Tuesday, February 19, 2008 - The Daily Cardinal by The Daily Cardinal

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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Clinton ends Wis. campaign in Madison By Ashley Ojala THE DAILY CARDINAL

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY JACOB ELA/THE DAILY CARDINAL

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As presidential hopefuls ﬁght for Wisconsin in today’s primary, their political messages reach youth voters through new media.

Political messages going digital Youth voters more engaged in 2008 as new media emerges By Frances Provine THE DAILY CARDINAL

With the late Wisconsin primary gaining more importance in recent weeks, the state has become an arena for the kind of intense campaigning political junkies dream about. Campaigning and political dialogue this election season are taking place on a frontier beyond the basics of years past, when candidate visits, posters and ﬂyers made up the majority of public relations. Voters today are now using Internet outlets like YouTube and Facebook for their political information, according to Cameron Marston, a UW-Madison senior and UW-Madison Students for Barack Obama new media chair. “The reason that I think that electronic media is so important for our generation is that, especially at this age, we don’t have a set schedule,” Marston said. “We can’t assemble everybody and talk to everybody

… [the Internet] is just massively easier to get people involved.” According to UW-Madison journalism professor Dhavan Shah, the shift toward electronic dialogue in politics may produce an interesting set of consequences: the establishment of a more democratic form of political discourse. “There’s a kind of political dialogue and political information being exchanged laterally and horizontally rather than topdown,” Shah said. “Conventional media … is much more, ‘I’m going to give this pool of reporters access to me and I’m going to interview with Fox News, and I’m going to only appear to debates on CNN with journalists I like.’ There they have much more control. With the Internet, they have much less.” Sue Robinson, another journalism professor, said she felt the changes in the political process brought on by new media were

Wisconsin Voters Researched by: SurveyUSA

McCain / Obama 35% 42% 58% 52% McCain / Huckabee 48%

WISC-TV Public Policy Polling American Research Group, Inc.

52%

American Research Group, Inc.

53%

32%

46%

42%

47%

37%

39% 49%

57%

50% 43%

Cameron Marston new media chair UW-Madison Students for Obama

Katie Harbath, deputy e-campaign director for former presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani, disputes the idea of a signiﬁcant change in the distribution of political information. “Even before the Internet you

key Percentage by age

18-29 All Ages

MATT RILEY/THE DAILY CARDINAL

had no control … and you have no control with the Internet either,” Harbath said. The question of control becomes even more interesting when one considers the impact of user-created content on campaign’s strategic communication, such as the heavily viewed “I’ve got a crush … on Obama” YouTube video. “The things about that kind of technology that make young people so interested in it are exactly the ones that make future campaigners a little bit nervous,” UWMadison communication arts professor Michael Xenos said. Marston said the fact that “the campaign has massively more resources by which to work to control their own image” helps campaigners keep a strong handle on their political messaging. Another debate is emerging over the Internet’s possible effects campaigns page 3

clinton page 3

ISABEL ALVAREZ/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., stressed action over rhetoric in her campaign rally in Madison.

Michelle Obama speaks on national struggles THE DAILY CARDINAL

32%

15%

“[The Internet] is just massively easier to get people involved.”

By Christian Von Preysing-Barry

Clinton / Obama

WISC-TV Public Policy Polling

18-29

less significant. “I think that it’s forced the campaigns to operate on a bit more of a grassroots level than they might otherwise have,” she said. “[But] I feel that a lot of these new media outlets are becoming normalized within traditional structures.”

U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, DN.Y., spoke to a crowd of nearly 4,000 supporters at the Monona Terrace Monday on the eve of the Wisconsin primary. In her “Solutions for America” rally, Clinton emphasized the need for action rather than rhetoric. “There is a difference between speeches and solutions, between rhetoric and results,” Clinton said. “And part of what this campaign is coming down to is a recognition that we need to know, as specifically as possible, what our next president intends to do.” Clinton highlighted her ability to fix the problems of the past administration. “It’s imperative that we have a president who is ready on day one, because the damage that will be waiting from the years of the misrule of George W. Bush deserves immediate action,” she said. Madison was Clinton’s third and final stop of her Wisconsin tour on Monday, and she used the opportunity to offer her ideas for “rebuilding America,” which focused on

Michelle Obama appeared at the Overture Center Monday in a final attempt to convince Madison residents to vote for her husband, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., in today’s primary elections. “For the ﬁrst time in my adult lifetime I’m really proud of my country,” Obama said to a packed audience at the Overture Center’s Capitol Theatre. “And not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change.”

Tia Nelson, daughter of Earth Day founder and Wisconsin politician Gaylord Nelson, introduced Obama and applauded Sen. Obama’s dedication to environmental issues. “Wouldn’t it be great if Earth Day 2009, we were celebrating with a president who understands the need address climate change?” Nelson asked. Obama addressed her husband’s focus on poverty and economic stability in his quest for the Democratic presidential candidacy, emphasizing the cur-

rent financial struggles of working class citizens throughout the country. “Blue-collar jobs are dwindling all over this country. And if you’re lucky enough to have a job, 9 times out of ten, your salary’s not keeping up with the cost of living,” Obama said. She urged the audience to overcome political disenchantment that comes from economic frustration and remain active in U.S. politics. “When you’re tired of struggling obama page 3

“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”

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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

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KEATON MILLER miller’s genuine drafts

