Thursday, November 9, 2000

Thursday, November 9, 2000
Volume 5, Number 40

NEWS IN BRIEF

1) Poli-Sci professor offers up some analysis
2) World news roundup
3) Campus events

SPORTS IN BRIEF

1) World sports roundup
2) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests

WEATHER FORECAST

Today: Cloudy in the morning, rain probable in the afternoon. Highs in the lower 60s.
I can’t recall the last time poll results have been so hotly contested…

Tonight: Showers and a possible thunderstorm. Lows in the lower 50s.
Not since the playground in 3rd grade….

Tomorrow: Rain likely early, clearing up by late morning. Highs in the lower 60s.
And those harsh accusations of voter fraud in the Pepsi Challenge…

TODAY’S SHARPLES MENU

Lunch: Tortellini with rose sauce, foccacia, *indian style chick peas, crinkle cut carrots, zucchini Italians
**Hoagie bar

Dinner: Salsa chicken, spanish rice, *vegetarian dumplings, eggplant parmesan, tex mex cauliflower
**Potato bar

NEWS REPORT

1) Poli-Sci professor offers up some analysis

With the result of the presidential election still up in the air, the campus was abuzz with discussion and analysis Wednesday, as everyone seemed to have something to say.

Wednesday afternoon, Political Science professor Raymond F. Hopkins opined that it seemed like George Bush would win the election, and offered some explanations for the question of what went wrong for the Democrats.

“If (Ralph) Nader had dropped out of the race, or had set up the Green party to endorse Gore on a separate line while running some local Green candidates, this would have given the election to Gore easily,” Hopkins said.

Another factor, according to Hopkins, was poor organization on the part of Gore’s camp. Organizational capacity, he says, has weakened much more among Democrats than among Republicans over the last 10-20 years. “If old-style organizational resources had been at work in several key states — Ohio, West Virginia, Tennessee, Colorado and Oregon — the vote for Gore in those states would have been larger, enough to alter the outcome,” he said.

Hopkins stressed that it is impossible to identify any one factor as the deciding factor in the race. Precisely because the election was so close, he says, virtually anything can be said to be the cause of an outcome.

Still, if Gore loses this election, Hopkins has one last possible explanation: the Clinton factor. “Bush got considerable mileage against running as the candidate to restore dignity and morality to the White House. Gore was the surrogate for Clinton in this formulation. Gore never retaliated on this; rather he tried to distance himself from Clinton totally. As a result, he lost possible credit for a good economy, but won virtually no Clinton-haters. The alternative, trying to split Clinton into the good political leader and the bad male, was never used. It might have been a more successful strategy than the denial of Clinton’s existence as a factor.”

– Jeff Heckelman

2) World news roundup

A massive vote recount is currently under way in the state of Florida, following last night’s inconclusive presidential election result. Though George W. Bush claimed a popular victory in the state by a 1,784 vote margin after the final district reported, Florida law automatically requires a recount if the difference is less than half a percentage point, which it was in this case. Both Bush and opponent Al Gore have dispatched legal experts, including Secretaries of States, Warren Christopher and James A. Baker III, to monitor the tabulation. The results of the recount will be announced by 5:00 PM EST today. Currently, Gore has gained just 33 votes over his rival with 19 of 67 counties having reported. However, there are still 5,000 uncounted international ballots which can be called into play if the recount does not settle the dispute.

In other recount news, the results from Iowa and Wisconsin may be contested should Gore take Florida. In each of these states, the Vice President has less than a 6,000 vote edge over his opponent and a recount could be initiated if requested by Bush. Also, New Hampshire, which was won by Bush, could be challenged as the Texas governor has no more than a 7,300 vote lead… Meanwhile, three citizens of Palm Beach county have filed a lawsuit against the district’s election office, citing an illegally formatted ballot which confused voters and led them to choose the wrong candidate. In the heavily Democratic region, 3,407 votes were cast for Reform party candidate Pat Buchanan, comprising more than 20% of Florida’s total. The plaintiffs claim that the ballot’s lay-out led them to incorrectly choose Buchanan over Gore, and are demanding a new vote in the county… Additionally, more than 19,000 votes in the county were disqualified for having more than one candidate selected. These errors are again attributed to the ballot’s confusing punch-hole format. An investigation is pending.

Shadowed by the controversy over the presidential election, are the results of the country’s Congressional elections. With two races still too close to call, it appears that the Democrats will pick up two seats in the House of Representatives, but the GOP will maintain their majority 220-211. And, despite victories by Hillary Clinton in New York and the deceased Mel Carnahan in Missouri, the Republicans will continue to control the Senate, with the final breakdown hinging on an as-of-yet undecided Washington race.

3) Campus events

“Impact of Body Projects on Communities of Color”
Black Cultural Center, 12:00 p.m.

University of Pennsylvania Law School Information Session
Bond Memorial Hall, 4:00 p.m.

Drug War Video and Speaker Series
Kohlberg 115, 7:30 p.m.

Swarthbucklers Practice
Upper Tarble, 7:30 p.m.

“From Corsets to Body Piercing: Historical Perspectives on American Girls and Their Body Projects” by Joan Jacobs Brumberg
LPAC Cinema, 8:00 p.m.

“Poverty Without Borders” Speaking Tour, World Summit to End Poverty
Intercultural Center, 8:00 p.m.

“Possible Stages in the Evolution of the Language Capacity” Sigma Xi Lecture by Ray Jackendoff ’65
Kirby Lecture Hall, 8:00 p.m.

Aeschylus’ “The Eumenides” – Preview Performance
Pearson-Hall Theatre – LPAC, 8:00 p.m.

Not Quite Ready for the Apollo: A “Talent” Show
Black Cultural Center, 9:30 p.m.

Film Society Screening
DuPont 161, 10:00 p.m.

Folk Song Sing-Along
Parrish Parlor – West, 10:00 p.m.

SPORTS UPDATE

1) World sports roundup

Chicago White Sox skipper Jerry Manuel was named American League Manger of the Year today in a vote that was certainly more decisive than the presidential election. An overwhelming favorite of the voting body, the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Manuel was selected for his expert helming of a young White Sox club, leading the team to 95 wins and an AL Central title. …Tiger Woods criticized the PGA tour yesterday for “using” him to promote its agendas. Lambasting Tour commissioner Tim Finchem for using his image to publicize tournaments and corporate sponsors without his permission, Woods warned that the problem “could escalate into a bigger situation.” …The San Antonio Spurs have now won 9 of their last 10 games, following their 91-81 victory over the LA Lakers last night. Tim Duncan posted 22 points and 17 boards in the win.

2) Today’s and tomorrow’s contests

There are no contests scheduled for today or tomorrow.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“The people have spoken, but it’s going to take a little while to determine what they said.” — Bill Clinton