Final Word on 2006 SG Race
Alright, so I’ve not blogged much since the SG election. But, to ensure you that a new season in my blogging has come, I’m putting down my final thoughts about the 2006 SG election.
I still don’t see how Swamp did as well as it did, given what I had been told about their organizational support. Maybe Ignite was exaggerating the Greek split, or maybe the vote tallies are as flawed as I suggested, but I don’t know. I do know the Senate results were pretty typical for the FBK-backed party during a solid victory, with only slightly noticeable up-ticks in support among LS and Grad Students, perhaps a reflection of John Boyles being an atypical FBK candidate with support from Honors kids.
But I will say this, Impact/Unite has had two of the best showings for an opposition party – fall 2005 and spring 2006. They weren’t as good as their supporters would have liked, but they were damn good. Impact was the third strongest for a fall election (after SUN 2000 and Vision 1998). Unite had a more typical result, and probably the less satisifying, but 14 seats is still a very solid showing.
What went wrong for Unite? I can’t say for sure, but I think they over-estimated their appeal to the Greek vote and allowed Swamp to pick up Honors kids organizationally, as opposed to ideologically. But that’s my guess – I’m 800 miles away and have only second-hand information. They probably also over-estimated the appeal of athletes over college council kids.
But they were also hurt by the on-going split in the otherwise successful Access coalition. For two Springs in a row, a number of prominent liberal reformers/Honors kids split the opposition and gained more than 20% of the vote. This election it was kept to just the Treasurer’s race, but the split prevented a cohesion of strength behind one candidate. In Spring 2005, it gave Goldberg and the Gator party a huge victory despite getting just 49% of the vote.
Meanwhile, they were also hurt by the radicalization of what it means to be an Independent. With Jamal’s victory, and the Progress/Voice parties last year, people got the impression that winning an election can be done and should be expected even with a radical reform agenda. Jamal really wasn’t radical, however, and with few exceptions, not even the solidly independent parties (Vision 2000, Voice 2001, etc.) weren’t especially radical. What Unite did in 2006 is perfectly acceptable – getting Greek help was historically normal for an independent party – I just think Unite used athletes too much and squandered an opportunity to rally the Independent base.
Moving forward, I think Impact/Unite has a solid base of support for the fall campaign, but they need to expand their appeal, and win back more of the college council system, etc. They shouldn’t despair, and I think a number of their leaders, including Lola Bovell, still have a shot at greater things in the year to come.
The simple answer was/is the Honors/GDI/Independent Student Leaders saw John Boyles, a guy well liked in the independent groups as being exactly that an independent. They didn’t see the need to vote for a guy running as anti-Greek that is Greek.
I won’t lie, I voted for John and Susan and damn near abstained in the run-off. For elections, i split my vote among the candidates that I know.
As for John winning, the AA community rallied around John and Swamp.
As for John winning, the Hispanic community continually shows itself not being cohesive as AA or Asian communties, despite a popular hispanic.
As for John winning, the Greek split was overestimated.
As for John winning, the GDIs were not overly convinced by Jared crenditials as a GDI or independent. While one hardcore independent that I know, refused to vote for either John or Jared, because he thought John sold out and Jared was not much better.
Next year, look for the honors kids to return to their roots if a good independent runs as Josh Wiess tries to take the reins of SG next year. You heard it here first.
AA’s (Asian Americans?) definitely did not rally behind John or Swamp. The other assumptions are at least plausible but Asians and Asian Americans were strongly with Unite.
The biggest problem with calling it a “Hispanic community” is that it is not a community at all. Blacks and Asians will often stick together on the basis of their race, despite the fact that some Blacks are from Brooklyn while others are from Kenya, and that some Asians are from Korea while others are from Japan.
Hispanics, though, are a totally different bag of tricks. Likely as a detriment to the collective good of Hispanics/Latinos on the whole, they identify as Colombian, Cuban, Puerto Rican and Brazilian. Identifying UF Hispanics identifies almost no one. While it allows individuals of various nationalities to hold on to those roots, those same individuals refuse to transcend international boundaries to another Hispanic country, even when it is of mutual benefit. Until a Hispanic candidate can in fact “unite” that “community” or the community itself accepts their commonalities, this issue will not change.
sorry AA meant African American communities not Asian Americans… my bad.
As for the last anon, I agree completely, Lola for all accounts that I have known is a popular hispanic that was well liked, but despite that fact she was unable to unite and motivate that community to vote for her, the way Dennis was able to do it for Asians or Jamal for blacks. I don’t blame her, but
Weiss is an honors kid from Hume who lugs a huge camera around to take artsy photographs … just cause he’s greek doesn’t mean he’s still not a nerd.
