Watch Party Gave Supporters a Voice

(Photo by Angelica Robinson)

Thousands of people gathered in McCormick Place anxiously awaiting the results of the presidential election Tuesday night.

Among the list of high profile politicians and celebrities, were campaigners. The everyday people who volunteered their time to ensure the re-election of President Obama.

Ben Finkenbinder, a Midwest Press secretary for the Obama Campaign, said the volunteers on the ground are, “the engine of this campaign.”

Understanding that Wisconsin would be a key state in helping him win re-election, supporters went door to door Nov. 3-5 to help increase voter turnout.  For doing this, Obama offered supporters an opportunity to a ticket to his Election night watch party in McCormick Place.

“We invested in a strong ground game well over a year ago across the entire country,” said Finkenbinder. “And making sure that they have all the tools they need to make sure they can go forward.”

Finkenbinder said it was important to make sure the volunteers had the resources they needed to talk to their neighbors and their friends about the election.

William Ocasio went out to campaign for President Obama because he believes Obama will look out for the middle class.

 “I think major issues [like] Obamacare is probably the most important thing for me,” Ocasio said. “On the economy on taxes he’s the best person.”

Ocasio was able to attend the election night watch party because of his help canvasing Iowa and Wisconsin—two of the battle ground states.

The key factor in the president’s re-election was his ability to pull swing states including, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Iowa, Virginia and Nevada.

“I think the president ran a really good campaign, especially in the last few weeks,” said Gov. Pat Quinn.. “This was a battle for the soul of America.”

The audience erupted after it was announced that President Obama had been re-elected for a second term in office. People in the crowd cheered, danced, hugged, and shed tears of joy.

Before taking the stage for his acceptance speech, Obama addressed his supporters on Twitter and said, “This happened because of you. Thank you.”

“Coming from Illinois I think we are all proud of Obama,” Quinn said. “He has a Philosophy that I think will move our country forward and a program that will make America better.”

Posted on redlinproject.org November 7, 2012

Early Voting the Ticket for Some Chicagoans

(Photo by Angelica Robinson)

It has been a familiar sight on Election Days of the past -- long lines snaking out of voting precincts and down the street.Today, you can still see those lines -- but now as many as two weeks before the election.

Early voting has become increasingly popular in this year's presidential race, just as it was in the historic 2008 election. With the election just five days away, voters are still making their way to cast their votes early.

As of Oct. 30, roughly 146,000 Chicagoans have cast their ballot early. Various locations all over the city say they have have seen a rise in early voter turnout.

Jim Allen, communications director of the Chicago Board of Election Commissioners, said it is difficult to measure the turnout against the 2008 election because this year, voters had 14 days to vote early, in comparison with an 18 day early schedule last year. The polls opened for early voting on Oct. 22.

"When we compare the first week of this year's early voting program to the first week of last year's presidential election we were up considerably," he explained. "We're looking at the possibility of breaking even with the 2008 numbers which would be great."

Last year, the county didn't have as many voters come out, which could be due to the rather early time frame, Allen said. This year though, voters came in huge crowds -- some standing in 90-minute lines at precincts last weekend in Bucktown -- a sign that there could be few undecided voters, he said.

"When it comes to early voting that usually means that there are that many more people that their mind is made up or there are that many more people who indicated a desire to vote,” he added.

The 19th Ward in Beverly has been the most popular voting spot. This is no surprise to Allen, because historically the 19th Ward has been among the leaders in voter turnout. The 43^rd Ward, whose early voting site is at the Lincoln Park Library, has had consistent traffic during the early voting period as well.

Abby Awosogba went to the Lincoln Park Library to cast her vote Tuesday. As a graduate student at DePaul University, she found it convenient to walk across the street from campus to cast her vote. Although previously she had not considered voting early, it was the encouragement of her co-workers that convinced her to vote early.

"I actually was at work and a couple of my co-workers said they were voting today," she said. "I had an idea who I was voting for so I figured I might as well get it done."

Awosogba described the process as relatively easy.

"It was easy and calm… nothing outrageous,” she said. "I think I waited about 20 to 30 minutes, so it wasn't that bad."

