Aquinas Thursday, October 7. 2004 DECISION 2004 11 The Twenty-first century's first African American Senator By VINCENT CRUCIANI his wife in their divorce proceedings. Call: The Alan Keyes Show," and for 23 supported on the state level in the past, Dec1s1on 2004 Ed1tor The lllinois Republican party, looking to weeks in 2002 Keyes hosted his own 1V talk working with community colleges and area save whatever face they could, recruited the show on MSNBC, ')\Jan Keyes is Making employers to create and fund initiatives that The 21st century has yet to witness an perennial candidate and recent carpet bag­ Sense". train unskilled workers and move them into African American serve in the United States ger, Alan Keyes. What makes Keyes selec­ While Alan Keyes earned his credibility skilled jobs. Senate. The twentieth century witnessed tion and opposition to Obama so unique is through the Foreign Service and the media, Keyes' campaign platform is one of only two African Americans serve in the the fact that both Keyes and Obama are Barack Obama used the field of law and staunch conservatism. Keyes, while respect­ U.S. Senate. The first popularly elected African Americans. While both candidates won political elections in order to promote ing Obama as intelligent and articulate, crit­ African American Senator was Edward are African Americans, their ·ideological his beliefs. The forty-three year-old Obama icizes Obama's records on issues such as Brooke, a Massachusetts Republican who viewpoints and professional backgrounds received his undergraduate degree in politi­ supporting abortion rights, opposing served from 1967 through 1979. The second differ considerably. cal science from Columbia University. American's Second Amendment rights and African American to serve in the twentieth The fifty-four year old Keyes earned both Obama went on to earn his law degree from voting for too many tax increases. Keyes, a century was Carol Moseley Braun, who his BA. and his PhD in government affairs Harvard Law School, magnum cwn laude, staunch Roman Catholic who believes in served as Senator from lllinois between 1993 from Harvard University. After a career in and earned the distinction of becoming the very little separation of church and state, and 1999. Both were defeated when the U.S. Foreign Service, Keyes was appoint­ first African American president of the believes Obama's social policies arc far too attempting re-election. ed Ambassador to the Economic and Social Harvard Law Review. Obama went on to a liberal for our country and promises to pro­ The 2004 campaign season guarantees the Council of the United Nations and Assistant career as an attorney focusing on civil rights vide an alternative to Obama's stances. 21st century's first African-American Secretary of State for Internal Organizations issues. In 1997, Obama was elected and con­ Regardless of who wins the 2004 lllinois Senator will serve as one of the Senators for under President Reagan. In 1988 and in 1992 tinues to serve as the State Senator for Senatorial race, an African American will be the state of lllinois. Those who watched the Keyes ran unsuccessfully for U.S. Senate in lllinois 13th district on Chicago's South Side. elected to the U.S. Senate, an important step Democratic National Convention of 2004 Maryland, losing to incumbent Paul Though Keyes and Obama share the com­ for inclusion in the 21st century. most likely recall the incredibly invigorating Sarbanes and Barbara Mikulski, respectively. monality of being African American, they However, the people of Illinois arc choos­ speech delivered by lllinois State Senator, Keyes attempted to twice reign in the have very little in common in terms of polit­ ing between two vastly different candi­ and current U.S. Senate candidate, Barack nomination for the Republican Party's presi­ ical ideology. Obama's record is one of dates. While Chicago and its surrounding Obama. dential ticket; however, Keyes lost his bid in unabashed liberalism. Obama's platform areas arc steeped in an urban liberal voting Obama's original opponent, Republican 1996 to Senator Bob Dole and lost in 2000 to calls for greater spending initiatives in edu­ pattern, the rest of lllinois tends to vote con­ Jack Ryan, resigned from the race this previ­ Texas Governor George W. Bush. When not cation and health care. Obama also prides servative. Will the young, Chicago Senator ous sununer after various aspects of his sex running for office, Keyes has impacted the himself on standing as a staunch advocate Barack Obama win or will the Maryland life were revealed through the testimony of nation by hosting his own conservative for woman's reproductive rights. In addition native, conservative, Alan Keyes take the radio talk show called ':.\mcrica's Wake-Up to civil rights, Obama supports, and has scat? On Nov. 2, the world will know. Two very different views on education By CHARLENE GAURANO identify key education reform initiatives for "years of accomplishment with NCLB." schools to improve their learning conditions Staff Wnter elementary and secondary schools, such as When President Bush entered office in in order to keep both their students and strong accountability provisions, fw1ding to January 2001, only eleven states were in full their fundmg. Bush supports spending $50 As Election Day nears, the Presidential schools for the creation of alternative learn­ compliance with previous federal education billion on voucher pilot programs to enable campaigns arc heating up and the race is ing environments for violent or chronically accmmtability standards. On Jtme 10, 2003, kids across the countty to take advantage closer than ever. This past summer, Scnatm disruptive students, ftmding initiatives to he annmmccd that all fifty states approved of vouchers. Jolm Kerry and President George W. Bush recruit and retain high-quality teachers, and accmmtability plans under NCLB. In 2003, Kerry opposes voucher u~c because he outlined their plans for each one's potential expanding public school choice programs. $1.78 billion m Reading Frr~t funds have feels that many families cannot afford the presidency at the Democratic National Kerry supported legislation this year to been distributed to the states that have pro­ additional cost required by most pnvate Convention and the Republican National tcauthonzc the Elementary and Secondary vided training to thousands of tcachCJs and schools, even with one. Al~o. these ~chon!