University of Arizona - Desert Yearbook (Tucson, AZ)

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by Lauren Miller t was called the election of a lifetime, and University of Arizona students made sure that they were part of his- tory. In one of the most heated presidential elections, incumbent president and Repub- lican candidate George W. Bush squared off against Massachusetts senator and Democrat John Kerry in a battle that even speculators could not call until all the votes were cast. The 2004 presidential debates became the hot topic in the media and on campus in the fall as debate raged over the candidates and the parties behind them. As election night drew to a close, eyes turned to the swing states, such as Florida, Oregon, even Arizona. However, Ohio was in the spotlight, as its 20 electoral votes became the deciding push for whoever would complete the road to the white house. Concerns over the recount fiasco of the 2000 Bush versus Gore election raced around the internet and the media. The morning follow- ing the election dawned with uncertainty. Bush had the lead in the popular vote, but both candidates were waiting for tie-break- ing Ohio to add in its electoral votes. The nation held its breath while the votes were tallied. Bush finally walked away with the vic- tory and 286 electoral votes. Kerry conceded on Nov. 4, thanking voters and family and congratulating Bush. In the days ahead, we must find com- mon cause, Kerry said m his morning con- cession speech. We must join in common effort, without remorse or recrimination, without anger or rancor. America is in need of unity and longing for a larger measure of compassion. The final popular vote stood at 59,459,765 for Bush and 55,949,407 for Kerry. It was the highest election turn out in 36 years. However, what made this election memorable was not so much the outcome than the political division that told hold of the country. Social issues, the War on Iraq and deep emotions about the Bush presiden- cy sent the country into a flurry of contro- versy and commentary. Lines were drawn in the sand, in communities, in schools, even across dinner tables. Even at the UA, where red and blue w — bound by tradition, students were choosin sides and the Arizona heat was nothing com- pared to the sizzle of partisan politics Yet most visible on campus was the pi to get students to vote, regardless of politi affiliation. Voter registration drives spon- ■ sored by ASUA popped up as early as mc in day in August and the booths of other g out the vote groups peppered campus until the sun set on election day in November. Groups such as Rock the Vote, Moveon.org and Declare Yourself targeted college students, a lucrative age group noto- rious for voter apathy. Some combined cre- ative campaigning to get their point across. such as the internet group Voteorgasm, where people pledged to sleep with another voter following Election Day and refrain from those who refrained from voting. Oth- ers boasted celebrities who could not resist throwing their hats in the ring. Entertainer R Diddy ' s Vote or Die campaign became a favorite punch line, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Matthews, Alicia Keys, even rapper Eminem called out to vote on Nov. 2 In the end, it was proven that college voters responded, as an estimated 5 1 % of 1 8 to 24 year-olds cast their ballots, over the 42% that turned out for the 2000 presidential election. It was not the revolutionary turnout that both sides had hoped for but for UA stu- dents, red and blue took on a new meaning.

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Left: Sen. John Kerry, left and President Bush greet the audience before the final presiden- tial debate in Tempe, Ariz., on Wednesday, October 13, 2004. Below: Students line up to register to vote outside of the ASUA office in the Student Union Memorial Center prior to the election. Aickai Ik 1 26

