Friday, November 23, 2007

Advice to the GDI's

Arafat Airlines, Flight 377G

It's starting all over again. The kids want to know who their next ceremonial figurehead will be. From what I hear AEPi might be the next Lambda Chi, wouldn't that be something... Another house, this one on the PC side, also seems ripe for the GDI-picking. However and for the most part, the nuts & bolts of the Mainstream apparatus will support whatever party Swamp/Gator' puppeteers unveil next. With the cultural organizations, FBK, and an almost politically-homogeneous Greek community ready to commit to yet another year of the Boyles Era of lame duck SG executives, the GDI's have no real reason to go the distance.

I propose a low intensity campaign for the executive and more concentration on the senate. With a minimum of eight seats, the Independents could mount much more resistance in chambers than if they fought a no-win battle at full-capacity for an Executive ticket that quite frankly seems to be out of their reach. With a presence in chambers, the Independents could actually influence the process and I don't just mean by stalling & filibustering.

There is also a flaw in the way the System runs the Machine. Why did Bill Clinton defeat George H.W. Bush in 1992 or Sen. Bob Dole in 1996? Why is that John McCain was edged out in 2000 by George W. Bush or that in 2007, though clearly the most experienced & heir-apparent is McCain overlooked for Romney or Giuliani? Here's a clue: AGE.

In system politics the AGE in seniority of top candidates is always that of upper-classmen or grad students, because there is a long and drawn out timespan of ass kissing, backstabbing, and several types probation (in terms of voting records, campus activity, and past SG support). Freshmen and sophomores never have and never will get the nod to run for high office by mainstream parties b/c (1) at the tender age most have not been tapped or admitted to Florida Blue Key, for starters.

Age is not a litmus test of potential. It may delineate "experience," though that's somewhat of an ambiguous term in student government. Shema was a doctoral student, she was much older than the sophomore Dennis Ngin in terms of academic seniority and possibly age, but was she more experienced, did she possess more potential just based on her class-year or physical age? I think not.

I think the GDI's should quit looking for law students, juniors, and seniors and take a chance on the youth -- run a first or second year student. Look at guys like Ben Cavataro, actually look at him first and foremost. His office in senate would allow him to run now and that would ensure the GDI's of not handicapping a top notch senate candidate as a sacrificial lamb for a presidential onslaught. Running the Hume senator would also open the possibility for running him again, perhaps in a more calculated fashion Spring 2009. The Independents cannot continue on the path that's taken them to bitter defeat Spring 2005, a crushing loss in 2006, and annihilation in 2007. But...even though PANTS suffered a broken Independent community, the consistency of two consecutive Haupt candidacies helped - I believe this 110% and I believe running the Hume senator in a low-intensity race in '08, would have lofty returns in a second run in '09.

Question is, can Independent leaders think that far into the future of their own constituency - and - another question would be, do Independent leaders care that much as to be so patient and forgo the instant-gratification of running hard just a few months away.

Also, a Cavataro ticket, would all but turn Hume green, as well as have spillover effects on surrounding areas for Fall. The marketing of a dynamic, young ticket for high office would also significantly affect many senate races. The GDI's must scout and scour the playing field, in search of the very best senate candidates and work from that end. An executive ticket like Cavataro/Stinson/Miorelli, I think would do really well, not to mention get A-LOT of votes.

And best part of this atrategy...the Machine cannot allow a first or second year student to run for President, that would signal a MELTDOWN. The System cannot take the risk on someone's character without covering all bets prior to rolling the die. Something to think about.


A great, credible (& low-intensity) ticket that challenges not only another party, but the very system in question, would deliver wonderful returns for a party heck-up in a senatorial dogfight, not to mention, the same way Hillary will no doubt pick up votes from women (some of which living in ultra-conservative households), so too might a balls-to-the-wall GDI party running an illegal executive ticket (soley because of age), strike a chord in the hearts & minds of some of those thousands of pledges (mostly freshmen and sophomores), exploited by their houses to almost religiously give them block-after-block each year, but distrusted from running for the top jobs.
"Hello, my name is _________ and I am illegally running to be your student body president. I'm not allowed to run legally, because Student Government says I'm too young. I am from this party and while you cannot vote for me, I sure would appreciate it if you could take a look at the wonderful men and women running for senate with my party. Thank you for your time and have a great day."

