Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Endorsements?
Well, I may as well give some endorsements now, since no one cares, least of all me. I think these are going to be some of the most backhanded endorsements I've ever given.
First, let's establish that I don't view ASUC office as a reward. (If anything, it's a punishment) So I don't really worry about who "deserves" it, and I won't endorse some folks to punish others for wrongdoing. While I won't hesitate to say that this year, I think Student Action was superior in a moral sense to CalSERVE, I also won't hesitate to ignore that opinion when choosing who to vote for. (e.g. if a presidential candidate tells you how much he opposes the nonsensical opinion resolutions about, say, foreign affairs, remember that he won't be in the Senate anymore, so it doesn't really matter unless he's willing to commit to vetoing such resolutions)
I'll also gloss over the fact that I almost always vote SQUELCH! first, because they can't actually win. Your votes for third parties in executive races are statements of opinion, while your choice between the two major party candidates can be an attempt to get a victor you prefer, which is how I intend to make my endorsements.
The basic idea is this: When you have a task to accomplish, you need a tool. When you have an opponent who needs to be stopped, you need an asshole. With that in mind...
For President and Executive Vice President, I'm going to endorse the CalSERVE candidates, Oscar Mairena and Kifah Shah. Since they'll be working closely with the administration as they attempt to impose hundreds of dollars in fees for Lower Sproul, I recommend the assholes who'll fight them, rather than the tools who'll get along with them.
For Academic Affairs Vice President and External Affairs Vice President, I'm recommending the Student Action folks, John Tran and Dani Haber. Since the people they talk to don't actually have to listen to students, accomplishing things in these offices requires tools who can network and get along, and no one does it better than Student Action.
I assume that the Student Advocate person is running unopposed, as always. Assuming SQUELCH! has purged its Tikvah component, they remain the best place to toss your Senate vote to challenge the absurdity of both major parties.
If everyone made decisions this way, we could skip the entire campaign season. I'm doing my part. Are you?
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