OST: Welcome to the CNN War Situation Readiness Attack Panic Room Election 2008. I’m Anderson Cooper, and tonight we’re taking you in-depth into the Wesconsin primaries, which have never mattered before. For more, here’s CNN Senior Political Analyst, and my personal creepy doppelganger, John King. JOHN: Yes, you’re absolutely right, Anderson. The Wesconsin primaries have never mattered before and have generally served only as a rubber-stamp approval of what the other states around the country have decided. But this time, the cheeseheads may make a difference. HOST: *chuckles* Do they actually wear hats of cheese in Wesconsin? JOHN: *awkward pause* I don’t know, Anderson. I’ve never been there. HOST: And I’m sure none

of our viewers have been to that desolate snow-buried wasteland either, so let’s move on to Paul Begala at a political rally, where one candidate’s supporters are eagerly awaiting results from today’s primaries. PAUL: Thanks, Anderson. The crowd here is tense with anticipation. Though their candidate was heavily favored as recently as last week, the mood of Wisconsin’s voters tends to change whenever the snow falls. HOST: How often is that? PAUL: Every day this week. Meanwhile, the candidates’ advisers have been preparing a pair of speeches that will be delivered based upon the results. While the speeches will certainly differ in specifics, the theme is the same: change, hope and the desire to unify the country to better serve the particular special interests that have donated large sums of money to the campaign. HOST: Common themes in this election for all the candidates. How does your candidate plan to differentiate from the others? PAUL: You know, Anderson, to be honest I don’t even know

This time, the cheeseheads may make a difference.

AMY HOLMES: Thanks Anderson. These early results really demonstrate a trend that I’ve noticed over the past few primaries. One thing I would say about this, which I think is interesting, is it’s proof that voters like to vote for who they like. HOST: *pauses* Is that ... is that your insight, Amy?

AMY: Why yes, yes it is. You see, the “self-hatred” voting bloc was an important segment of the population for many races over the past few decades. How else could we have elected Richard Nixon and George W. Bush? HOST: I see. And where are all the haters now? AMY: They moved to France. HOST: Well, stunning commentary from our analysts, showing that we truly are the best political team on television. JOHN: Ever. H O S T: C e r t a i n l y. Unfortunately at this time I’m being informed that our studio is being picketed by angry Wesconsin residents outraged over ... over our pronunciation of their name? ANGRY MOB, WEARING GREEN BAY SWEATERS: WISCON-SIN! WIS-CON-SIN! WIS-CON— REMOTE CONTROL: *click* Keaton reminds everyone to go out and vote. He would like to personally apologize to the 10 thousand people in line whom he budged in front of to see Barack Obama. E-mail him at keatonmiller@wisc.edu.

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whose rally I’m at. After 20 years of covering political rallies and conventions, they all start to run together: the politics, the drama, back-room dealings with sex and drugs and wild debauchery— HOST: *quickly cutting in* Well, thanks Paul, we’ll be checking back in with you throughout the night, wherever you are. For some analysis of the few results that we already have, I turn now to Amy Holmes.

For up-to-date coverage of the Wisconsin primary, visit

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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

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MLB Commissioner Bud Selig praises UW history department By Shira Nanus THE DAILY CARDINAL

Bud Selig, commissioner of Major League Baseball and a UW-Madison alumnus, told students Monday his history degree helped him achieve success in sports management. History Department Chair Professor David McDonald introduced Selig as the department’s “most prominent and certainly our most visible alumnus.” Selig graduated from UWMadison with a history degree in 1956. As an undergraduate student with a deep love for baseball, Selig said he dreamed of someday becoming a history professor. “When I was a kid walking around here … little did I ever dream that I was gonna wind up

being the ninth commissioner of baseball,” Selig said. “But I believe that amongst other things my education played a great role in it all.” After graduation, Selig joined his family business and “through an incredible series of events,” worked his way to becoming the president of the Milwaukee Brewers in 1995 and eventually commissioner of baseball in 1998. Selig spoke highly of the education he received at UWMadison. He said a history degree “prepares you better for what is to come than anything” he could think of. “History helps me to understand not only what the situation is, but why it is,” he said. “The fact that I was a history major with a mind like this trained [me] to try to understand the genesis of

any problem that has confronted me. What could I have taken that gave me a better education?” He further emphasized how every problem and situation in life, including those confronted in baseball, are rooted in history. While Selig spoke of his position as “a very difficult job with a significant amount of controversies,” he stressed it is impossible to understand the sport of baseball unless one can understand its history. “Whatever it is, understanding the past is the way to solve your problems of the present and the future,” Selig said. “And I really would like to make that point to you over and over.” Selig was the first speaker of the ongoing history department series “What Can You Do With A History Major.”

Obama accused of plagiarism in speech By Solly Kane THE DAILY CARDINAL

Presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., fell under scrutiny for a speech he gave Saturday in Milwaukee and its similarities to a speech by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick.

GABRIEL SEHR/THE DAILY CARDINAL

U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., responded Monday to allegations over his Milwaukee speech.

