CHRIS BACKLEY Karen Harwitt speaks with
Chris Correa, a fourth-year history student, about
tomorrow’s elections. The Bruin Democrats set up a mock supreme
court with two dummies.
By Dexter Gauntlett
Daily Bruin Contributor
As the country anticipates what even Vice President Al Gore has
said he considers the closest race since 1960, UCLA political
groups actively urge their constituents to get out the vote on
campus.
While Gore rallied voters in Florida on the last day of
campaigning in an attempt to swing the state’s crucial 25
electoral votes, Bruin Democrats posed a “Supreme Court
Mockery” in Westwood Plaza.
Bruin Democrats dressed in black robes and wearing buttons with
the slogan, “It’s the Supreme Court, stupid!”
focused on what they consider the most important issue involved in
electing the new president: the possible selection of three to four
justices to the Supreme Court.
“Bush openly endorses Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence
Thomas as model Justices, who are the most conservative,”
said Todd Bradley, a second-year political science student,
The demonstration drew the attention of local Gore supporters,
including Christine Lahti, an actor from CBS’s “Chicago
Hope” who, along with her two children, passed out
flyers.
“I’m primarily focused on getting people out to
vote, and to let people know that voting for Bush could lead to the
repeal of Roe v. Wade,” Lahti said.
Karen Harwitt, a self described “passionate parent”
who also participated in the organization’s mock supreme
court demonstration, offered her support as well.
“What some students don’t realize is that it’s
a lifetime appointment that affects them and will affect their
children.”
The Bruin Republicans have worked closely with the coalition to
elect Bush and Cheney since September.
“We’ve exhausted our supplies and hopefully it will
be a victory for Governor Bush,” said Chey Tor, a second-year
political science and sociology student.
Bruin Republican Chair, Vartan Dijhanian cited the importance of
voter turnout in today’s election.
“We are focusing less on demonstrations and more on
getting the vote out,” Dijhanian said. “It’s
going to be a matter of who gets out to vote.”
As the last leg of Bush’s campaign trail sped through
Missouri and Tennessee, Dijhanian and other Bruin Republicans were
making precinct walks in local areas.
“We’re goaing door to door providing literature to
residents asking for support and answering questions,” Tor
said.
Recent Bruin Republican efforts included protesting outside the
Gore rally last week in Westwood, and rallying support for
Congressman James Rogan who is running for re-election in his
Pasadena-area district.
“We were focusing on Gore’s misstatements and about
his big spending plan,”Dijhanian said .
With national polls showing Green Party candidate Ralph
Nader’s share of the popular vote hovering around 5 percent,
Bruins for Nader President Paul Backstrom said his group has made
“a big push to make ourselves more visible.”
Green Party members said they are determined to reach the 5
percent of the popular vote which would grant them government
funding for the next general election in 2004.
But on campus, Backstrom said some of the campaign materials
they have been posting have been removed.
“There’s kind of a competition going on on campus. A
lot of our stuff is being torn down,” Backstrom said.