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®[p(p®©g[iE) fired up - Ann Coulter and Michael Moore visit campus by Jen Whitcomb Peter Seat, theatre arts senior and member of the UA College Republi- cans, proclaimed, Not the liberals, not ASUA, not the weather can keep the truth from coming to UA! on Oct. 21, 2004, to a conservative- packed Centennial Hall. The truth came in the form of radical conservative speaker Ann Coulter, the College Republican ' s much-anticipated response to Mi- chael Moore ' s appearance several weeks earlier. I think it was great that we could get Ann Coulter; a high profile name like that to speak to the students and to the population of the city, Nick Sexton, a pre-business freshman, said. However, Coulter ' s arrival at the UA, as Seat noted, did not come without some adversity. He especial- ly criticized the Associated Students of the University of Arizona, who had promised to fiind the venue of the speech, but later retracted. The rainy conditions of the evening cer- tainly didn ' t help, either. Coulter ' s plane out of Phoenix was delayed as a result, causing her to take the stage two hours after her scheduled time. In a not-so-subtle jab against Demo- cratic presidential candidate John Kerry, College Republican Manny Espinosa joked to the audience, I was for this event starting on time before I was against it. The crowd, however, was no smaller and no less pumped when the popular conservative icon finally made it to the podium. While most patrons were avid support- ers of Coulter, like math junior Tyler Harris who said he had been a fan of Ann ' s for a long time, many showed up from both ends of the political spectrum looking to expose themselves to the opposition. Heather Torbitt, a media arts junior, said, I saw Michael Moore before, and I ' m here to hear both sides. Coulter ' s difficulties in Arizona didn ' t end with the rain. She also narrowly missed receiving a literal pie in the face from one of two men who rushed the stage in protest dur- ing her question-and-answer session. The offenders were removed in handcuffs. More peacefiil protesting took place outside the theatre before the doors opened. A group of unaffili- ated liberal students made their point with signs reading such things as Only Whites Deserve Rights and Liberals = Satan. What we wanted to show was the Republican right — how extreme they can be, explained law student Sara Ransom. Ransom created the most stir with her neon yellow sign reading Iraqi Babies Are Good Eatin ' . While Coulter ' s controversial views, particularly her support of racial profiling against Muslims in the hunt for terrorism, fiieled the protesters outside, she received plenty of enthusiasm inside for her razor-sharp political wit. Her un- abashed bashing of what she called the civic religion of liberalism drew the most appreciation from fel- low Republicans — especially a few choice scathing remarks against sue noted Democrats as Hillary Clinton, Ted Kennedy and (of course) John Kerry. I would say those are fighting words, being called a liberal, she said. Or at least I ' m trying to make it that way. by Victoria Harben Politics heated up this year as the election between George W. Bush and John Kerry took the spotlight in America. At 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 1 1 , 2004, one of the major fiiels to this political fire strutted into McKale Center clad in a red baseball cap, black sweatshirt and jeans. Michael Moore, the controversial American filmmaker, appeared to a sold-out crowd of more than 14,500 to promote Kerry for the 2004 election. The Arizona logo shined brightly on the arena ' s floor as the energized crowd, primarily filled with Kerry supporters, started the wave and erupted with chants entic- ing Moore to come out and speak. Fernando Ascencio, director of the Speakers Board of the Associat- ed Students of the University of Ari- zona, introduced Moore and ASUA ' s three main goals of voter registra- tion, education, and getting people out to vote. After an overwhelm- ing burst of applause, Ascencio let Moore take the stage. He kicked off his 22 ' ' stop of The Slacker Upris- ing Tour by graciously thanking the audience and firing up the crowd by 28 reminding them there were only three more weeks until the election. Parts of Moore ' s speech focused on the war in Iraq and ousting George W. Bush from the White House. He read a letter by Spc. Nicholas Frye, a soldier from Chan- dler, Ariz., which sought to reason why Frye was a liberal. The number one requested book by soldiers in Iraq is anything by Michael Moore. He yelled bum baby, bum in order to encourage the audience to copy his documentary because he wants every American to see it. Some say this film is the ' atom bomb ' of the election, Moore said. Renowned musician Linda Ronstadt, a resident of Tucson, made a surprise guest appearance at Moore ' s speech Despite the overwhelming tumout of fans, many of the campus Republicans, donors, alumni, and members of the community found it hard to accept Moore ' s appearance at the UA. A group of Bush sup- porters incessantly harassed Moore from the upper level as they chanted four more years and Nader until they were escorted out of the arena around 8 p.m. Moore claimed to be aware of the controversy his appearance stirred on campus, and reasoned that they tried to find a Republican who could bring out 15,000 people, but they just couldn ' t find one. Moore ' s appearance evoked a buzz of controversy on campus weeks before he even arrived. Nichole Hellman, a music education and vocal performance freshman, believed Moore caused controversy because of his famous status and radical views against conservatives. Moore ' s vehement campaign against the Bush administration started with his book Stupid White Men, in which he began his tirade against the fallacies of the U.S. government, according to his liberal perspective. This iconoclastic com- mentator then moved to the big screen in 2003 when he released the fiery Fahrenheit 9 1 1 . Moore ' s ironic and condescending sense of righteousness is conveyed in both works and is the root of why he has followers and why he has accumu- lated numerous nemeses. Despite the debate surrounding Moore ' s appearance, his speech firq up the local liberals and promoted John Kerry. In the process of creat-j ing an even wider division berweenl conservatives and liberals, Moore helped to unite the democrats and the open-minded at the University (I Arizona. r