Posted on 10/20/2004 1:59:43 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
SPRING HILL - Arianna Medina hadn't given much thought to the presidential election until she joined roughly 50 million other Americans who tuned in to the debates between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry.
That's when she noticed something a bit disquieting and unpresidential about the incumbent.
"Bush would get really nervous and would start twitching," Medina said, shortly after casting a vote for Kerry.
Unfortunately for the Massachusetts Senator, Medina's vote won't get him any closer to the Oval Office.
Medina, 10, and her fellow students at Deltona Elementary School each received a taste of the democratic process Wednesday when they cast their ballots in the school's second mock presidential election.
In the end, Bush won with 473 votes, compared to Kerry's 365. But teachers called the exercise more important than the results.
"Not only do the kids get the experience of voting, but they get to go home and say, 'I voted,'" said Diane Alt, media specialist at Deltona Elementary. "And the kids know more than I would ever have expected."
Alt organized the school's first mock election in 2000, with the hope of sparking the kids' interest in national politics. Like the national election, the roughly 1000 ballots cast by the students were almost evenly split between George W. Bush and Al Gore, although Gore squeaked out a victory.
But the biggest and most encouraging difference between the school's 2000 mock election and this year's is that the students seem more opinionated and better informed, Alt said.
"I think the kids are more aware of the candidates and they have opinions," Alt said.
Apparently the rancor and passion surrounding this year's presidential race has rubbed off on the Hernando County's elementary school students.
Jillian Diaz, 10, pointed to Bush's religious faith as the reason she voted to re-elect.
"He's a Christian, and I am too," Diaz said.
She said she considered Kerry's purported religious faith to be somewhat phony, citing a speech in which the Senator called 'John 16:3' his favorite Bible verse, when he intended to say John 3:16.
"It made him look stupid," said Diaz.
Karina Sim, 11, went with Kerry, criticizing the President for fudging facts during the debates and for invading Iraq.
"Bush said a lot of things that weren't true," Sim said. "And he's killing our soldiers."
Of course, students offered a range of other, less analytical, reasons for choosing a candidate.
"I just don't like Kerry," declared 10-year-old Robert Reyes. Asked for a reason, the boy thought for a moment, then replied, "because he freaks me out."
Glenny Gonzalez said she supported Kerry because the president had lied to the American people. She added, "I like Kerry's name, too."
There goes the "losers", telling that lie again about Gore winning! Such B/S!
I'm sure this is NOT the right way to bring this to the attention of our fellow freepers, but a leftist acquantance of mine sent me this link today.
I personally think that the site should be freeped, but it's your decision.
Here's the link: http://www.bushvchoice.com/ultimate_machine/index.html
Perhaps some link savvy folks can get "happening"?
I remember my first mock election as a little kid - Nixon and McGovern. Nixon won by a landslide and I got my first taste of what it is like to feel disgust towards a liberal. It was a valuable lesson.
Back in the 96 election there was a vote at our kids school. They were in the 2nd grade and knew they were voting for Bob Dole.
When they came home I asked them who they voted for and they said Bill Clinton. I asked them why they voted for Clinton and they said that Bill Clinton was the only guy they knew, the other guy was Robert Dole. We had never talked about a Robert Dole.
Yep, just another small way that libs try and spin elections.
Bump!
If this article isn't so typical of the media. Bush wins the vote, but the first quote is from a little girl who voted for Kerry who said Bush was nervous and twitched.
The article then goes on with more quotes from the kids, which total three for Kerry and two for Bush.
But Bush won the vote.
***But Bush won the vote.***
Bump!
Very astute observation of the pandering know-it-all.
All this brings me back to my grade school year, in '84.
Our school overwhelming voted for Reagan.
I hope this is an idicator of the same trend for the President.
Never happened, though. Or actually, it did, but it was George H. W. Bush who made the mistake.
No Sim, that's not right.
Our soldiers are dying because they're fighting against the terrorists so that these terrorists don't kill Americans like you and your parents (who obviously told you that Bush was killing our soldiers), as they did on 9/11.
So the right answer is that terrorists are killing our soldiers, and your mommy and daddy are too ungrateful to tell you the truth about why they're dying.
They're dying to protect you and me.
Bump!
Teacher-speak for, "How in the heck are we going to brainwash kids to vote for who we want them to vote for???"
My daughter told me the other day, for fun they voted in P.E. class. There were 4 classes in PE, so there was 90 students. She said 4 voted for Kerry, and the rest were votes for Bush. They wrote the names on a paper and turned them in. Granted we do live in Alabama, but I told her wouldn't it be wonderful if the real election results looked that way?
***....In three of the four local schools, Bush was the top vote-getter. Kerry captured victory only at Easton Area High School, with 58 percent of the vote.
"Issues that affect me most are plans for Iraq and social programs, and I prefer Kerry's views, although I also take a Democratic stance," said Steve Martucci, 17, of Easton. "Bush just doesn't impress me with what he has done with our national surplus and turned it into a deficit."
At Pen Argyl Area High School, the election was organized by the Diversity, Tolerance and Awareness Club. Bush garnered 124 votes to Kerry's 98. ....***
http://www.nj.com/news/expresstimes/nj/index.ssf?/base/news-6/109826316534980.xml
Nice!!
In 4th grade, we voted for Reagan vs. Mondale. Mondale got one vote from approximately 75 kids. I guess I lived in pretty Republican area.
I remember my grade school election in '80. It was Reagan over Carter by about 100 votes. I remember a girl antagonizing me for voting Reagan. She said Carter would beat him in the real election. This girl always reminded me of Nellie Olsen on Little HOuse on the Prarie... real bratty. It was so great going to school on that next Wed. and stick my tongue out at her!!! Because not only did he win, that was the first time that Alabama voted Republican. This was always a yellow dog dem. state up until that point. It has been a Republican state nationally ever since then. NOw if we can only change the state wide elections to reflect that we would be doing great!
I am exactly 4 yrs. older than you then! In 80, I was in 4th grade and we voted Reagan v. Carter.
Please don't generalize your comments about the public school system. Some of us are out there praying for our students and trying to teach them the so-called "old-fashioned" values and Biblical truths about knowledge and wisdom in spite of what liberals want. I know of that upon which this great nation was founded and have tried to instill those values into my own children as well as the thousands of students with whom I have come into contact. Thankfully some do heed the lessons. I have quite a few high school students who support GWB and can articulate the valid reasons why.
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