YouTube has a video showing the similarities of the two speeches. Both campaigns, Obama’s and U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s, D-N.Y., have responded to the accusations of plagiarism. Obama’s speech Saturday sounded similar to a speech given by Patrick in his 2006 campaign for governor, according to the video. “Don’t tell me words don’t matter!” Obama said in his speech. “‘I have a dream.’ Just words. ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’ Just words. ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself.’ Just words, just speeches.” Patrick used many of the same phrases in his speech. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal’—just words,” Patrick said in 2006. “Just words. ‘We have nothing to fear but fear itself ’—just words. ‘Ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country’—just words. ‘I have a dream’—just words.” Patrick said in a statement he and Obama are friends, and said the allegations were just attacks by Clinton. Patrick announced

his endorsement for Obama in October 2007. Howard Wolfson, Clinton campaign communications director, said in a conference call with reporters that the speech hurts Obama’s credibility. Dan Leistikow, Obama’s Wisconsin campaign spokesperson, said in an e-mail Patrick and Obama often share strategies. According to Leistikow, Clinton has borrowed Obama campaign phrases. “It’s a curious charge coming from Senator Clinton, who actually has used Senator Obama’s language herself,” Leistikow said. UW-Madison professor of political science Charles Franklin said he predicted the controversy would not have an impact on Tuesday’s Wisconsin primary. Franklin said accusations of plagiarism in the past have hurt other campaigns, namely U.S. Sen. Joe Biden’s, D-Del., 1988 presidential bid. “The difference was, the Biden case came up very early in the process while people, and more importantly the press, were still forming their opinions about him as a candidate,” Franklin said.

Journalist Klosterman addresses U.S culture talking points By Jillian Levy THE DAILY CARDINAL

American journalist Chuck Klosterman entertained students Monday night in the Memorial Union Theater with an extensive question and answer period and commentary on pop culture and the upcoming election. Klosterman’s informal speech touched on politics and a variety of subjects in pop culture—from the downfall of Britney Spears to the future of the recording industry. “I’m never really sure what to talk about at these things,” said Klosterman when taking the stage. “And I sometimes think I should write a speech, but that seems ridiculous.” After beginning his speech with an anecdote about strange people in Austin, Texas he switched the focus to the 2008 election. Klosterman said he supports U.S. Sen. Barack Obama,

D-Ill., but said he thinks U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., would be a better candidate. He said he believes the country would be more prepared in Clinton’s hands yet still will vote for Obama because he is “more charming.” “I feel like the country will be better off with him, you know, ‘change’ and ‘hope’ and all that stuff.” Amid the humor and wit, Klosterman addressed how marketing and the media created immense problems for Britney Spears, turning her entire life and image into a brand. “Her whole life has been based on her image filtered through other people’s realities,” he said, adding that Spears lacks the critical thinking and selfawareness needed for a person to understand reality. “She keeps doing these things and people don’t stop

her because people see them as extensions of marketing.” Klosterman also addressed the future of the music industry, which he said is losing money as a combination of illegal downloading and the iPod. The ability to download only one song from an artist as opposed to buying a whole album is severing the relationships to bands fans once felt, according to Klosterman. In response to audienceprompted questions, Klosterman shared his thoughts on the TV shows “Lost” and “Friday Night Lights,” the implications of internet pornography on American culture and why Shaquille O’Neal moving to Phoenix “is not as bad as people seem to be thinking.” Klosterman appeared as part of the Memorial Union’s distinguished lecture series.

BEN PIERSON/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Michelle Obama, wife of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., campaigned at the Overture Center Monday.

obama

from page 1

—you don’t feel like you can catch the bar—then you are more susceptible to the division,” Obama said. “Because you do feel hopeless, you feel like nothing can change and politics is just a cynical mess. And you want to fold your arms in disgust and not engage.” Obama also focused on the deficiencies of primary education and the advantages her husband would bring to a culturally diverse nation of young people.

clinton from page 1 universal health care, helping the middle-class, clean energy, ﬁscal responsibility and bringing soldiers home from Iraq. Although the event did not draw the same number of students that the Obama rally brought to the Kohl Center on Feb. 12, many UW-Madison students braved the cold weather to hear Clinton speak. UW-Madison sophomore Sara Jerving said that she previously supported Obama, but after attending Monday night’s rally, she plans to vote for Clinton in the primary election on Tuesday.

campaigns from page 1 on voting and civic life. Some believe the Internet provides students, who are considered complacent to news coverage, a forum to network with others and get involved with politics. “What a lot of scholars have argued [is that] these new media avenues are going to be the savior for democracy and civic life, that they’re going to empower citizens to go forth and not only vote, but become active and develop [debates] and have a more vibrant public sphere,” Robinson said. Robinson said she thought new media would “create evolutions in our communication infrastructure,” but existing communication structures would inﬂuence its use. Marston reiterated the importance of using the Internet in new ways to get young people to participate in politics. “I would deﬁnitely say, at the very least, that getting stories on people’s [Facebook] news feeds and things, clues them in more or less about what’s going on,” he said. “It has the potential to get people who may have

“We should be in a position in 2008 where our children— regardless of their race, their region, their parents’ political party—that they should be able to imagine any kind of future for themselves.” Obama’s visit to Madison occurred at the same time as her husband’s opponent, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., campaigned in several cities throughout Wisconsin. Clinton appeared at a rally at the Monona Terrace in Madison Monday night. “I think what hit me most … is that [Clinton] had more substance and she talked about individual policies,” she said. “I understand that people are inspired by Obama, but I think it’s more effective that she had policies and specifics.” UW-Madison sophomore Devra Cohen agreed with Jerving and said Clinton represented the things the American people care about. “She brought up very specific policy points ranging from her personal favorite, health care … to education, which of course in Madison is very important,” Cohen said. not otherwise paid attention.” According to Shah, research shows that online political communication can have as much of an effect on political action as traditional means. “We’ve done research [showing that] talking about politics, sharing your political views, encouraging [people online] to go out to vote has a consequential effect on levels of political participation, levels of civic participation like community involvement and levels of political knowledge,” he said. “In fact, a lot of what we’re finding is that kind of online expressive political communication actually may be more powerful than face-to-face political talk, which has always been the sort of democratic gold standard … in terms of mobilizing action.” Despite varying opinions and limited research on these effects, most people agree on one thing: Electronic campaigning is not going away. “We are barely seeing the beginning of electronic and Internet campaigning,” Harbath said. “The Internet is going to become as important as TV and radio.”

