officials did not comment on whether the University was one of those that responded to Harvard's survey or, if so, what grade they gave themselves.\nBut Damon Sims, vice chancellor for student affairs and associate dean of students, said while he was not aware whether or not the University responded to the survey, he said he thought he'd give the campus a fairly high grade for its work. \nSims said IU has opened its doors to voter registration and created the Civics Engagement Committee that Sims chaired, which has organized a voter registration blitz on campus this week by coordinating the efforts of a number of student groups.\n"Students, faculty and staff have been involved in the beginning," Sims said. "What we've managed to do electively would have managed to give us a pretty good grade. Had the staff not been willing, the institution might not have made such a grade in my opinion."\nTerry Hartle, senior vice president for the American Council on Education, told the Associated Press that responses might have been different had people other than colleges' presidents been surveyed and had the survey not been taken place in August, when most college presidents are not at their school.\nSims said IU has been providing support through the student affairs office in keeping with federal law mandate.\nThe IU College Republicans and Democrats, the Black Student Union, the Graduate and Professional Student Organization and the IU Student Association were among the groups to participate in this week's voter registration blitz, Sims said.\n"We are definitely highly involved in getting students' voices out there," senior IUSA President Tyson Chastain said. "We were at the last home football game and had registration forms to fill out in the student tail-gating area."\nPurdue University was one of five schools specifically singled out in the Harvard study for heralding a successful outreach program and "extremely creative methods" of encouraging students to vote. \nThe study praised Purdue's inclusion of a section on voter registration with fee statements mailed to every student. Their freshman orientation includes two components on voter registration, and voter registration forms are available to all students at Purdue's Office of the Registrar's Web site.\n"We put a lot of effort into voter awareness week, and we're pretty proud of our efforts," Purdue senior and student body vice president Aaron Schnur said. "This is a very important election, as are all elections, and Purdue thinks it's very important to vote."\nSchnur said all this week students affiliated with Purdue student government and Union Board had volunteered at different high-traffic spots on their campus to register students. A candidate meet-and-greet has also been scheduled, Schnur said, with invitations sent out to gubernatorial candidates Mitch Daniels and Gov. Joe Kernan. \nMuch of Purdue's success can be attributed to the students' civic devotion, Schnur said.\n"A lot of it is being willing to put in the time," Schnur said. "Successful voter registration drives sometimes don't get that many people. You have to be out at every event, be present on campus and be in front of them. A lot of times students won't go out of their way to vote."\nThe survey did express some positive results. Political activity abounds on America's college campuses, the survey reported, with more than eight in 10 schools hosting political speakers on campus last semester. More than seven in 10 held voter registration drives, and protests or rallies took place on more than one-third of the campuses.\nChastain said he feels optimistic about the participation of young people in this year's election.\n"Personally, I think we're going to see an election that the young population is going to have a high turn-out," Chastain said. "Partly because of all the media press going on with Kerry and Bush, but also because the young population is starting to realize how they get their voice heard."\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu.