Although Awosogba said she likes voting on Election Day, the convenience of voting early has made her consider voting early again in the next election. And convenience is what Allen said it's all about.

"If you are ready to vote, it's a way to cast your ballot and not have to worry about a scheduling conflict on Election Day," he said.  "You don't have to worry that you have to work late, or about a daycare situation, or running errands."

Early voter Carol Bivat agreed. She said this is great alternative for people who may have conflicts on Tuesday.

“This makes it so you can pick a time during the whole week so I think more people will vote," she said.

Unlike Awosogba, this is not Bivat’s first time voting early. She said last year she came out to the polls before Election Day as well. Bivat said that last time she came to vote there was not a huge turnout. And although she had to wait in a line this year, she is pleased the people are going out to vote.

“It's kind of sad when you come and there aren't a lot of people,” she said. “So I don't mind waiting in the line."

Despite the rise in popularity for early voting, Allen said the majority of the ballots in Cook County are cast on Election Day.

“There are many traditionalists among us,” he said. “And some people would rather just wait and see if there are any surprises out there."

For those who would like to vote early, the Chicago Board of Elections website has an early voting traffic report. The site is an effort to help voters gauge which sites around the city will be less likely to have lines.

Published on redlineproject.org November 1, 2012.

Foreign Policy a Defining Factor for a President

Polls generally show that the American people are not particularly paying attention to international issues, but foreign policy has a much broader -- and more indirect affect -- on people's voting decisions, DePaul University political science professor Patrick Callahan said Wednesday night.

"Specifically, I think people take cues about whether or not a person appears to be presidential from how they deal with international affairs," Callahan said at a weekly elections forum in Lincoln Park.

Both President Obama and Mitt Romney have very different ideologies as it pertains to foreign affairs. Callahan described Obama's administration as using a Liberal internationalism approach.

Liberal internationalism stresses the importance of international institutions, such as NATO. Representatives come together to figure out how to pursue a common interest or venture.

"What will make the decisions of international institutions effective is the desire of countries to be apart of the international community," he said.

Under liberal internationalism, the best interests of the country derive from inter-dependence. One country's insecurity directly affects the security of other countries.

This is why economic planning has to be done cooperatively, Callahan explained. In order for the US to move forward, countries must work together.

"International law and international norms provide a framework for thinking about what to do," he said.

Another key element of this ideology is that American leadership is necessary but limited. Callahan said that there are a variety of factors including domestic and fiscal constraints.

"No one institution is so powerful that it can impose its will and solve the world's problems," he said.

One downside, Callahan points out, is that liberal internationalism generates opportunity for conflicts -- particularly as it pertains to power distribution. An example of this is the recent situation with Libya and Syria.

"The U.S. intervened only as part of a handle operation and only after authorized by the United Nations," he said. "The president made it very clear that we would not use military force in the absence of international authorization."

Romney has a more of a traditional realism view on foreign policy. Romney has not had to deal with international affairs on a large scale like Obama.

Callahan said it is important to consider the rhetoric of his speeches and what was said in a Republican platform. Another clue into how he would handle foreign policy is to look at his advisers.

"There are two competing tendencies at work in Romney perspective on international affairs," he said. "And those are characterized as traditional realism and neo-conservatism."

Neo-conservatism has two parts: Hegemonism and Liberalism.

Hegemonism is the idea that leadership is necessary in order to prevent disorder from emerging. While Liberalism keeps basics interest of the US at the forefront and the thought is that democracy is better that other forms of government. The thought is that the US is the best leader, and others will follow.

"This is because the leadership of the US will be seen as being benevolent, in the common good, and consistent with widely shared values," he said.

This ideology is similar to that of the Reagan administration, Callahan said.

"It is very clear from the platform and other things that the rhetorical strategy of the Romney camp is attempting to establish some sort of association between Romney and Reagan," he added.

Romney has argued for a more confrontational stance against Russia and China, which falls in line with traditional realism ideology.

Published on redlineproject.org October 11, 2012

Panelist Say Reporting Key In Covering Elections, Regardless of Medium

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How important is the role of media in helping voters elect a presidential candidate?