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Mr. Madison, what you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling, incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have mercy on your soul.

Anonymous said...

This is actually some pretty good advice. Ben would have credibility as a Senator and thus couldn't be dismissed as a joke. He'd also be too new to be tied to corruption or the status quo.

With some strong candidates for the Senate providing some reverse coattails, this credible but unconventional choice would provide a very nice contrast to the predictable System nominee.

Anonymous said...

There's one problem with your theory... the following is from the Student Body Constitution:

Candidates for the offices of student body president, student body vice president, and student body treasurer shall have completed a minimum of three academic semesters, excluding summer semesters, at the University of Florida.

Christian Duque said...

"That problem" seems unconstitutional and likely to have been put in document by System bureaucrats. So am I to understand the concept of proportional representation is valid for the Legislative Branch, but that all first & second year students at the University of Florida are barred from being directly represented in one of the three Branches of Government, that they fund just as much as the upper classmen?

This "problem" shouldn't be much of a hurdle. I mean it doesn't involve Arabs or Muslims so much, so maybe the Justices could actually be fair if presented with a case, say argued by Tommy Jardon or Andrew Hoffman.

Of course if that fails, it'll only be a matter of time before the real Law got involved.

And once again... are GDI's paranoid - or - is their real, everyday obstacles in the "SYSTEM" placed their by agents of....

Christian Duque said...

p.s.

I love the exclusion of the summer term as not being an "academic term." If this is true, it's nothing but a way to further discriminate against younger students. If a first year undergrad took four consecutive fifteen-credit terms, he/she would eligible to run for a college senate seat - using the summer no less. If a sitting senator wants to serve over the summer term he/she needs to be enrolled in courses during said term.

All levels of Student Government operate over the summer, so excluding the summer terms from an unconstitutional semester-stipulation seems unfounded.

While Summer is not a full-semester (15-18wks), it is a time when students are in class, earning credits towards their degrees and it is a time when SG normally operates. UF is not a two-semester-a-year institution. The Summer term should count! But the Summer term aside, the whole law should not be on the books anyway!

The only instance I could think of where the Summer term is technically non-Academic, is for financial aid purposes. The factors contributing to this fiasco, again, have less to do with the Summer term's real purpose and more to do with tax cuts and bureaucratic red tape in D.C.

"It's morally wrong to have students or citizens pay a tax to a State that excludes them, whether partially or fully from government and/or direct representation and immersion in the public good."

Anonymous said...

So you are say if Ben COULD runs it would be a joke? Who are you kidding?

Christian Duque said...

A proposed Cavataro/Stinson/Miorelli ticket would be anything but a joke. First, it would set precedent to include ALL students in the process. Second of all, it would allow the lone elected Independent senator to retain his post meanwhile serving the Progress Party in an indispensable role. Third, it would bring Elizabeth Stinson back for a second consecutive race, further solidifying her as a legitimate candidate for high office. And last but not least, it would give Sam Miorelli (perhaps one of the most underrated rising stars in the Independent movement) an opportunity to complete a young ticket that will surely come under fire in terms of "experience," an area where his very presence will make that argument much harder to prove.

The idea of not running at full-capacity does not mean the ticket would be a joke and I suspect most System minds know this all to well...however it presents a serious problem. More students vote in the Spring and if the GDI's focus less on a race they're bound to lose and more on the senate, then this will cause the System to automatically follow en suite - making the legislative race the ne w battleground.

The Macheen cannot risk the GDI's besting them anywhere, but they can also not run hard on two fronts - or at least this would be the first time. If the Machine went after the GDI's in the senate race, then the GDI's low-intensity Exec. strategy would be all that would be needed.

Even in the case the System is more popular, both parties running fiercely in dozens of distinct races, sounds a lot better than mounting meager defenses against a superior rival in one, decisive all out battle.

No, Cavataro/Stinson/Miorelli ticket would not be a joke or even a sacrificial lamb for the slaughter. It would instead offer a "clean image" (in Biden's context of Sen. Obama's candidacy) and it would also greatly appeal to younger students completely unaware of the fact that they're paying into a system that DISCRIMINATES against them, barring them from serving in a government that supposedly represents them.

Not to mention...this wouldn't be like the Pro Tem blocking the Hume senator's bills in chambers, this would be SG blocking half of the undergraduate population, denying them democracy in a democracy. I wonder how IRHA and its members would opine to this discriminatory clause in the constitution? Especially since this clause directly affects the vast majority of ITS MEMBERS!

