With the presidential campaign underway, some University ofMemphis students say they want to learn how to be bettervoters.
"Voters need to know what to look for in a candidate and ask,'What does this person stand for?' They must look past thesuperficial," said Virginia Nesbitt, a student at the Cecil C.Humphreys School of Law and member of the campus group Students forClark.
Nesbitt was one of many U of M students who attended "Decision2004," hosted by The University's Student Activities CouncilWednesday night in the Michael D. Rose Theatre.
The lecture featured journalist, writer and historian RickShenkman, who shared his thoughts on the presidential race andexcerpts from his book, "Seven Habits of Highly EffectiveVoters."
"One of the pleasures of American citizenship is that we all getto be our own pun dance," Shenkman said. "We see pun dance ontelevision, but we also get our own pun dance when we're sitting atthe dinner table with our family or our friends, when we get tocomment on those stupid politicians. And almost every week duringcampaign season, there's fresh evidence on just how stupid thepoliticians are."
Shenkman's first rule in becoming a better voter is notbelieving what the candidates say on the campaign trail.
"The candidates don't believe half of what they're saying, sowhy should you? Politicians want to confuse you," Shenkmansaid.
If a president does not do everything he said he would whilecampaigning, he should not be considered a liar, but voters shouldtake into account the nature of politics, Nesbitt said.
"Watch for the trends in the candidates thinking," sheadded.
Shenkman also told the audience not to believe candidates whenthey say they grew up poor. Many past presidents were alreadywealthy or married into wealth, he said.
Another suggestion Shenkman gave the audience was to keep inmind what qualities such as good character, flexibility andpartisanship they value.
"TV is pathetic. Media is guilty as hell. Politics is abouttheater," Shenkman said. "This is not what the founding fathersintended."
| Shenkman's7 Habits for Highly Effective Voters |
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Shenkman's 7 Habits for Highly Effective Voters Don't believe what the candidates say on the campaign trail. Watch the news as if it were a scene out of Alice in Wonderland.Talking rabbits wearing white gloves is nothing compared toAmerican politics. Close your ears anytime a candidate starts sounding like AbeLincoln growing up in a log cabin many candidates grew up wealthyor married into wealth. Never pay attention to the candidates' speeches that they arerunning "for the country." Don't listen when they say they are healthy many candidatesare, in fact, sick. Don't worry. Candidates will not usually behave as badly inoffice as they do on the campaign trail. Ask yourself what qualities you want in a good president. Don't believe what the candidates say on the campaign trail. Watch the news as if it were a scene out of Alice in Wonderland.Talking rabbits wearing white gloves is nothing compared toAmerican politics. Close your ears anytime a candidate starts sounding like AbeLincoln growing up in a log cabin many candidates grew up wealthyor married into wealth. Never pay attention to the candidates' speeches that they arerunning "for the country." Don't listen when they say they are healthy many candidatesare, in fact, sick. Don't worry. Candidates will not usually behave as badly inoffice as they do on the campaign trail. Ask yourself what qualities you want in a good president. |