A panel featuring some of Chicago’s top journalists and DePaul University’s political experts addressed that question on Wednesday night at an event moderated by Andy Shaw of the Better Government Association.

It was part of the Carlos Hernandez Gomez Memorial Forum on Politics and Public Service series. Gomez was a DePaul alum who worked in the Chicago media.

Dave Lundy, president of Aileron Communications, a strategic communications firm in Chicago, said the mainstream media is no longer just TV, radio and print.

"The elephant in the room that everyone has to discuss is social media," said Randi Belisomo of WGN. "We get so much information from the Internet, which is not filtered through the media."

Lundy said there is more relevant content available on political issues today than there has ever been. The difference is that now is that consumers can choose what information they would like to receive.

“What is extremely depressing as someone who cares an awful lot about policy as well as politics is what I characterize as the death of facts,” Lundy said.

According to Lundy and several other panelists, many news outlets lack substance in a newscast. Too often, news outlets are using social media to determine what is most popular and incorporating that into news headlines.

Digital media outlets like Twitter and FaceBook are not entirely to blame though. According to veteran journalist and DePaul adjunct journalism professor Mike Conklin, traditional news mediums like broadcast, print, and radio, should be held accountable for delivering relevant information on the issues.

"What I would like to see is for people to stop treating politics like a football game," he said. "There's very little in-depth reporting at all."

Michael Mezey, a DePaul professor in the department of Political Science, agreed with Conklin.

"The coverage of politics and the election is like ESPN meets Entertainment Tonight," Mezey said. "It's more on the horse race, not the issues."

Wayne Steger, professor of Political Science at DePaul, isn’t as concerned with social media or the blogosphere's impact on news content. He believes the content discussed on social media is usually taken from mainstream news outlets.

"I'm not sure the social media operates without the mainstream media," Steger said.

Perhaps the reason behind the lack of substance in news reports is a lack of concern among citizens, Steger added. Both Steger and Mezey agreed that most consumers of news aren't paying attention to real politics. Instead, they tune in to sensationalized stories.

"If you ask a people what they remember from last week's debate, I think the answer would be the Big Bird response," Mezey said. "It's the sensational type of thing which grabs people's attention."

The danger of this is that the uninformed public becomes susceptible to misinformation. The average person is not watching media enough to see watchdogs and fact checkers, Steger said. Therefore, voters can be easily swayed by a single event rather than where a candidate actually stands on the issues, he warned.

"If people aren't paying attention they can't be skeptical about what is going on," Steger said. "They can't call out a politician when they change their position."

Steger said he feels people want to hear information consistent with their own beliefs. Politicians are willing to tell people what they want to hear and people latch on to it, he said.

Therefore, Shaw said, it is the job of the media to really dig and find out about the candidates, regardless of the type of media -- mainstream, digital or online.

"Media has one amazing power ... and that's the power to find out something that no one has ever heard [and] change the course of a campaign," Shaw said. "The biggest thing we can do is is to find really important things that re-frame issues and perceptions."

Technology, Polling Changes Allow for More Accurate Sampling

Published on redlineproject.org September 20, 2012

Technology and changes in sampling are giving polls a more accurate reading on the upcoming elections, DePaul University Political Science Professor Molly Andolina said Wednesday.

Because polling institutions will try to predict the outcome of the 2012 presidential election, it is important that they get an accurate prediction of who will get out and vote, Andolina said.

"There's a real art in trying to get the mood of the electorate to make sure that you include enough or not too many likely voters," she said.

Andolina spoke at a series of weekly lectures by faculty on the 2012 presidential election. The events are hosted by DePaul's Department of Political Science.

Institutions use probability sampling to collect a fair sample of the voters scientifically. This means that everyone has an equal chance of being selected to take the poll but should not select the poll themselves, Andolina said.

"We want to be confident that our sample of the population is an accurate representation of the population at large," she said.

The most common way to do this is through random digit dialing (RDD) calls. This is also the most effective way to use probability sampling because 98 percent of the population has a phone.

"It use to be that most campaigns didn't include cell phones," she said. "Gallup surveyors could see the trajectory of where cell phones were going and stated to include them in their samples."



