Politics
Photo Gallery: Election Night in McLean
by Michael Shroyer, Daniel Lin
Wednesday, November 5, 2008; 4:24 AM
The Virginia democratics held their election night party in McLean, Va. tuesday night. It was a successful event with Mark Warner being elected to the U.S. Senate.
Yes, they did: Dems celebrate big victories
by Caleb Fleming and Shannon Aud, CT news staff
Wednesday, November 5, 2008; 1:14 AM
MCLEAN, Va. -- It was a good day to be a Democrat in the Commonwealth yesterday. Barack Obama defeated John McCain yesterday evening to become the 44th president of the United States and took Virginia for the first time since 1964.
Around Blacksburg, a quiet storm at the polls
by David Grant, Gabe McVey and Sara Mitchell, CT news staff
Wednesday, November 5, 2008; 1:09 AM
At 6:41 p.m. last night, get-out-the-vote volunteers at Montgomery County's largest voting precinct, St. Michael's Lutheran Church, were getting nervous. Merrimac Road -- a tranquil two-lane sidestreet through farmland -- was choked with cars from both directions, trying to make it to the polls before they closed at 7 p.m. Virginia Rock the Vote coordinator Amanda Eckerson ran up to a group of volunteers.Pointing toward the road, Eckerson had a simple command."Tell them to run."
Video: Sarah Palin in Salem - full speech
by Peter Velz, CT multimedia reporter
Thursday, October 30, 2008; 10:57 PM
See Sarah Palin's speech she made in Salem where she talked about the economy and specifically taxes.
Professor speaks on LGBT issues, election
by Candace Sipos, CT politics editor
Wednesday, October 29, 2008; 11:13 PM
Kenneth Sherrill, a political science professor at Hunter College in New York City, will be speaking in Squires 342 today at 8 p.m. His speech, sponsored by Virginia Tech's LGBTA, will be about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual issues as they pertain to the upcoming election.
Letter: Experience can't stand alone
by Letter to the editor
Wednesday, October 29, 2008; 11:08 PM
Those actively serving in the military aren't supposed to bring politics to the job. For better or worse, the commander-in-chief is ultimately the boss of all men and women in uniform. But remaining apolitical can be hard when your life is on the line, you've seen the effects of poor political decisions close-up, and you want to help make sure it doesn't happen again.
Column: Obama's plan to spread the wealth around flawed
by Erika Encinas, CT regular columnist
Wednesday, October 29, 2008; 11:01 PM
It is less than a week before Nov. 4 and I have been watching political ads on television, reading political fliers stuck in my doors, and receiving political phone calls on my cell. I am happy to report that I have learned a very valuable lesson from all this campaigning, in fact, I have been enlightened not by Maverick McCain, nor have I finally taken something of value away from Obama's rhetoric of change and hope.
Obama campaigns at James Madison University
by Michael Shroyer, ct staff writer
Wednesday, October 29, 2008; 12:49 AM
Thousands of James Madison University students and local Harrisonburg residents braved frigid and windy conditions Tuesday afternoon, as they waited outside for hours to see Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on the campaign trail.
Photo Gallery: Obama campaigns at JMU
by Michael Shroyer
Wednesday, October 29, 2008; 12:47 AM
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama campaigned alongside Virginians Tim Kaine and Mark Warner Tuesday night on the campus of James Madison University.
Gilmore stops in Blacksburg
by David Grant, editor-in-chief
Wednesday, October 29, 2008; 12:00 AM
After attending Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's rally in Salem Monday night, former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore stopped by Blacksburg's GOP headquarters yesterday as part of his campaign for the United States Senate.
Palin, Gilmore pack Salem stadium on ice-cold night
by Zach Crizer and Candace Sipos, CT news staff
Monday, October 27, 2008; 11:38 PM
Alaska Governor and Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin took the stage last night in Salem. It just wasn't the stage she originally planned on taking.
