Sunday, February 05, 2006

SWAMP & UNITE!: Two Mainstream Parties Vy In Boring Election

What can I say? 2006 is the year of Sig Ep it seems and...the year or, no, actually just another year of Florida Blue Key. We've got Swamp's treasurer candidate, UNITE's presidential candidate, and the leadership of MVP all coming out of one house. Next, we have the two announced executive candidates coming out of Joe Goldberg's GATOR Party (and the two other possible candidates in Lindsay Cosimi and Diane Kassim also from the GATOR organization). Next, after almost a year of bowing down and voting with GATOR, the leaders of Impact/Progress have the nerve or will have the nerve to campaign this upcoming election and try to sell the notion that they are radically different from GATOR all the while running that party's law school senator as their presidential candidate. Next, we have what I've dubbed the Progress' Coup de Etat, let me break the coup down into points:

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The Progress Coup
Mackenzie Moritz, Adam Roberts, & Susan Vaz Henriques made up the '05 Progress exec. ticket
Mackenzie was president of Boyles' party Engage and remains working w/Boyles in SWAMP
Adam Roberts is currently the leader of the UNITE! Party
Susan Vaz Henriques (current President of the Progress Party) announces an "independent" bid for treasurer, with Mackenzie Moritz at the helm.

Scenario #1: SWAMP WINS! Mackenzie reaps the fat of the land for Adam, Susan, and Progress cronies. Mackenzie takes over Reitz Union Board of Managers.
Scenario #2: UNITE WINS! Adam & Co. reap the fat of the land for Mackenzie and his people over in SWAMP. Mackenzie takes over Reitz Union Board of Managers.
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I should stress that the 'Progress Coup' is opinion-based, I have no proof that any inproprieties have taken place or will take place, but I'm also quite skeptical in regards to all of these coincidences. While I believe Progress was a dramatically better and more individualistic party last year than IMPACT, I don't believe they outdid VOICE either. I believe that this setup could have its roots in the '05 campaign when Progress stayed out. I don't think Mackenzie is the kind of person the Greeks fear, nor is John Boyles, and I think this kind of charm is what's allowed them to penetrate a social elite that their letterless shirts would never have been able to break into only a year ago.

Many of us in the original ACCESS had our differences with then party boss Andre Samuels, both Mackenzie and I eluded to this gentlemen when we split (both in our own ways). However, I believe that my esteemed colleague inherited the political reins of SG Godfather from Andre Samuels. There's no doubt that these allegations sound silly, but if you study SG and you study the people I'm talking about, if you know anything about egos and anything about the intricacies of Student Government and just how much power and prestige really are at stake, then my theories hold water, at least enough water to merit consideration.

If I am correct in that the respective leaders of SWAMP and UNITE! are in bed together and that both parties will pretty much play off each other, then political abstentionism would be the only way for students to send SG a clear message. Do not fall victim to the bureaucrats selling you the keys to the kingdom in exchange for your votes. As of right now it seems the mainstream cookie-cutter parties will be the only groups involved, so why should you go and vote for either of them? This election should be the decisive moment when the next generation of independent students realize that for 2007 a party like VOICE, Student Alliance, or KEG needs to return to the forefront. This will be without a doubt one of the most boring elections to date at UF. I only hope that we all learn from this experience.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is the second-dumbest thing I've read on the blogs, beaten only by anything Carl the Baptist posts. Congrats on being an idiot, Christian.

Christian Duque said...

Thanks for your input, but since no one carries my blog and it exists solely for the purpose of being an uncensored look into SG, I figure it'd be even more idiotic to censure myself. In any event, I appreciate your constructive criticism and the scholarly fashion in which you went about sharing your feelings. Now you keep an eye on that watch, lunch is almost over, and soon they'll be paging your ass on the telecom to go shine Boyles or Hernandez' shoes. LOL j/k...

Anonymous said...

I never told you to stop talking, just noted that you're making a total ass of yourself.

Christian Duque said...

Listen "Virgil" I wanted to give my input and I did plenty to help Jared's cause but in the end they didn't want anything to do with me, they didn't want my input. I talk to the old school people and they agree that both UNITE and SWAMP are crap parties.

I'm not even sure who you are but you know who I am, I don't hide behind the computer and being different and brave enough to speak out has been what I've always been known for, that's who I am.

NONE of the other blogs carry me even when I'd link 'em all the time, none of the leaders of I/P ever cared about me or anyone from Voice, I've tried to work with these people and they've shut me out, hell you've shut me out too. I really appreciate constuctive criticism but if you're going to go around insulting me or calling me names, at least let me know who's the tough guy on the other end =o)