Oh I am sure that Scott Kennelly was a nerd and honors kid as well (don’t quote me on it, but I am pretty sure about it) Nikki, Jared, Chris, heck even Marc Adler were all probably nerds in some sense (ok maybe not Marc)…
Honors kids to me is just another name for Independents in this case, Josh is a nice guy, he’s artsy, but he is Greeky McGreek in comparison to John. John had strong roots in the honors program (SHO President), he was an independent before he became “pseudo” Greek, or whatever name those out there choose to label him. Josh, and maybe it’s me, but I see him as AEPi first, then a SGer, and then some artsy kid. But whatever.
Greek affiliations trump most other things in college.
But I’d take issue with the notion that a photo-journalist or whatever Josh wants to call himself has to be a nerd.
All this “labelling” leaves a bitter taste in my mouth, but if I had to I personally see Josh in the order of SGer, artsy kid, THEN an AETT.
And gatorman’s comment made me laugh because my first thought when I met Marc for the first time was that he was a total nerd… not to mention a little creepy for still hanging around… but maybe thats just me.
Ok, maybe I just don’t understand Josh’s choice here. He is peaking too early:
– Ryan Moseley now has the FBK nomination for 2007 wrapped up.
– With Lola loosing, and the true Independants lacking another candidate, I see only 1 option for their candidate: Ryan Nelson.
– Weiss is left buring himself out as Senate Pro-Temp and Prez in the fall (the obvious next step) with no SBP nomination.
Some food for thought:
1) Why didn’t someone from FBK pull Josh aside, tell him to cool down, and wait a year so he can run in 2008?
2) Will Josh run in 2007 anyways and split the vote against Moseley?
3) Does Mierley have a shot at getting the nomination over Moseley…or will she settle for Treasurer?
4) Will the Indy’s hesitate to run another greek with Nelson after loosing with Jared?
5) What are the other Indy options? Lola? EJ? Others?
Thoughts?
~ London’s Pet ~
London,
I think the first mistake that is made is trying to choose next year’s candidates right now. Yes, John and Jared were already battling at this point.
Jamal as soon as he officially was sworn in, began the campaigning, but let’s wait until, mid-summer to officially choose the candidates for both sides. Also what is campaigning than comes to mind? If Joe goes to every single BSU meeting and becomes a voting member, is he doing it because he cares or because it is good politics. If Jamal becomes a voting member of ASU or HSA is it because it is part of his job as Treasurer or is it campaigning. Nothing is worse than the continuous campaigning that goes on by the SG politicos.
The other reason I say this is simply, it makes the true nature of what needs to be done for students, impossible as everyone is trying to get their name on it, but no work accomplished from it.
Isn’t it obvious that the reason swamp did better than you thought they would, is because you have no pulse on what people out there actually think? Regarding Josh and Ryan. Both have a great deal to prove if they want student support in the coming year’s election. John Boyles just won, it is his time to shine. To assume that a “horse” for next year can be picked now is impossible – but without such assumptions, where’s the fun in this blogging right?
If any of you really knew anything about this process, you would know that no one is anywhere close to picking who they are supporting. Old school people will be helping every candidate and watching to see how they perform so they can pick the winning candidate who will do the best job for the student body. As far as any support goes, it isn’t a party nomination, which is your second mistake. All of you are too locked in to Republican-Democrat politics and if you have paid attention at all, you would know UF defies any traditional partisan politics. Support from cohesive groups is what matters and that will begin to take shape in the fall, not anywhere close to now, and thed fall is obnoxiously early. Stop trying to ocmment on where anyone stands because as can be seen from this past election, probable candidates often can’t even depend on their own home base for support (e.g. Jared and Sig Ep).
Any kid who comes into Senate in the fall, sponsors and authors every bill that comes to the floor for a month, and is put for Pro Temp by his house in the spring has SKETCH written all over him.
LOL. SKETCH huh? I think Josh is a great guy, and does a lot of good work for the students. He’ll make a great SBP someday, though I personally hope that is in 2008. As for, 2007, I think Mierley is the best person for the job, I’m not a big Moseley fan.
I personally think a senator taking an active role and making a name for themselves is a good thing. Aren’t we supposed to be tired of people who get senate seats and simply show up and occasionaly vote?
Honestly, I adore Josh. I would love him to be president one day depending on his next few months as pro temp and then as president. He is an amazingly moderate guy–he is both fratty and arty-nerd. I can’t name many people who don’t like him outside of Unite exec. The problem I have with him is maybe imagined, but I think it’s a real fear. He was picked very early on (try soph year of HS) to be an SGer. Before Marc became politically dead, Josh was his boy. He is the youngest person to get tapped in recent FBK history. He has the smarts and personality to win anyone he speaks to and do amazing things from office. Now, is he going to do the right thing and make his own decisions or does he lack the confidence to not always rely on FBK orders? I really hope he does the former.