Panelists, forum to discuss technology
by Candace Sipos, CT politics editor
Friday, October 24, 2008; 12:00 AM
Five days before Blacksburg residents hit the polls, they can discover how the constantly changing age of technology is altering the political process.
Allen makes first '08 stop at Blacksburg HQ
by Candace Sipos, CT politics editor
Monday, October 20, 2008; 11:06 PM
Former Virginia Senator and Governor George Allen stopped in Blacksburg for a half-hour Monday morning.
Column: Rally for change inspires participation in politics
by Michelle Skeen, CT regular columnist
Monday, October 20, 2008; 10:43 PM
Friday morning I woke up before the sun, picked up some slightly hungover friends, and braved the crazy truck drivers on Interstate 81 to make it to Roanoke by 7:30 a.m. I stood in the rain outside the Roanoke Civic Center for two-and-a-half hours before the doors even opened.
Video: George Allen visits Blacksburg
by Peter Velz, CT multimedia reporter
Monday, October 20, 2008; 7:11 PM
Former Senator George Allen speaks at the Montgomery County Republican headquarters.
Video: Obama speaks to Roanoke - Highlights
by Peter Velz, CT multimedia reporter
Monday, October 20, 2008; 8:09 PM
Democratic presedential candidate Barack Obama outlined economic, health care and education policies in his speech on Friday, October 17.
Video: Obama's full speech in Roanoke
by Peter Velz, CT multimedia reporter
Monday, October 20, 2008; 12:03 PM
Missed out on Barack Obama rallying voters at the Roanoke Civic Center on October 17th? Watch his speech in its entirety here.
Photo Gallery: Obama speaks in Roanoke
by Kyle Swanson and Sally Bull
Friday, October 17, 2008; 6:12 PM
Presidential candidate Barack Obama spoke Friday afternoon at the Roanoke Civic Center.
Obama speaks in Roanoke on economy, health care
by Caleb Fleming, New River Valley Editor
Friday, October 17, 2008; 5:16 PM
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama addressed an electric crowd filling the Roanoke Civic Center to capacity early this afternoon, campaigning in a traditionally conservative area of a commonwealth that has not voted in favor of a Democrat in a presidential election since 1964.
Video: Jim Webb Speech Highlights
by Peter Velz, CT multimedia reporter
Friday, October 17, 2008; 8:50 AM
Jim Webb spoke at Torgerson 1100 on his campaign, Mark Warner, and Vice Presidental nominees Joe Biden and Sarah Palin
Pushing Obama, Webb spears Palin
by Candace Sipos, CT politics editor
Friday, October 17, 2008; 12:10 AM
Virginia Sen. Jim Webb addressed an audience of students, faculty, and avid Democrats yesterday in Torgersen 1100 on Virginia Tech's campus. He had only positive remarks to attribute to presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, and he showed his strong disapproval of Sen. John McCain's campaign -- and .Gov. Sarah Palin.
Photo Gallery: Bill Clinton rallies for Obama
by Sally Bull and Kyle Swanson
Monday, October 13, 2008; 10:42 AM
Former President Bill Clinton rallied for Barack Obama in downtown Roanoke on Sunday.
Voter registration ends
by David Grant, editor-in-chief
Monday, October 6, 2008; 11:15 PM
It was a day of many, many phone calls for the Montgomery County Registrar's office.
Filling in for Biden, Bayh speaks in Roanoke
by Candace Sipos, CT politics editor
Monday, October 6, 2008; 11:12 PM
Those who gathered in Roanoke Sunday to hear and possibly meet Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden did not get the chance. Biden canceled all weekend campaign events because of his mother-in-law's severe illness.
Waner/Gilmore face off in debate
by Candace Sipos and Peter Velz, ct staff
Saturday, October 4, 2008; 3:03 AM
Former governors and candidates for the U.S. Senate, Mark Warner and Jim Gilmore, competed in their third debate at the Taubman Museum of Art in downtown Roanoke on Friday night.