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view

Cardinal View editorials represent The Daily Cardinal’s organizational opinion. Each editorial is crafted independent of news coverage.

obama more electable

fter a week of inconclusive polling, pervasive debate and candidate appearances, Wisconsin will ﬁnally take the national stage Tuesday as UWMadison students and the rest of the state head to the polls for one of the most pivotal Democratic primaries in state history. For any Wisconsin resident who has paid the slightest attention to the race, the distinction between the two choices—Sens. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., and Barack Obama, DIll.—seems clear: experience and steadiness vs. change and hope. The mainstream media, as well as the candidates themselves, have helped paint this popular model— that Clinton is better prepared to generate “results” while Obama has the charisma to bring about real “change” in Washington. The truth is, both candidates will incite change, and though Clinton apparently has the upper hand experience-wise, both seem perfectly able to follow through on their promises. Although Clinton and Obama may differ slightly on issues like the Iraq War, health care and the environment, these differences are negligible compared to what is at stake in November’s general election. With two such viable Democratic candidates, it ultimately comes down to who is more electable. Both Clinton and Obama represent a drastic change from President

Bush. Both would represent a historic ﬁrst if elected to the White House. And despite what each may tell you, they’d likely both make a perfectly ﬁne president. But only one, based solely on preaching “words” of emotional and intangible concepts, can attract 20,000 people to the Kohl Center. Only one can inspire traditionally apathetic demographics to come out in droves to vote. Only one can beat the word “change” to death so violently yet still bring crowds to their feet with each reference. Obama can do all of these things, and that is why he has our endorsement for the nomination. In a SurveyUSA poll of Wisconsin residents released Monday, Obama has the edge over likely Republican nominee Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., 52-42 percent, while Clinton trails McCain 49-42 percent. Many national polls have shown similar tendencies among the general public. Obama has won eight consecutive primaries, and though it seems trivial, he is more “likable” than Clinton. Although he may lack experience, some of the greatest U.S. presidents—Abraham Lincoln, for example—have been inexperienced. So, as Democrats head to the polls Tuesday with respect for both candidates, they should choose the one with the best chance of taking the White House. We believe this candidate is Barack Obama.

mccain the smart choice

t this point in the campaign, the Republican race has largely been decided. Nevertheless, one candidate on the republican side clearly stands out as preeminent. As part of a campus that embraces the rational exchange of ideas and modern science, we cannot support Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Whether or not you like Sen. John McCain, he appears to have genuine convictions. Unlike his Republican colleagues, he has taken the high ground on issues such as immigration, global warming, torture, gay marriage and campaign ﬁnance. With that, we offer our tempered endorsement to McCain—he is the best of the Republicans.

Smoking ban should include entire campus EMILY HOUTLER opinion columnist

n 2006 UW-Stevens Point considered a revolutionary measure. The school proposed to expand its smoking ban from campus-owned buildings to all space owned by the university. This, of course, begs the question: Why isn’t Madison pursuing a similar measure? After all, isn’t UWMadison known as a highly modern, progressive and liberal campus? Isn’t this city one of the healthiest and most active in the country? Madison and the university are usually at the forefront of revolutionary measures, but they seem to have missed the smoke-free boat this time. Nevertheless, it is not too late to enact such a ban. The university must ban smoking on all campus grounds. In 1995 the university created a set of smoking regulations that banned the deadly action from any campusowned or -leased building and vehicle. However, this is no longer enough.

It is ﬁnally time to favor the choices and health of the majority.

In the same policy, the authors clearly state the dangers of cigarette smoke and the effects it can have on others in enclosed spaces. Yet, cigarette smoke can have equally damaging effects outdoors. In fact, it may even affect more people outdoors because the poisons are free to roam throughout the air and contaminate the lungs of those not even near the culprit. I, for one, am sick of walking

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out of any academic building and being confronted by a cloud of noxious fumes ready to terrorize my already fatigued brain. It is even worse when leaving a food establishment on campus. Nothing compliments a latte and a bagel quite like gray ash dust. Mmmmm, tasty. Granted, there is a rule that bans smoking within 25 feet of a building, but with winter weather and lazy attitudes, who really abides by those regulations anyway? A majority of students on this campus do not smoke. In a society where majority nearly always rules, it is finally time to favor the choices and the health of the majority. If the university does go completely smoke free, some may argue that current and potential students may avoid attending UW-Madison because they will not be able to enjoy their sin sticks while they learn. However, I think it would have the opposite effect. On a campus ﬁlled with runners and organic food

options, going smoke free on all campus grounds would ﬁt in perfectly. Moreover, if students are refusing to attend a school solely because smoking is not allowed, these are probably students we do not want on our campus anyway. This is not an attempt to eradicate the freedom and rights of smokers. They can ﬁnd an apartment somewhere off campus to relieve their nicotine withdrawal. There they can wallow in a haze of their own created toxins. Better yet, they could have smokers’ pow-wows, containing as much cigarette smoke as possible in a tiny space and saving the rest of the campus. All of us pay a massive amount of money to walk around this campus. I want to breathe clean air and be healthy while I am here. Smokers should be able to smoke, just not on any UWMadison grounds. Emily Houtler is a sophomore majoring in environmental science and math. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

