Election 2008: My Background
October 18, 2007 | 1 Comment
As I live in NH, I get the opportunity to meet a number of presidential candidates and form an opinion using first hand experience. I find that my opinions of candidates can sometimes change in retrospect, so I intend on chronicling my experiences and meetings going forward. However, there is some history I’d like to get out so I have a starting point.
The first national election I paid attention to was the 1992 primary. I was merely 12, but I can remember supporting Tom Harkin in a formal grade school debate. Bill Clinton went on to win that primary and later the national election. During the national election, I was quite curious about Ross Perot. His concise, non-politician sounding, talk was intriguing. His platform was clear and I was a bit torn before finally siding back toward my liberal roots with Clinton.
Eight years later in 2000 I was finally of age to participate. As a college student in NH, I was able go out and meet candidates. Out of the blue I took the opportunity to meet George W. Bush in Lebanon, NH. What stuck out for me most was his odd spin on how to reform education. More mandatory standardized testing and tax credits for enrolling students in private schools seemed insane to me. Later, I saw John McCain speak and realized that not all Republicans were crazy. With this in mind and Al Gore a sure thing on the Democrat ticket, I’d oppose Bush in any way possible way. This led to me voting for McCain in the primary, which he ended up winning in NH, even though he would go on to lose nationally.
By the time the election came around, I was uninspired by Al Gore and had lost faith with the two party system. I then dipped my toe back into the third party concept and threw my support behind Ralph Nader. When the election was eventually awarded to Bush, I felt somewhat bad about not having supported Gore, when he was electable and superior to Bush. With this in mind, I was more passionate in my opposition of Bush and certain that in the future I would only support candidates I feel are electable.
In the 2004 campaign I met Howard Dean. For the first time, I had found a candidate who truly resonated with me. I vowed to do anything possible to help him get elected. This was the first time I got involved in helping a candidate’s campaign. Beyond participating in the campaign, I took the opportunity to see him speak two additional times before the election, each time reassuring me that this was the strongest person to lead America. When his campaign imploded, I remained faithfully hopeful, but was heartbroken to see his hopes of the White House dwindle. The primary was eventually won by John Kerry.
This left me forced to put my support behind John Kerry, in continued resistance to Bush. Without a doubt this was a better choice than George W Bush and I would not make the mistake of refusing to choose the lesser of two evils in a close election again. Of course everyone knows how this election eventually turned out, Bush getting four more years in Washington.
This leads us to Election 2008… With George W Bush out of the equation, I feel like any candidate will be an improvement, leaving me very hopeful for the future. This also has the side effect of me needing to look at each candidate equally, on both side of the aisle. Over time, I’ll post my impressions of each that I get to see. Of course keep in mind… I’ve never supported any candidate who has gone on to win the presidency…
Tags: 1992, 2000, 2004, 2008, america, bill clinton, Bush, clinton, college, dean, election, george bush, george w bush, harkin, howard dean, john kerry, kerry, new hampshire, nh, politics, primary, ralph nader, tom harkin
Professor Sells Lectures Online
September 14, 2006 | 8 Comments
North Carolina State University professor Robert Schrag is charging $2.50 for audio copies of his lectures.
From Kelley Brackett of the Technician Online:
The professor in the Department of Communication sent his students an e-mail Sept. 7 notifying them that lectures from their 75-minute communication and technology class were available online for $2.50 each. The Web site allows students to “buy now” and hear the lecture, in an MP3 format, as often as they like.
[...]
According to Schrag, he wants to serve three “markets.” The first is comprised of students who question their ability to take quality notes in the classroom. Students that are interested in doing well in the class can, therefore, use the online lectures as a study tool in preparation for tests.
Schrag said he is also concerned about the increasing number of international students on campus. The second market is for these students who may have difficulty understanding lectures from an English-speaking professor and would prefer to review lectures at a slower pace.
The third market, he said, is for students who prefer not to attend class.
[...]
“Your tuition buys you access to the lectures in the classroom. If you want to hear one again, you can buy it.”
[...]
“Obviously all the students can get the lectures for free by coming to class,” Schrag said. “I guess you could see the service as a safety net designed to help the students get the content when life gets in the way of their getting to class.”
A fourth market he could be serving is people who do not even attend the university or students who are interested in his lectures, but do not have time or opportunity to take the class. Consider this the “long tail” of potential students. I think this is a fantastic use of media and the price seems appropriate and right.
Tags: college, communications, Kelley Brackett, lecture, long tail, ncsu, North Carolina State University, professor, technician, technician online