Research shows 25 percent of people in the U.S. only have a cell phone. That percentage is disproportionally young people, majority male, and majority are minorities. Additionally, 18 percent of the populations have both a landline and a cell phone, however primarily use the cell phone.

Beginning with the 2008 campaign, the Pew Research Institute started doing tests to compare the results of landline-only surveys with cell phone-only surveys. Pew found that including cell phone numbers is the RDD surveys gives a more accurate sample. This is now a common practice among pollsters.

Aside from using the probability sample to determine who will show up to the polls, institutions consider barriers placed by our political system that will prevent some voting on election day.

“The most important thing to know about our political system is that there are some systemic elements that prevent some people from voting,” Andolina said.

Voting is a two step process because you must first register and then vote explained Andolina. Research shows that young people and people move around more are less familiar with the process.

"There is disturbing information about how misinformed young voters are," she explained. "They need to be registered 30 days before the election."

Institutions also factor last minute voters into the outcome predictions. This is typically known as allocating the undecided.

Based on the results from the 2008 presidential campaign 30 percent of voters were undecided before the conventions, while 20 percent were undecided following the convention. Ten percent of voters in the 2008 elections were last minute voters.

Voter participation has increased each presidential election. The 2008 presidential election had the highest percentage of voter turnout at 56.9 percent.

Andolina explained it is important to understand the past numbers in order for polling institutions can make an accurate prediction of the turnout for an upcoming election. According to Andolina, websites like pollster.com is good to reference because it shows trends over time.



Despite an institutions attempts to provide an accurate outcome of the election every poll will have a certain level of sampling error also known as margin of error.

Simply put, this is an estimate of likely difference between estimate generated by numbers and the true numbers in the population. The smaller the sample size the larger the margin of error.


"Sampling error in a really close race could really mean a switch of leads," Andolina added. "But the bottom line at the end of the day is who won?"

Chicago Teachers Strike: Rally at CPS Headquarters

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(Video: Sept. 10, 2012 by Josclynn Brandon and Angelica Robinson)

Twenty-nine thousand Chicago Public Schools teachers didn't report to the classroom, but to a picket line on Monday as they went on strike over wages, classroom sizes and many other issues.

Their message throughout the day -- from a downtown rally in front of the CPS headquarters to picketing neighborhood schools --- was a consistent one.

Imagine walking into a crowded classroom without enough desks for students. There is floor seating or standing room only.

Imagine classroom temperatures reaching nearly one hundred degrees. This is because the classroom is without an air-conditioner. Imagine trying to educate the students—but without enough books or other resources to go around.

For many faculty and students at Chicago Public Schools, this is their reality, teachers said.

NATO: Why the Soldiers Marched

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(Video by Josclynn Brandon and Angelica Robinson)



As a group of Iraqi war veterans marched to Grant Park in two single-file lines, Mary Kirkland stood out among the crowd.


Standing no taller than five feet, it was hard to miss her oversized white T-shirt that read "Mother Against War."


Kirkland along with nearly 40 veterans participated in a march through downtown Chicago that concluded with a ceremony outside McCormick Place, where they gave medals earned during the war.


At the intersection of Michigan Avenue and Cermak Road, veterans threw their medals in the direction of McCormick Place, where NATO leaders gathered for the annual conference.


“I am here to support the Iraqi vets,” she said. “I admire their decision to return the medals.”





Kirkland isn’t a veteran of war. Her son, Derrick Kirkland, is. He spent 15 months on tour the first time. After his first tour he went back to serve another term.


Like Kirkland’s son, Jonathon Anderson was deployed to Iraq twice. As a sergeant in the U.S. Marines, Anderson worked as a Communication Specialist where his primary responsibility was to ensure that the killings happened as efficiently as possible.


"For me it weighs heavily to realize that I played such an instrumental part of bringing suffering to so many people," said Anderson.


Anderson, like several other anti-war veterans who participated in the protests, felt like they had been lied to.


"We were told that we were going over there for the Iraqi people," said Anderson. "But when we went over there we were against the Iraqi people."


Medals were awarded to soldiers as an honor for accomplishing missions. Veterans against war are making a statement that they feel their participation in the war was dishonorable.