Obama about more than ‘change’ By Eric Schechter THE DAILY CARDINAL

Mine was one of the 17,000 faces at the Kohl Center last Tuesday, part impassioned by the surge of excitement and love for this candidate and part aware of the ridiculousness of my feelings. Lost among screaming students and blaring music, it felt not so different from a drunken football game or concert. The Neanderthal mentality seems to come to the surface when things get big. I couldn’t help but feel the slight heat of embarrassment on my face when the ‘O-BA-MA’ chant broke out. I also found myself seeing this massive entertainment/political phenomenon as quite indicative of the American way—a culture of media and hype. How much do I like his policies or voting record? Um, I like how he talks. What’s the difference between the excitement I felt in the parking lot outside a Phish show and seeing Obama’s illustrious ﬁgure take the stage? Is there a higher justiﬁcation for the energy around this movement than the warm ‘I’m-part-of-the-win-

ning-team-and-I-love-Obama’ feeling? I do think there is. The sense of involvement is more personal. There is a wholesome caring that emerges, which reﬂects perhaps a basic truth: Most people actually do care about the country. We are in the magical and brief window of opportunity where the American people feel they actually have a voice. It’s a time when the untouchability of the political system is suspended and seems to be heading down to earth. I, as well as many others, have felt a feeling that I don’t often feel. Usually it’s about once every four years. That feeling is a distant sense that maybe it’s possible that something good, actually really good, can come from this country. At best, it can mean we’re moving toward repairing the embarrassingly broken health-care system and uniting people under a leader who has a majority mandate. At worst, it means maybe our imperialist agenda will be curbed a bit and not as many civilians in foreign countries will be killed by American bullets.

What’s happening now is this window of opportunity we’re in allows for—indeed is beginning to call for—the normally apathetic person to become passionate. For the younger generations, those who are now awakening politically, it has long been tragically uncool to stand up for something on moral grounds. From socialist circles, I hear a message that getting involved in politics for a couple months every four years is an embarrassment to democracy. The real task, I believe, is to begin to challenge the cultural paradigm that tells us it’s only important for a civil society to be active once every four years. I’m going to vote for Obama hopefully not just because of the hype, but because he is outspoken against the war, has inspired large previously apolitical groups of people and will be more open to change because that’s the platform he’s running his campaign on. Eric Schechter graduated in 2006 and majored in political science. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.

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CD REVIEW

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Politicians exploiting ‘Our Country’

A Twist In My Story Secondhand Serenade

Secondhand’s latest ‘Twist’ sounds used By Kyle Sparks THE DAILY CARDINAL

In today’s digital age, any kid with a MacBook can record multi-layered tracks from the comfort of his or her own bathroom. For the most part, this is great: It gives thousands of talented artists an outlet to lay down some pretty good music. The ﬂipside is that now every schmuck with a guitar and feelings thinks his emotions are signiﬁcant. Secondhand Serenade’s new album, A Twist In My Story, is just another instance of a man spilling his heart and nobody else caring. Multi-instrumentalist and vocalist John Vesely’s biggest problem is songwriting. He makes honest efforts to change elements in his instrumentation, but each song still feels like it has already been written before and worn out its welcome on Kiss FM. In the title track’s stale second verse he sings about his “heartbeat” while his guitar mimics the heart’s lub-dub rhythm. He recycles those same empty guitar strums and vocal harmonies on every song, rarely adding any distinguishable instrumentation to differentiate from track to track. Nothing on this album, including the lyrics, sounds fresh. At some point, the lyrics jump from heartfelt to illogical, as on the title track when he sings, “Stay with me, or watch me bleed.” The problem is, if she doesn’t stay she doesn’t have to watch anything he’s doing, especially not some desperate cry for attention. In addition, the term “heart of stone” usually means it will remain strong even under tragic circumstances, but Vesely must be confused because, as he describes on “Stay Close, Don’t Go,” his “heart of stone will sink until it dies.”

PHOTO COURTESY EPIC RECORDS

BEN PETERSON ben caught stealin’

t’s fun to decipher meanings from the songs that presidential candidates are spinning at their rallies. Actually, it’s funny that pop music is played by these White House hopefuls in the ﬁrst place— somehow it’s difﬁcult to imagine presidents with iPods, playlists or a desire to share their taste in music with a huge audience. As someone who enjoys turning other people onto new music despite the challenge, I’m envious, in a way, of their ability to play a favorite song and know that thousands will be hearing it. Maybe I should run for president just to introduce the whole country to Spacemen 3. The fact is, ever since the original Bush lambasted Bill Clinton for associating with subversive “rock

musicians” like Bono and then proceeded to lose the ’92 election, it’s been acceptable for presidents to have more hip taste in music. Clinton was a musician himself, and George W. dropped Sigur Rós as one of his favorite bands just like Jessica Simpson did—what is it with those Icelanders’ crossover appeal? It seems that the presidential candidates are getting more coverage than ever for music these days. Huckabee has become known for performing Boston’s “More Than a Feeling” with his band Capitol Offense, though Boston mastermind and Obama supporter Tom Scholz has gotten all rufﬂed and put a stop to it. John McCain has also upset the liberal-minded John Mellencamp by using his “Our Country” at rallies without permission—as if people are going to be shocked or care that MOR (Middle Of the Road) rock is being misused by Republicans. Obama, who’s gotten perhaps the most press for his music tastes, has

ARTS NEWS

A Twist In My Story is just another instance of a man spilling his heart and nobody else caring.