I sure would love to see SG try and enforce this clause. I'd love nothing more.

Anonymous said...

"'That problem' seems unconstitutional and likely to have been put in document by System bureaucrat"

how can it be unconstitutional if it is in the constitution? Like the president having to be of age 35. from our constitution.

"neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty-five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States."

Christian Duque said...

:::LMAO:::

So your contention is that because "it's in the constitution" it must be constitutional? Hahahahaa

Slavery, Prohibition, and segregation were also once in the constitution, while universal suffrage was not. Laws that are on the books should be enforced by government, but to dismiss the electorate from questioning their effects on society, via the courts or by lobbying their elected officials, is absolutely abhorrent.

Furthermore, if the U.S. Congress decided to amend article you refer to, they could. Also, if (1) there was any real interest on the nat'l level to challenge this clause and (2) if this case were presented properly as a case of age-discrimination and if (3)it went through the trial and appellate courts and arrived on the Supreme Court docket and if (4) was actually heard by the Supreme Court and affirmed as unconstitutional -- then my good friend, the "law" would be off the books.

Let's not forget that MAN wrote the law and MAN can amend or remove the LAW in accordance with legal guidelines. Just because it's in print today, doesn't mean it shouldn't be questioned.

Christian Duque said...

Lawmakers of the day may have also worried about a candidate's readiness to hold office (per maturity, outlook, etc). Then again they never expected presidents as young as JFK, Clinton, or our current head of state. Times have changed considerably since that clause.

Also the maturation between the 35yr minimum and the voting age minimum 18yrs leaves for a window of almost 17yrs...surely the framers of UF Student Constitution were not implying that maturity, outlook of a Junior was that much greater to that of a Sophomore in terms of maturity or outlook? In fact, in this type of scenario, academic positioning doesn't even involve age?

The more I look at this clause, the more it wreaks of BLATANT DISCRIMINATION against first & second year undergraduate students and the less it parallels even our own American governmental guidelines.

Anonymous said...

Sam Miorelli as a rising star? What does Sam do other than file frivolous complaints

Christian Duque said...

Thanks for that comment. Shows me that even as early as November, that name scares members of the Machine.

Anonymous said...

It probably should be done by credits, maybe 45 credits or so. There is little justification for requiring three semesters excluding summers, except to limit representation of students in the elected executive branch who live in on-campus housing.

But the SB Constitution doesn't make any sense anyway.

Anonymous 10:21 PM: You are Ryan Day and I claim my five pounds...

Anonymous said...

Wow. Scares the System? Don't think so.

Can we talk about the lack of organization and campaign tactics the GDI's had in the Fall? It was sad that the average non-greek student didn't even know that the Progress Party was running. Why should the system be scared of that or of Sam? Is Sam and his crew going to have another ghost campaign in the Spring and get lucky and win 1 liberal arts seat? Give me a break.

So who do think is really going to run?

Anonymous said...

The ONLY thing that concerns the top of the GDI's right now, (exculding Bracco) is Online voting.

They are putting ALL their efforts into collecting signatures for the petition to make online voting a constitutional amendment on the spring ballot.

Until they have all 6000 signatures, they will do nothing else involved with SG politics (ie making plans for the spriong election).

Tommy Jardon, Sam Miorielli, Ben Cavataro, Mark Mcshara, Joshua Niederriter Will Foster and the rest of the indie leadership is working their butts off for this.

www.solveuf.com

Anonymous said...

anon 1120: I love how the "indie leaders" are so prominent that no one knows how to spell their names properly

francisco said...

:lol: I am your co-pilot, which means I will not be doing a damn thing!

We may make it to the airport with some European nationals on board as long as the Israelis don't shoot us down and blame it on the Egyptians, Jordanians, or Space Aliens.

No sorry, sorry, they are just firing anti-aircraft missiles at us :lol:

Christian this video is so bad; and you wonder why people use such strong language against you :lol:.

BTW: Anon. 11:20 PM, if you are going to mention people's names, at least try to spell them correctly. Sorry, pet peeve of mine.

Anonymous said...

You try spelling them

Anonymous said...

anon 10:46, if ryan day is still commenting on this blog after realizing his total failure of not being tapped for FBK hes even more of a tool than any of us ever expected