Wisconsin presidential primaries key to Obama, Clinton

By: Andrew Whitman

Posted: 2/13/08

For the presidential primaries next Tuesday, District 2 residents will be able to vote in the Hamilton Center for the first time.

Students residing in Arey, Benson, Clem, Bigelow, Lee, Fricker, Fischer and Goodhue halls are considered District 2. All other residents will still have to vote at the Old Armory.

Thanks to WSG, the Whitewater Common Council approved the polling site on campus in the Hamilton Center.

"Student voters have a huge voice when they turn out in numbers," political science professor Paula Mohan said. "In the 2004 election people between the ages of 18 and 25 turned out about 75 percent. People are going to start saying, 'We need to figure out things to do with colleges, we're going to figure out ways to keep those interest rates low.'"

The Washington and Wisconsin primaries as well as the Hawaii caucuses remain. Sen. John McCain leads the Republicans while Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama lead the Democrats.

"A candidate may not be decided by our primaries on Feb. 19," Mohan said.

The main issues students should be concerned with begin with foreign policy. Students should be concerned about the possibility of a draft and unbalanced funding at home Mohan said.

"The other issue is the domestic issues," she said. "The economy, and that's what I think is really going to affect students. We know that wages are going down and costs are going up including college tuition."

On foreign policy, John McCain voted for the use of military force in Iraq and agrees a greater military commitment is needed for long term success. He will try to keep increasing tax cuts and limit governmental wasteful spending, the John McCain for President Committee said.

Clinton is proposing to set aside more than $70 billion in housing, unemployment, energy assistance and alternative energy in an effort to strengthen the middle class. Clinton supported the initial invasion of Iraq, but now wants to establish a phased redeployment of American troops.

Obama disagreed with troop deployments to Iraq in the first place and also supports a phased redeployment of U.S. troops. He would also like to stimulate the economy by pumping $75 billion dollars back into the economy and increase tax cuts if the economy worsens, the Obama for America Campaign said.

"I don't think the student population is that different from the general population, I don't see a particular candidate as having nothing to offer to the students," President of the College Republicans Gregory Torres said.

"I think one of the big issues students need to worry about is health care. There are a lot of students that go to this university that have no health insurance. Whether it starts locally or nationally I know both [candidates] have plans for that," President of the College Democrats Abril Curiel said.

According to each candidate's campaign party, the Democratic race is still close between Obama and Clinton. McCain is leading the Republican vote, but former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is still in the race as of Tuesday morning.