Last week, former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine held a rally on the Downtown Mall to help kick-start discussion of the economic ideas he is promoting in his campaign for Senate. The Cavalier Daily reported that he spoke alongside Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). Kaine discussed an economic plan based around "job growth, a balanced budget and a 'talent-based' economy," according to the article. Even though this race is undoubtedly going to be overshadowed by the presidential election which is also occurring this fall, it is still exceedingly important that college students remain attentive and involved in the lower-level elections which are nevertheless highly important to them.
Some people who are minimally interested in politics tend to believe that voting for president is all they can do, or all they have to do, to see the enactment of the policies they want. I remember a number of my classmates in 2008 seemed convinced Barack Obama was going to give them everything they wanted, and then some. Given campaign season rhetoric, one can be forgiven for thinking a single election is important enough to alter the nation. The realities of Washington soon made it very clear this was not going to happen.
One anticipated change was that the Guantanamo Bay detention camp would be shut down. The prison at Guantanamo Bay served as a site for indefinite detentions and the torture of terror suspects, both of which are illegal by U.S. and international law. Obama's early efforts to shutter the camp failed after his plan to transfer prisoners to U.S. prisons was blocked by the Senate. The camp remains today as a hideous black mark on the United States' reputation and a persistent reminder of what desperate measures terror-induced paranoia can drive us toward.
It is important to notice that simply having a Democrat-controlled Senate and House was not enough to push forward the Democratic president's campaign promise. The vote on the amendment which blocked the transfer was 90-6, meaning plenty of Democrats opposed the measure. If ending this detention camp is important - which it ought to be to anyone who cares about human rights or the United States' reputation - then pressure needs to be put on those senators who have power and may use it properly as well.
Of course, politicians rarely find the will to help people who cannot help them in some way. Unlike large corporations, normal people do not have vast riches with which to lobby and dump money into highly influential Super PACs. We cannot have a disproportionately large influence on elections. What we can do, though, is aim to gain the portion of representation we deserve as the rulers of a democracy. This means leading our elected representatives, rather than being led. Attentiveness to politics cannot only be 'turned on' during election season; hopefully, taking an interest now will lead to careful observation during a fortunate and successful candidate's time in office.
Tim Kaine is a respectable candidate. In the interest of full disclosure, I helped collect signatures to get him on the primary ballot, though it turned out he was running unopposed and did not need them. He may be a bit moderate for my tastes, but I believe it is safe to say he will produce more positive change in Virginia and in Washington than his leading Republican rival, former Gov. George Allen. Republicans have been so resistant to compromise in the legislature, as seen with the debt ceiling fiasco last year, that it seems preferred to simply have Democrats who do not need to worry about looking weak by signing on to even the noncontroversial measures supported by the President.
That said, it is not enough to simply vote for the man and then rest on one's laurels for six years. An elected official takes on the duty to listen to his constituents, especially when many of them become highly concerned - and vocal - about a particular subject. Officials are even more likely to take these comments seriously if they come from a group or person who has in the past proven a valuable asset. Helping a candidate who promises to do good is nice, but seeing to it that he stands by his promises is necessary, as well.
For this reason, I would encourage liberal-minded students to lend their support to Kaine. If you do follow this path, make it known that your support for him is not unconditional, but contingent on his efforts to actually pursue liberal policies. A politician is going to listen to his organized supporters, especially if they begin setting conditions necessary to retain their continued support - lobbyists do this all the time. Otherwise, a politician might have no reason to try to win your support if you are going to give it to him no matter what he does. Regardless of political persuasion, though, we would all benefit from paying greater attention to, and offering support in, a race which may lack the glamour of the presidential election but has just as much potential for impact.
Sam Carrigan's column appears Wednesdays in The Cavalier Daily. He can be reached at s.carrigan@cavalierdaily.com.
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