COUNTDOWN TO THE NOVEMBER ELECTION
By: Hope Wilkos, Writer/Blogger Photographer: George Whylie Videographer: Maxine NolanWith less than 3 months to go before the big election, both the Republican and Democratic Conventions are getting ready to convene followed by a series of debates of which the final and deciding debate will take place at Lynn University in South Florida.
The Republican Convention, with a theme of “A Better Future”, will take place in Tampa, Florida from August 28-30th with a slight delay of a day due to Tropical Storm Isaac on its way to becoming a Category 1 hurricane. Over 50,000 people (delegates, alternate delegates, media and guests) are expected to crowd the Tampa Bay Times Forum. The first guest speakers that were ever announced include former Florida Governor Jeb Bush who is Chairman of the Foundation for Florida’s Future, Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin who is the 1st woman elected to Congress from Oklahoma since the 1920’s, U.S. Senator Rand Paul who is Founder of the U.S. Senate Tea Party Caucus and 2012 Presidential Primary candidate, former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum. Introducing Mitt Romney will be Florida’s own dynamic U.S. Senator, Marco Rubio, young and driven. Romney’s wife Ann is also expected to make a speech.
Convention headliners include U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte, Former Democratic National Convention Speaker Artur Davis, Congressman Connie Mack, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and U.S. Senator Rob Portman. In addition there will be a diverse set of seasoned journalists and newscasters bringing you the action as it happens.
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich will be hosting policy workshops for delegates on jobs, growth, protecting Medicare, small businesses and the new American Energy Opportunity. A Tampa Bay Student Youth and Government Club have painted thousands of red, white and blue signs that the delegates will patriotically take onto the convention floor consistent with the convention theme, “A Better Future”.
Also part of the theme will be “We Can Change It” and “We Believe In America” which will close the Convention. As Mitt Romney steps up to the podium to give his acceptance speech, the public will know the man who helped to build nationally-known businesses like Staples and Sports Authority, balanced the budget in Massachusetts without tax hikes and rescued the scandal-ridden 2002 Winter Olympics. Some of the stars of the Olympics will also make a presence at this huge event. Captivating entertainment will include the Oak Ridge Boys, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Taylor Hicks of American Idol fame just to name a few. Nostalgic group, Journey, will be playing at a private event for the candidate in Tampa on Thursday evening. This convention will serve as an energizer to stimulate the Tampa area economy by at least a conservative amount of $153.6 million.
Following the Republican Convention, the Democratic National Convention will be making their way to Charlotte, North Carolina from September 4th through the 6th with their theme, “We Make It Possible”. It will pride itself on being the most open and accessible convention in history. With countless local volunteers, the event will not stop short of being a remarkable success and a way for President Obama and Vice President Biden to gain momentum across the nation. Many more details are still in the planning stages so stay tuned.
Finally, the last debate before Americans cast their votes will take place in Boca Raton, Florida at Lynn University on October 22nd with CBS News’ Chief Washington Correspondent, Bob Schieffer, being appointed as the mediator.
This university was strategically chosen and the debate will focus on foreign policy. This is very fitting for this particular university since until just recently, 24% of the student population is international. Students come from 80 countries and 40 states and the college itself has a 50-year heritage of internationalism. With the new school year also comes the largest growth in international enrollment. This semester’s international student deposits are up to 49%.
Five Lynn University journalism students, both graduate and undergraduate, are attending the Republican National Convention in Tampa and then on to the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. The students will represent various U.S. states and Latin America. They will share their stories with the public through multiple platforms including print, online, broadcast and social media.
It is interesting to note that this election will be decided by 916,643 “undecided voters” in six swing states (Florida being one of the most important states with strong ties to the Medicare issue).
The world of politics will certainly be exciting and filled with loads of activity over the next couple of months as a winner emerges in November to spend four years in the White House beginning January 2013.
PHOTO CREDITS: A/P, CBS News, Alec Harvey
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