(09/23/04 4:00am)
Rarely will a film critic claim a movie is too short for its own good, but that is precisely the problem with "Maria Full of Grace," an intrepid but rather ordinary independent film from first-time director and recent New York Film Academy graduate Joshua Marston.\nMaria (the distressingly-beautiful and exceptionally-talented newcomer Catalina Sandino Moreno, a name we should all remember) is a 17-year-old malcontent in destitute Colombia, de-thorning roses in a deadend job and recently impregnated by a boyfriend who doesn't love her and whom she doesn't love either.\nTo change the direction of her life, she embarks into the world of narco-trafficking and becomes a human mule -- a courier for illegal drugs -- transporting latex pellets in her stomach from Bogotá to New York. \nIt's risky; in addition to its illegality, if a pellet bursts while in your digestive system, the overdose is lethal. This is the unfortunate fate of Lucy (Guilied López), who has worked as a mule before and serves as Maria's mentor in an unforgettable scene of preparation, and fearing for her own life, Maria escapes in search of Lucy's sister, who lives in Queens, and in search of a new life.\nAt least that's what it feels like and where the film could use some further maturation. No doubt this is a gritty, emotional, tense film and serves duly as a solid debut (it won the Audience Award at Sundance this year), and any up-and-coming independent director would be more than happy to have it on his résumé. But for every brilliant item or shot or scene in "Maria," there's something else holding it back. \nIts ordinariness is only surpassed by its star. An ordinary movie can seem extraordinary with the right person in the lead -- Al Pacino, for example, can seal any deal as far as I'm concerned -- but it only seems as such. With "Maria Full of Grace," Marston bets everything he has on Moreno, and because she delivers so forcefully and with such finesse, it's a technical win for the director and his actress. (She tied with "Monster's" Charlize Theron for best actress at the 2004 Berlin Film Festival.)\nBut the film generates so many opportunities to flesh out the story, and it hardly acts on any of them. It's the frustration of an audience which is enraptured enough to believe in your film, but also the frustration of an audience who leaves wanting more.
(09/23/04 4:00am)
There could have been no better format for Mike Nichols' "Angels in America" than a television movie for HBO. On any other station, it would have been sanitized; in a movie theater, it would have been edited for time. Any alteration would have compromised this film too much.\nBut the perfect format of the pay-cable channel allowed Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play, presented in six hour-long parts and now broken equally over two DVDs, to reach the heavenly status it has as one of the best television presentations I've ever seen.\nThe story is complex, with puzzling plots and colliding characters, but "Angels" is primarily about human compassion, strength, weakness, illness and guilt, all filtered through the lens of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.\nNichols' direction is stellar, Kushner's adapted screenplay is genius and the film looks fantastic. The leading actors are a perfect octet -- everyone from Al Pacino in one of his best performances ever to Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson in multiple roles. \nIt's no surprise "Angels" swept through the Golden Globes and picked up a staggering 21 Emmy nominations, including a nod for each of the eight starring actors. Undoubtedly, it deserves every one.
(09/23/04 2:45am)
There could have been no better format for Mike Nichols' "Angels in America" than a television movie for HBO. On any other station, it would have been sanitized; in a movie theater, it would have been edited for time. Any alteration would have compromised this film too much.\nBut the perfect format of the pay-cable channel allowed Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway play, presented in six hour-long parts and now broken equally over two DVDs, to reach the heavenly status it has as one of the best television presentations I've ever seen.\nThe story is complex, with puzzling plots and colliding characters, but "Angels" is primarily about human compassion, strength, weakness, illness and guilt, all filtered through the lens of the AIDS crisis in the 1980s.\nNichols' direction is stellar, Kushner's adapted screenplay is genius and the film looks fantastic. The leading actors are a perfect octet -- everyone from Al Pacino in one of his best performances ever to Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson in multiple roles. \nIt's no surprise "Angels" swept through the Golden Globes and picked up a staggering 21 Emmy nominations, including a nod for each of the eight starring actors. Undoubtedly, it deserves every one.