Almost all of Vesely’s lyrics on A Twist In My Story exhibit a level of commitment that would warrant admission into a psychiatric ward. Every song is an anthemic ode to self-loathing and dependency. Lines like “I was born to tell you I love you” and “Don’t tell me I can make it on my own” expose an unhealthy reliance on the object of his affections, as well as an incurable helplessness. It’s no wonder his lover leaves him in nearly every song given the obsessive tendencies he describes. Who would want to stay with a man who admits, “Sometimes I watch you while you are sleeping”? Throughout the album, Vesely’s “story” never actually materializes, much less its “twist.” The only twist might be that Vesely simply can’t write.

PHOTO COURTESY INTERSCOPE RECORDS

Chuck Norris may be the most intimidating Republican endorser, but let’s just hope Clinton & Obama don’t bring their favorite artist campaigning ... scary.

‘Alarming’ turn of events cancels Madison concert Minneapolis-based band the Alarmists were unable to play their scheduled show at Madison’s Café Montmartre this Saturday after a car accident injured two of the band members. The crash happened after their show Friday night outside a popular downtown Minneapolis venue, the 7th St. Entry, totaling the band’s tour van. Drummer Derek Jackson sustained a nose injury and a cut on guitarist Ryan McMillan’s hand required eight stitches. “It could have been much worse,” Chris Kallal, the band’s manager, said Sunday. This weekend was supposed to be the ﬁrst Madison appearance for the Minneapolis retro-rock quintet, as well as a return for the band’s keyboardist Jorge Raasch, who attended UW. The Alarmists, however, assured the accident would not be a major setback. “We have good insurance,” said

the band’s vocalist Eric Lovold. “We actually just unloaded all of our equipment about an hour ago here and everything’s ﬁne.” Despite this weekend’s setback, the Alarmists say they are hoping to try again and return to Madison early in March. Although the band just released their ﬁrst full-length album last year, they are already working on tracks for their next album—The Ghost and the Hired Gun—two of which will be released on the band’s website in the next few weeks. The tracks, “You’re Right” and—ironically enough—“Car Crashes” will be available for download on the band’s website. To read more about the Alarmists’ upcoming tour plans, their newest album and reactions to being labeled “retro rock” check out an extended article at www.dailycardinal.com/arts. —Emma Condon

opted for the slightly hipper selections of U2 and Stevie Wonder songs while also making a hilarious bid for the Republican vote by playing the same Brooks & Dunn song that George W. used in his campaign. The one notable thing about all the songs the candidates are playing is how stripped they are of any real meaning. It would be way more effective to use songs that mirrored the candidates’ political views in some way. The Democrats want to bring troops home, so why not use something with a little more oomph, like Bob Dylan’s “Masters of War”? Of course, it’s more prudent to play only vaguely uplifting songs in the bid for widest appeal, which brings to mind what John Lennon said about his still widely used rouser “Imagine”: “Anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic, but because it is sugar-coated it is accepted ... Now I understand what you have to do: Put your political message across with a little honey.”

Things would be more interesting if the explosion of rumors about Obama using Jay-Z’s “99 Problems” at a rally were a bit more veriﬁable. It seems almost too good to be true that Obama, who is apparently quite the hip-hop fan, would so eloquently channel his disregard for Hillary Clinton through the line “I got 99 problems but a bitch ain’t one.” I just keep imagining a scenario where Clinton responds by trading in her Celine Dion theme for something like Trina’s “Da Baddest Bitch” and escalating things into a full-ﬂedged song battle. But now back to reality. When you go to vote in the primary today, just remember you’re not only voting for a politician, but also for the songs that will be getting blasted through the halls of the White House in about a year’s time. Choose carefully. Not sure which candidate you’re supporting based solely on music taste just yet? E-mail Ben to set up a debate at bpeterson1@wisc.edu.

2G2BT

Summer in Madison! *Too good to be true

University Housing is now hiring for

�� Full-time or part-time positions Great pay: $9.10 - $11.00/hr.

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comics 6

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Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Harry Hood

Today’s Sudoku

Beeramid

By Ryan Matthes beeramid_comic@yahoo.com

Mega Dude Squad

By Stephen Guzetta and Ryan Lynch rplynch@wisc.edu

Solution, tips and computer program available at www.sudoku.com.

Fill in the grid so that every row, every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1 through 9.

Dwarfhead and Narwhal

Vote or die?

By James Dietrich jbdietrich@wisc.edu

Andrew Jackson was the only president to ever kill a man in a duel.