<; Convention, respectively. On the agenda for Education Act. He, along with ten of his pwvided 111structional matcnals. Also, states provtdc limited space for student~ with both candidates was the is~uc of the future Dcmonatic colleagues, introduced till'; pw­ have received almost $200 milliOn in fund~ vouchers of education in the U.S. posal that became the foundation of the for early chtldhood Jeadmg effort~ through In place of them, Kerry propo~es mcJea~­ Education IS less of an I~suc now than it education bill signed into law by President initiatives such as Emly Hcadmg Fit ~t. mg public ~chool funding to rai~c tcarher· wa~ in 2000 But 'm a tight campaign, it Bush. Thb legblation enhance~ the fedetal Pment~ have a supplemental sc1vicc ~alane~ and decrea~c elaso.,room '>I/.e lie could make a diffcicncc at the mmgins. government's commitment to our nation's option m which they can, for the fn ~t time, offer~ tim a<; a solution m meier to help all "The big J~sues of the campaign- terrm­ public education system and reconfigures find a pwgram that is focused, rigorous, and ~tudent~. wthc1 than JU~t a few He plan~ on ism, Iraq, and the economy- arc crowding the federal role in public education. directed at the specific need~ of thetr child Im'esting $150 nulhon m public educatiOn to out education," smd Tom Loveless, a scmor In addition to suppm tmg education Standard~ for teachers, ~chools. and ~Ill­ help make the change~ fellow at the Brookings Institution. reform, Kerry has fought for other renova­ dent achievement were toughened through The difference~ between a Bu~h admim~­ Despite all that, the candidates con~idcr tions. He co-sponsored S.905, legislatton that the fund111g of standardized test ~cores 111 tJatJon and a Kerry adminbtJation 111 term~ education one of their top priorities. Bush would allow the federal government to Js~uc core subjects. Schools that continue to fail of U.S. education pohcy appear nmrow made major improvements under the No $24.8 billion in school modernization bonds to reach statewide goals could be and have Both candidates do support holdmg school~ Child Left Behind Law (NCLB), Keny is a in order to help states and school districts been shut down and teachers must prove to federal standards m exchange for staunch supporter of the federal govern­ fLx cnunblmg schools. themselves to lw highly qualified to contin­ increased funding. Both candidates advo­ ment's roles in helping to "provide quality He also proposed an amendment, which ue teaching. cate tougher standards on teacher qualifica­ cducattonal opportunities for all children was ultimately signed mto law, to ensure Debate continues over the effectiveness tion and student performance. They both and to improve everyone's access to higher that principals and other administrators of vouchers. Bush supports them, Kerry is believe in fundmg programs that broaden education," thus scckmg to advance teach­ have the rcsmuccs that they need to serve against them. Bush's opinion is that vouch­ students' educational horizons. For the cam­ ers and students, and reform the NCLB. school communities. In terms of special edu­ ers provide low-income families and chil­ paign, both President Bush and Senator Senator Kerry has several achievements cation, he has been and still is supporting dren in struggling public schools the oppor­ Kcny will play up the differences between under his belt in his recent years in office. full ftmding of the Individuals with tunity to choose a better school to obtain a the two. The best man will have a strong Last year, he led a group of bipartisan sena­ Disabilities Education Act. better education. To the President, vouchers standing on the issue that many voters con­ tors during the 106th Congress in order to According to the U.S. Department of make public schools accountable for the sider to be critical and in need of change. Education, these last few years have been results they produce. They atso force public University hosts Hispanic voting forum Presidential Debate By PAIGE TINTLE Democratic Party. event by encouraging our peers to partici­ Staff Wnter The Dcmpcratic tendency of Hispanics is pate in the upcoming election. Delgado usually attributed to the huge percentage of quoted statistics from the Youth Vote United Colors and the Latin American immigrants included in the population. Coalition, stating that of the 23.9 million eli­ Studies program hosted a discussion about First and second generation immigrants gible voters in the 18-25 bracket, only 9.9 Friday, October 8th, 2004 the importance of the Hispanic community tend to belong to the lowest socioeconomic million voted in 2000. in the upcoming Presidential election. levels, a group traditionally claimed by the The forum gave students an opportunity "The Hispanics and the Upcoming Democratic Party. to increase awareness about the election Presidential Election'' forum featured and the role that Hispanic citizens play in it. Professor Robert Parsons of the foreign lan­ "It was interesting to learn the political United Colors President Johan Balbuena guages department and Assistant Professor tendencies of the demographic groups helped to organize the event. 9 p.m. Lee Penyak of the History department, as within the Hispanic community on the ·~s a Hispanic young voter, I wanted to well as a representat~ve from both the Kerry local and national/eve/." get informed on the issue& my community and Bush campaigns. Students were given is concerned about and '"the candidates' .the opportunity to voice opinions and ask • Llana Gollbo, Junior approach on them," Balbuena said. . questions. Republicans, however, hope to gain The representatives from both parties The rapidly increasing Hispanic popula­ Hispanic votes in some religiously charged encouraged students to get involved in .any Tune in and see where tion, an umbrella term that includes a mul­ debates. A vast majority of Hispanic voters possible way, but most importantly to vote titude of ethnic groups in the United States, are Catholic, and may be attracted to the on Nov. 2. The forum proved to be very the candidates stand on a holds a diverse set of cultural and political moral conservatism of the GOP. The most informative and shed light on some of the values and poses unique challenges for notable issues on which republicans stand significant issues of the election. Democrats and Republicans alike in their to gain an edge are those of abortion and "It was interesting to learn the political variety of issues in this efforts to court the minority. Seven million gay marriage. GOP strategists hope to win tendencies of the demographic groups with­ Hispanics are expected to vote in the forty percent of the Hispanic vote this in the Hispanic community on the local and ntown hall" format November election, a substantial increase November. national· level," said a Lauren Gobbo, a jun­ from the six million that voted in 2000. United Colors Secretary Jeannine Delgado, ior from Pawling NY. debate. Sixty-five percent of those votes went to the a sophomore biology major, opened the