(09/23/04 2:32am)
Rarely will a film critic claim a movie is too short for its own good, but that is precisely the problem with "Maria Full of Grace," an intrepid but rather ordinary independent film from first-time director and recent New York Film Academy graduate Joshua Marston.\nMaria (the distressingly-beautiful and exceptionally-talented newcomer Catalina Sandino Moreno, a name we should all remember) is a 17-year-old malcontent in destitute Colombia, de-thorning roses in a deadend job and recently impregnated by a boyfriend who doesn't love her and whom she doesn't love either.\nTo change the direction of her life, she embarks into the world of narco-trafficking and becomes a human mule -- a courier for illegal drugs -- transporting latex pellets in her stomach from Bogotá to New York. \nIt's risky; in addition to its illegality, if a pellet bursts while in your digestive system, the overdose is lethal. This is the unfortunate fate of Lucy (Guilied López), who has worked as a mule before and serves as Maria's mentor in an unforgettable scene of preparation, and fearing for her own life, Maria escapes in search of Lucy's sister, who lives in Queens, and in search of a new life.\nAt least that's what it feels like and where the film could use some further maturation. No doubt this is a gritty, emotional, tense film and serves duly as a solid debut (it won the Audience Award at Sundance this year), and any up-and-coming independent director would be more than happy to have it on his résumé. But for every brilliant item or shot or scene in "Maria," there's something else holding it back. \nIts ordinariness is only surpassed by its star. An ordinary movie can seem extraordinary with the right person in the lead -- Al Pacino, for example, can seal any deal as far as I'm concerned -- but it only seems as such. With "Maria Full of Grace," Marston bets everything he has on Moreno, and because she delivers so forcefully and with such finesse, it's a technical win for the director and his actress. (She tied with "Monster's" Charlize Theron for best actress at the 2004 Berlin Film Festival.)\nBut the film generates so many opportunities to flesh out the story, and it hardly acts on any of them. It's the frustration of an audience which is enraptured enough to believe in your film, but also the frustration of an audience who leaves wanting more.
(09/21/04 6:28am)
With a Bloomington small business as his backdrop, Mayor Mark Kruzan revealed Monday the results of a recently completed survey tracking IU students' local spending and shopping habits. He also announced a new partnership between the campus, the city and the Small Business Development Center to help revitalize downtown.\n"IU students, particularly those who are new residents in our downtown, represent a market in waiting," Kruzan said during a press conference in front of Bloomington Bagel Company's newest branch on Morton Street.\nKruzan called the survey's findings "another piece of the puzzle to implement economic vitality" downtown. The results of the survey will provide information to Bloomington small businesses, particularly those businesses downtown that can be directly affected by student spending, the mayor said. \nTen percent of the IU population now resides downtown, Kruzan said.\n"We believe this is the most comprehensive detailed analysis of students ever done on their spending habits and perception," Brian Kleber, director of the SBDC, said.\nKleber said the results of the survey are an important resource, which will enable local small businesses to understand how they can meet the demands of the IU student population.\nSeventy students, working with SBDC, surveyed 487 students from varying demographics earlier this year as part of two marketing-research classes in the Kelley School of Business.\nAccording to the survey, and not surprisingly, Kleber said, students spend more money on food and drinks per week than any other item. Half of students responded that they spent money on food and drinks at least one to three times per week. Of those, 66 percent purchase fast-food or pizza, 45 percent purchase food at a restaurant and 48 percent say they purchase drinks at bars.\nMore than half of students said they are satisfied with businesses in Bloomington, including an 85 percent satisfaction rate with bars and restaurants. More than half of students said they are familiar with most of the businesses in the city, and 84 percent of students rely on word-of-mouth to learn about businesses.\nGeographically, students often make their purchases at businesses located on the east side, the survey reported. While variety, cost and competence factored in to student spending decisions, convenience was the most frequently cited reason for where students choose to spend their money.\nRon Walker, director of economic development for Bloomington, said he saw the survey as a chance for businesses and the city to improve the quality and quantity of services.\n"Bloomington businesses now have new information to help them do what they do better," Walker said.\nWalker said one way the city can act as an advocate for small businesses is to provide information services for them. Walker said this study will help them meet that objective and move from "economic viability to economic vitality." \nKruzan drew connections between Monday's survey release and the downtown investment plan he announced last week. The $60,000 investment plan will conduct focus groups, meetings and interviews with local merchants and business owners to better understand the needs of downtown.\nIn addition to highlighting the survey, Kruzan said the city will also establish a partnership between SBDC and the Kelley School to conduct a follow-up survey on local student spending and shopping set for this spring. The two surveys will be available at no cost for local small businesses by summer 2005.\n"All of this is an opportunity, for employers and employees, and for job creation," Kruzan said. "Their success is our success."\n-- Contact senior writer Tony Sams at ajsams@indiana.edu.