Today’s Crossword Puzzle

The Crackles

Answer key available at www.dailycardinal.com KING OF ROLLING ACROSS

1 Numerous amount 5 Classic clown 9 ’’Green Acres’’ co-star 14 Ragout, for one 15 Poker declaration 16 Much the same 17 Where to ﬁnd dishes piled up? 18 Strongest man on the Planet? 19 Manchester measurement 20 Kind of roll 23 Transgression 24 Snockered 25 Washington and McKinley (Abbr.) 28 Serve 32 Word with “up’’ or “down’’ 35 Do blackboard duty 37 Mark, as a correct answer 38 Out of kilter 39 Kind of roll 42 “Watch it!’’ 43 Opera’s Gluck 44 “___ a Nightingale’’ 45 Cambridgeshire cathedral town 46 Tank valve 48 Its tip may be felt 49 Took by the hand

50 When mom gets her due 52 Kind of roll 60 Laughing carnivore 61 Manipulative sort 62 Pizzazz 64 Brown shade 65 Ratted to the fuzz 66 Dangle a carrot 67 Animal catcher 68 Hebrides language 69 Can imperfection DOWN

1 Grandma’s daughter 2 Bass and others 3 WXYZ button 4 Word in a letter closing 5 It has two pieces 6 Presage 7 Throw barbs at 8 Able to see right through 9 Chess opening 10 Far from drowsy 11 Angler’s hope 12 Some pods 13 Sax vibrator 21 Part of VCR 22 Bit of serendipity 25 Confused brawl 26 Word with “balance’’ or “balloon’’ 27 Smartmouthed 29 Days-old 30 Twenty-one words

31 Group of eight 32 End run 33 Mountain ridge 34 He caught his adversary’s ear 36 Unkempt abode 38 Append 40 Nick of the links 41 Air-defense org. 46 Word of warning 47 Surface 49 Garbo, by choice 51 Investment return 52 Conclusion starter 53 Sunday morning song 54 Country’s McEntire 55 Automotive part 56 Peter, for one 57 Cackleberry producers 58 Mustard and Plum game 59 Bring in 63 It can be a lifesaver

Anthro-apology

By Simon Dick srdick@wisc.edu

By Eric Wigdahl wigdahl@wisc.edu

dailycardinal.com

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

sports Selig addresses media at UW

BADGERS DEFEAT WILDCATS. Check out dailycardinal.com/sports for a recap of the UW women’s basketball team’s 79-65 win over Northwestern.

dailycardinal.com/sports

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Steroids main topic of press conference By Alex Morrell THE DAILY CARDINAL

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig touted the positive results of the league’s investigation into performance-enhancing drugs thus far while also expressing frustrations with the process Monday during a press conference at UW-Madison. On campus to speak to undergraduate history majors as a UWMadison alum from 1956, Selig addressed the press prior to his talk with the history department, focusing mainly on steroids and defending MLB’s response to the problem. “I’m proud of where we are. I think people don’t understand. We have the toughest testing program in American sports today,” Selig said. “We banned amphetamines, which, frankly, have been a signiﬁcant factor in baseball for 80 years beforehand. We are funding a study at UCLA ... with the National Football League to ﬁnd a reliable test for the Human Growth Hormone.” Selig responded to critics of MLB’s conduct in discovering and correcting the steroid problem with the facts that only three players tested positive for steroids last year and only two since 2006. Selig contended that the tough drug-testing policies and the ban on amphetamines in baseball are no small victories in comparison with problems that plagued baseball in other eras. “If you go back in the history of baseball, every decade has had its

problems. Back in the ’80s we had a very signiﬁcant cocaine problem, yet they couldn’t get a drug-testing program. The players association ... fought us at every turn,” Selig said. “The fact that today we have the toughest drug-testing program in American sports, the fact that we’ve banned amphetamines, the fact that we’re tightening our program as we speak ... I want to say it again because I think for some reason it gets lost in the translation. This sport has been very serious about this problem.” Selig attributed some of MLB’s success in drug-testing results in recent years to the policies he unilaterally implemented into the minor leagues in 2001, so many of the current young stars of the league have been subject to testing for up to seven years. Despite MLB’s recent success in combating the steroids problem, Selig admitted challenges still loom, especially in ﬁghting future performance-enhancing drugs and the more imminent and concerning use of HGH, which has no detectable test so far. “Now, there isn’t a test for Human Growth Hormone. No one has it,” Selig said. “That’s why the National Football League and ourselves are funding this study at UCLA. Let me say this very lucidly: There is not a commercially available test, and I hope there is one, because nobody is more frustrated by a lack of a test than I am.” Selig declined to comment on the alleged HGH use by Roger Clemens or any other individual players, stating he would deal with each case individually. Selig did acknowledge the value and impor-

Clemens, Congress never funnier

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GABRIEL SEHR/THE DAILY CARDINAL

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, pictured talking to a history class, held a press conference beforehand talking mainly about steroids. tance of the Senate Oversight Committee’s investigation. He said he had already independently employed the ﬁrst 15 steroids policy recommendations by the senators. Selig said he was conﬁdent progress would continue against performance-enhancing drugs and that despite the perceived “black cloud” hanging over baseball, MLB has broken attendance records the last few years. He projected attendance at 81 million for 2008. “I really feel from talking to our fans from all over that they’re very comfortable with the knowledge that we care and we’ve done something about it,” Selig said. “The sport has never been

healthier. As I said, if we can draw 81 million people here, that is just stunning by any historical perspective. I mean, the sport has just exploded all over.” Selig acknowledged the support and cooperation of the owners and the players’ union in strengthening the drug-testing policies, saying that the “program is really going to be tightened up by the time we start baseball on March 31.” Although pleased with the progress against performance-enhancing drugs, Selig wanted to remind people that the steroids are not just a problem in baseball, but rather a larger societal issue that baseball can “play at least a role in taking care of.”

