With less than two months until the country chooses a new president, election frenzy has generated discussions about everything from Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter to Barack Obama’s fundraising dinner in Hollywood with celebrities. But Bruins remain rooted to the personal narratives of the candidate they support and the spirit of the presidency.
Both Republican candidate John McCain and Democratic candidate Obama have accomplished biographies that students have said they are able to connect to on several levels.
“Just like everyone else, youth voters aren’t more swayed by someone who looks cool. … Just like everyone else, they are interested in the personal narrative,” said Mark Sawyer, a professor of political science.
McCain supporters have emphasized his long history in the military and his experience as a prisoner of war.
“He has an incredible story. He served in Vietnam. He was a POW. He saw evil in the eye. He’s been a troop himself, understands the importance of that service. … He brings a unique perspective on conflicts we are facing in Iraq and Iran,” said Tim Rozelle, media relations director of Bruin Republicans.
Similarly, Bruins who support Obama identify with his years of community service after college.
Flavia de la Fuente, issues director for Bruin Democrats, said she respects Obama for having worked at a voter registration drive for a year. De la Fuente had the same experience over the summer and faced several challenges along the way.
“I really respect that he’s the type of person who was able to do this for a year. … The difficult part is having to knock on doors and have people tell you they don’t care ““ that they don’t know much about what’s going on,” de la Fuente said. “There’s a lot of work at the door just to convince someone to register to vote.”
This type of experience also distinguishes Obama from other politicians, de la Fuente said.
“There are claims that (community organizing) is not experience. … He has experience on the ground, one-on-one. … (Obama) interacts with people every day, as opposed to paperwork and bureaucracy. That kind of experience is what sets him apart from other candidates,” she said.
Members of Bruin Republicans were also drawn to McCain’s personal characteristics and how he has handled his career in politics.
“I remember during the 2000 primaries, thinking (McCain) is a different kind of politician. … This is the guy who tells it like it is,” said Andrew Kreitz, chairman of Bruin Republicans.
Kreitz in particular cited McCain’s finance reform bill and his stance against earmarks as ways in which the senator has gone against the Republican grain and stood for his own values.
But the idea of having a president who is not bound by party lines and ideology is echoed by supporters of both presidential candidates.
Obama is “a very unifying figure. He’s not interested in going for low blows and just winning contests,” said Sonya Mehta, events director for Bruin Democrats.
Mehta also said she finds Obama to be a different type of politician because he includes everyone, especially younger voters, in the political process by motivating them to get involved.
Kreitz, who cites McCain’s campaign slogan “country first,” said the Arizona senator’s history of service makes him the candidate more likely to bring together different factions of the country.
“And the whole notion of (running for president) for service to your country, for something greater than yourself, … that really resonates with me. (McCain is) about service,” Kreitz said.
Kreitz, himself an ROTC cadet, said he places an importance on service and patriotism and feels that a similar philosophy has driven the McCain campaign.
The emphasis placed on having a candidate who can unify the country is likely the result of both the current Bush administration and an increasingly polarized congress, said Henry Brady, professor of political science and public policy at UC Berkeley.
Brady said most notably the Bush administration has used the aftermath of Sept. 11, an event which should bring people together, to push its own agenda.
Despite both candidates and their supporters having messages of unity, Brady said it may be too early to say which of the two candidates, if either, can actually bring the country together.
“We should look past unification and see who can have policies that can get us out of the problems we are currently in,” Brady said.
One of the most important policy issues that voters are concerned about, regardless of their demographic, is the state of the economy and taxes.
While each candidate does have nuanced tax plans, de la Fuente said she supports Obama’s plan to lower taxes on the middle class, while Rozelle is in favor of McCain’s plan to keep corporate taxes low.
Rozelle also said he thinks that growing tuition costs for students are the result of both Democrats in Sacramento and a failing economy, which he believes McCain’s policies of lower taxes can fix by reducing inflation.
Brady said Obama’s plans are better for the majority of voters because 90 percent of people will not become wealthy enough to benefit from McCain’s policies.
Both supporters of McCain and supporters Obama plan to campaign on campus before the election, and many have already started.
“If students get involved in campaigning … it can both have an impact on campus, but can also have an impact in the wider world. It’s one of those elections where young folks can really have an opportunity to get involved,” Sawyer said.