College Republicans reap voter capital
by Gabriel McVey, CT news reporter
Friday, October 3, 2008; 12:00 AM
With a historic choice to make, new voters are excited about their chance to be part of something monumental and Virginia Tech College Republicans Chair Carlin Crowder looks to make hay while the sun shines -- politically.
On voter registration, an uneasy consensus
by David Grant and Raph Panlilio, CT staff
Wednesday, October 1, 2008; 11:10 PM
With Virginia in play on a national political level for the first time in recent memory, voter registration drives have swept college campuses across the commonwealth. But the combination of students, uneasy registrars and eager registrants led to registration controversies from Blacksburg to Norfolk. Now, state officials say, a consensus has emerged: Virginia college students both from in and out of state can register freely at their college addresses.
Ohio moves to curb voter caging
by Raph Panlilio, CT news staff writer
Tuesday, September 30, 2008; 11:33 PM
Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner recently issued a directive that would help protect the vote of Ohio citizens against vote caging, a process by which a political operative challenges voters on Election Day, forcing them to provide different forms of documentation -- such as a driver's license or utility bill -- or cast a provisional ballot.
Column: On energy, it's McCain; on US image, it's Obama
by Ben Woody, regular columnist
Monday, September 29, 2008; 11:39 PM
So, it's that time of the year -- two teams rehearse all week in preparation for a colossal showdown. Two powerhouses, study each other's playbooks, tendencies and key personnel in order to find some sort of advantage over their adversaries. You're right, it's football season!
Artists rhyme, sing for Obama
by Topher Forhecz, CT Features Reporter
Monday, September 29, 2008; 11:22 PM
On a dreary Sunday afternoon, more than half of the Haymarket Theatre inside Squires Student Center begins to slowly fill with people who are expecting an afternoon of entertainment. They carry signs and wear T-shirts for a face who won't be in attendance and when the acts perform, they wave his signs and yell his name. This isn't to discourage the groups; in fact, it is in celebration as the Young Democrats' Rally for Change is centered on rallying support for presidential hopeful Barack Obama.
Rally for Change hits Blacksburg
by Shannon Aud, CT news staff writer
Monday, September 29, 2008; 11:19 PM
The Obama Campaign held a student-run Rally for Change Saturday evening in the Haymarket Theatre of Squires Student Center, promoting youth involvement in the election, as well as their candidate.
In Warner's world, coattails are key
by David Grant, editor-in-chief
Monday, September 29, 2008; 11:17 PM
It's raining in the "Best Small Town in America." Bedford, Va., is the home to the National D-Day Memorial, Holy Land USA (a 190-acre replica of "the Bible Lands of Israel"), and, this past Saturday, former Virginia governor-turned-Democratic-senatorial-candidate Mark Warner. Striding amidst the rain-spackled crowds of Center Fest, a food-music-crafts event that draws over 20,000 people annually, Warner put on his typical high-energy display of retail politics.
Bashir's 'Politics of Reconciliation' would destroy Israeli identity
by Guest columnists
Thursday, September 25, 2008; 11:57 PM
Bashir Bashir's presentation, "The Politics of Reconciliation," made a very convincing argument concerning the minority status of the Arab-Israeli. In Israeli society, Arab-Israelis often hold the status of third-class citizens.
Gilmore, Warner set forbroadly televised debate
by Gordon Block, CT news reporter
Tuesday, September 23, 2008; 11:14 PM
United States Senate candidates Mark Warner and Jim Gilmore will face off in the first statewide, televised debate of the election season on Oct. 3. The debate will be carried by WSLS of Roanoke. WSLS is offering to provide the debate to any station wanting to carry the contest.