“Because I feel the war is unjust,” explained Anderson, “It's a statement saying I don't want your honor and I don't want the tokens of what you believe is an honor."


Anderson, now a peace studies major at DePaul University, said he is learning that there are nonviolent ways to resolve conflict.


During the protest Anderson walked behind Kirkland, who marched hand-in-hand with civil-rights activist Rev. Jesse Jackson. Jackson said he wants the people to respect the statement the veterans are making.


"It’s a conscientious decision,” said Jackson. “They signed up for the military and they are painfully rejecting the idea of more war and we should respect that.”


Jackson agreed that NATO and the U.S. need to pull the troops out of Iraq and Afghanistan. He encourages the people to choose “peace and coexistence over war and annihilation."


Jackson went on to say that too often veterans are unemployed, homeless and are left to deal with physical and mental scars that war can cause.






Kirkland’s son, Derrick, fell victim to the hardships that many soldiers endure. Six months into his second term in Iraq, her son attempted to commit suicide for the first time. This was the first of three attempts.


He was eventually sent to his home base of Fort Lewis in Wash. Three days after being released from the hospital and deemed a low-risk for suicide, Derrick hung himself. He was 23 years old.


"I truly thought that once my son got home on American soil he was safe,” Kirkland said. “The leadership there at Fort Lewis did not protect him."


A year after her son’s death she found out there had been 11 more suicides at Fort Lewis.


As Kirkland told her son’s story on stage at the ceremony to thousands of protesters, she became overwhelmed with emotion. Even some listening became visibly emotional.


One veteran told the audience to take their emotion and hold it close to their heart.


Kirkland was presented with an American flag on behalf of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. They promised that they would continue to fight against illegal and unjust wars in the name of her son Derrick.

Protestors Upset With Closing of Mental Health Clinics

Published on redlineproject.org May 4, 2012

A day before Occupy protestors took to the downtown Chicago streets for the May Day protests, several of them flooded City Hall to voice concerns over the upcoming closing of six public mental health clinics in the area.


Protesters demanded that Mayor Rahm Emanuel reverse the decision to close six clinics during a press conference in front of City Hall. Several protestors staged a sit-in outside of Emanuel's office earlier in the day.

La’Dana Carter has been at the forefront of the fight to keep the clinics open. She said the protest was an escalation of numerous attempts to reach out to Emanuel and his administration.

“For three years we have been trying to keep all public clinics public,” Carter said. “This has been an on going with a refusal to even hear the voice of the people”

Politicizing Beyonce: Is she a Positive Influence?

Published on www.chiqforher.com on February 3, 2012.

From her early beginnings with Destiny’s Child’s first number onehit, “Bills, Bills, Bills,” to the solo self-proclaimed diva’s Grammy award-winning, “Single Ladies (Put A Ring on It),” Beyonce has been extremely influential in pop culture. So influential, that the singer and songwriter is now being studied in the college classroom.

Kevin Allred, an instructor in Women and Gender Studies department at Rutgers University, encouraged his students to think critically about the influence Beyonce has on race, gender, and sexual politics.

“I think studying pop culture is so important,” said Allred. “It’s everywhere.”

Allred said his class, “Politicizing Beyonce,” takes a deeper look into  the way that Beyonce uses her voice to send subtle suggestive messages that influence society.

Urban Intimates by Psychelia Terry

Published on www.chiqforher.com on August 7, 2011

Every woman deserves to feel feminine, sexy, and confident. For this reason many choose to wear lingerie. Not only does it make her feel sexy—it shows her sexiness. It enhances her best assets and hugs her curves. The average woman in the US wears a size 14, yet mainstream lingerie brands do not cater to the needs of the average woman.

Like many women, Psychelia Terry had difficulty finding lingerie that fit her body’s curves. She recognized the need for intimate apparel for women of all shapes and sizes, and was inspired to do something about it.

"I always saw that there was an opportunity to do more, do better, work harder, and empower women,” she said.

And this is exactly what she did. Still under the age of 30, Terry is the Founder of Urban Intimates a product line aimed at celebrating the appeal of the everyday woman. In November of 2009 she launched Urban Intimates. In less than two years since the company’s inception Urban Intimates is now nationally recognized.