Ryan talks practice, development of young players By Ben Breiner THE DAILY CARDINAL

Wisconsin men’s basketball head coach Bo Ryan focused on the grind of the Big Ten season,

practice habits and the development of freshman forward Jon Leuer during his Monday press conference. Ryan’s Badgers are coming

BRAD FEDIE/THE DAILY CARDINAL

Sophomore guard Jason Bohannon scored 11 points against the Golden Gophers even though he suffered an ankle injury.

RYAN RESZEL high reszel-ution

off a week in which they went 2-0, gaining a victory against Minnesota at the Kohl Center and in Bloomington, Ind., against the Hoosiers. Their next game is at Illinois Wednesday. “You have to just play [on the road]. There’s no secrets,” Ryan said. “You can’t be the kind of person that relies on the energy from your fans ... you have to be a player that’s self-motivated on the team, so the team needs to be a group of self motivators.” Ryan went on to discuss the fact that most of his players got the experience of going into very hostile environments in high school since their teams were usually successful. Last season the Badgers won 71-64 in Champaign, Ill., and took the first matchup of this season 7060. The progress and development of freshman forward Leuer was brought up, especially his physical growth this season. “Unfortunately for Jon [Leuer], physically he’s not an Eric Gordon or a [Robbie] Hummel. He’s not as strong yet,” Ryan said. “I talked to him about this last week. I said, you just need to stay positive about your work ethic and keep doing what you’re doing. “We’ve already been through ... the growth spurts, things like that. I think he’s done growing vertically now, so he’s got to develop in other ways physically, and he’s working at that, and he’s

going to be fine.” Ryan also pointed out that Leuer’s physical maturation will be critical to his ability to hold his own on the defensive end. Leuer is averaging four points in 11 minutes per game. As the season wears on, small injuries begin to take their toll on players, and Ryan said he adjusted practice to account for that. “You can’t stop practicing. That’s obvious,” Ryan said. “But what you do is ... you’re not [practicing] as long. But you always play hard, make sure you maintain the conditioning that you’re in. “So the practices, instead of being two hours, we’re usually down to about an hour twenty, an hour and a half, on the ﬂoor. We do a little bit more with the video because of the extra teaching points that we have on the team that we’re going to play.” Sophomore guard Jason Bohannon hurt his ankle before Saturday’s game and is still recovering from the injury. “The longer you do something, the more chances there are that something doesn’t go right physically, no matter what it is,” Ryan said. “Sometimes it happens early in the year to a guy, sometimes in the middle, sometimes at the end ... Once you do tweak something, an ankle or something like that, it tends to hang around for a while, very difﬁcult to get it totally recovered and that’s the case for a few of our guys.”

f I am guilty of anything it is of being too trusting of others, wanting to see the best in everyone and being nice to everyone.” These were the words of Roger Clemens, seven-time Cy Young Award winner and self-congratulatory expert. Poor baby. During the four-hour circus sponsored by the House Congressional Committee on Oversight and Government Reform last Wednesday, Clemens and former trainer Brian McNamee engaged in a he-said, shesaid battle royale. Why Congress—with an economy that seems to be floundering, American soldiers fighting overseas and a social security crisis looming on the horizon—would waste its time talking about a “palpable mass” on Clemens’ rear end is beyond me. But the hearing did not fail to entertain. Clemens decided to play the role of the wounded celebrity-millionaire. “The Rocket” stated how he never took steroids or Human Growth Hormone. Shame on his sleazy former trainer, who got his Ph.D. at Wal-Mart-U, for humiliating himself and tarnishing the image of an American icon in the process. Never mind that former big-leaguer Chuck Knoblauch confirmed what McNamee said. Never mind the fact that Andy Pettitte, a friend and former teammate of Clemens, corroborated this former trainer’s story. Yet even in his moment of distress, Clemens remained humble. “I pride myself as an example for kids, my own as well as others,” he said. This is coming from the man who threw a broken bat at former New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza, claiming he thought the severed piece of lumber was the baseball. Maybe ‘roids affected his eyesight. “I have been blessed with a will and a heart that carry me on in life,” Clemens stated during the hearing. Yes, and did he mention he also loves apple pie, freedom and cuddly little puppies? One Congresswoman supported Clemens by claiming, “I’m sure you’ll get into heaven.” I honestly thought only President Bush held the power to “heavenize” American citizens. Clemens is probably a liar and, to a certain extent, a cheater, but it’s not like the “national pastime” hasn’t been tarnished already. Mark McGwire didn’t want to talk about the past. Sammy Sosa suddenly forgot how to speak English when questioned about his steroid use. And the one guy who claimed he absolutely never used steroids, Rafael Palmeiro, tested positive a few months later. Add the ever-expanding cranium of Barry Bonds to the equation, and I’m pretty certain there was a “palpable mass” festering on the ass of Major League Baseball long before Clemens and his shady legal team arrived in Washington D.C. So what did we learn from all of this? Not much, except that Major Leaguers and the members of Congress are really funny people when you get right down to it. I guess that’s just me trying to see the best in everyone. E-mail reszel@dailycardinal.com.