Politics Roundtable 3: Palin, Drilling, Think Tanks
by Bryce Stucki, CT multimedia reporter, Candace Sipos, CT politics editor
Monday, September 22, 2008; 1:23 PM
Panelists discuss Sarah Palin's daughter, offshore drilling, and influence in politics
William & Mary student pushes for party unity
by Sara Mitchell, CT news staff writer
Thursday, September 18, 2008; 11:56 PM
Vote Bipartisan is a Political Action Committee -- just one of the many trying to influence politics as Election Day 2008 nears.
Kaine starts online forum for changing government
by Candace Sipos, CT politics editor
Thursday, September 18, 2008; 11:53 PM
Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine initiated a way for all Virginia citizens, agencies and others to digitally participate in the state's government on Sept. 8.
In Chesterfield, will voting issues linger?
by Zach Crizer, CT news staff writer
Tuesday, September 16, 2008; 11:20 PM
Chesterfield County is preparing for Election Day after a primary election saw a ballot shortage and controversial voter complaint.
Presidential candidates criss-cross Va. in pursuing November success
by Candace Sipos, CT politics editor
Monday, September 15, 2008; 10:43 PM
Just days apart, Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, as well as McCain's running mate, Sarah Palin, made appearances in both southwestern Virginia and Northern Virginia.
Rock the Vote tour bus rolls into Blacksburg
by Ashley Oliver, CT university editor
Monday, September 15, 2008; 10:36 PM
Rock the Vote's tour bus stopped at Virginia Tech yesterday as it marked the beginning of its month-long awareness tour, drawing in many student passers-by while stationed just outside of Newman Library. Rock the Vote used Tech's campus as one of its first stopping points as a means of speaking out against recent voter registration issues.
Column: Back to reality -- it's time to focus on the real issues
by Ben Woody, regular columnist
Monday, September 15, 2008; 10:26 PM
Wednesday night on "Countdown with Keith Olbermann," Olbermann promised one of his trademark special comments on the over-politicizing of the attacks of Sept. 11. I watched the entire show, patiently waiting to hear his eloquent and merciless verbal assault on whoever was his target, wading through the World's Worst People (which obligatorily featured Bill O'Reilly and a rather innocuous mistake by a conservative newspaper) and other conversations about how unqualified Sarah Palin is. Finally, after bludgeoning my face with caricatures of the Republican Party, Olbermann released the hounds.
Presidential hopefuls, the future of health care, and you
by Laura Duke, CT news staff writer
Wednesday, September 10, 2008; 2:04 AM
Words like premium, deductible and private coverage may not mean much to a typical college student.
Warner takes nods from GOP-leaning groups
by Candace Sipos, CT politics editor
Monday, September 8, 2008; 10:54 PM
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Fraternal Order of Police of Virginia, two organizations that typically lean toward Republican candidates, announced endorsements for former Democratic Virginia Gov. Mark Warner today.
Editorial: Viva la revolucion? When clipboardistas attack, students lose
by CT editorial board
Thursday, September 4, 2008; 12:13 AM
One of the largest classes in Virginia Tech history entertained an opening act on Monday evening. A score of voter registration foot soldiers descended on John Boyer's 2,600-student World Regions course, urging students to register to vote (which is a good thing) and decrying the use of absentee balloting in the upcoming election (which is absolutely stupid.)
Column: Understanding McCain's vice presidential pick
by Matt Eldridge, regular columnist
Thursday, September 4, 2008; 12:09 AM
After the smoke settled and even after those ridiculous VPILF jokes began to die down, I was left wondering the very real question: Who is Sarah Palin and why did John McCain pick her as his VP candidate? The basics were made clear at the big nominating event: Palin, a woman, is governor of the state of Alaska, and, at 44, she is relatively young. A few more facts trickled out soon after: she had five children (with slightly odd names) and she started her career as mayor of a tiny town named Wasilla. Not much else was immediately clear and political commentators scrambled to assemble a complete dossier on her. To be fair, her name has been bandied about for much of the summer leading up to the announcement but very few -- except those with the inside track -- took her nomination seriously.
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Friday, November 21, 2008, 6:49 a.m.
