Doom: Hillary Clinton's Aristocracy
According to CNN, superdelegates are “delegates to the National Democratic Convention” who are “current or former elected officeholders and party officials,” who are free to choose a candidate and may change their mind if they so desire. Governer Phil Bredesen of Tennessee is one superdelegate who remains “very much uncommitted,” according to his press secretary, because “early in the process he doesn’t feel it’s necessary to weigh in.” While Bredesen remains relatively quiet, others have not. Sparks have already begun to fly within the party, indicating that the governor might find himself in the middle of a spectacular political struggle when he arrives at the DNC in August to cast his vote.
In browsing The New York Times online several weeks ago, I read an article about a new dangerous MRSA bacteria (a multi-drug resistant staph infection) spreading primarily among homosexual men in San Francisco. I thought little more about it until about a week later, when, on January 20, an article entitled “After Linking New Strain of Staph to Gay Men, University Scrambles to Clarify” appeared. In reading this article, I was shocked by the fallout that had occurred after the previous article. Many homosexual men in the area were offended by the study, and national interest groups reacted vehemently about what they termed a new “stigma.” The uproar surrounding the report convinced me to do some research on the study and its potential implications. What I found worried me: a striking example of special interest groups potentially hampering public health efforts. 
Much attention lately has been focused on tension in the Republican Party surrounding the evangelical movement. While white evangelical voters were a fundamental part of Bush’s base in 2004, his lack of success (to put it mildly) has threatened to crack the seemingly strong connection between evangelical conservatives and the rest of the Republican Party. A recent article in the New York Times chronicles the fundamental issues of the religious right. Although Bush followed the conservative line on Terri Schiavo, stem cell research, and conservative justices, his lack of success in overturning Roe v. Wade (and in changing political culture in general), combined with the Iraq war, have caused many die-hard supporters to question their allegiance. 
As Hillary Clinton has assumed the mantle of Democratic front-runner for the presidency, she has been receiving an extra amount of press attention. Her presence in the public eye means that she tends to polarize voters, with very strong supporters but equally strong detractors. In order to revamp her image, she has embarked on an ad campaign to humanize her frosty image. Many feel that she is too liberal and that her goals are unrealistic, even misguided, in the current environment. The majority of her initiatives also represent a substantial increase in government spending. According to her myspace (yes, she has a myspace): “I always loved history and got good grades, but I never did well at math.” That could explain her contradictory plans of expanding government programs and reducing spending. One of my main qualms with Hillary is her tendency to support idealistic, incredibly expensive programs that are either inefficient or unsuited for our society. 
Anyone paying attention on campus lately has noticed the proliferation of Teach for America information. Posters, flyers, and campus representatives abound, insisting that TFA is the cure for the problems of the American educational system. Remedy the education gap, they insist, and you will have done your part to save the world before you enter the corporate sphere. A recent New York Times article describes it as a “unique blend of swagger and idealism;” this is community service that is as competitive, glamorous, and trendy as it gets.
According to The Tennessean, “Less than a month from now, on October 1, smoking will be banned in all public places in the state, including restaurants, hotels, sports arenas and other workplaces. There are a few exceptions. But this will be the biggest public safety change in the Volunteer State since the advent of child seats and mandatory vaccines.” 
