The Movement Lives On
Christian Duque is quite depressed that the Orange and Blue took some deal to save a Senate seat. He still hasn’t explained the terms of it, but if it’s anything like “you drop your complaints and we’ll drop ours”, then I see nothing wrong with it.
He claims O&B is a System Party now. I call bullshit.
Near as I can tell, O&B is the most successful of the more radical GDI parties since Vision ten years ago switched from being coalitional to being solely independent (in Fall 1998, also a good SG election for the opposition). They won a majority of the on-campus seats, which as far as I can tell has never happened before in a fall election, and won part of District D (which has only happened twice before). Their popular vote percentages are equally impressive across the board, although the 70/30 result in A and B is somewhat expected based on those districts.
As for turnout, how did they do? Turnout wasn’t impressively high in the dorms (especially since the switch to each dorm having a separate Senator), but the dorms are the best turnout areas in the fall anyway. District E was also not a surprise – in fact was lower than may be typical. District D was high, but not sky-high (both sides did about 200 votes better than in 2000, but with fewer third-party votes). District C was higher as a percentage, but not too high in total votes (maybe 850 total votes instead of the more typical 600-650 for that district).
The money shot in turnout was really found in District A (2260 votes compared to half that in 2000) and District B (which had a similar doubling of its vote). Hmm, wonder why? Greek party in trouble + SG leaders pissed off at the campus paper = high turnout in the Greek districts.
What does this mean for Spring? The majority party won just 58% of the vote, roughly, despite having firm control of the Greeks, the minorities, and the big establishment organizations.
If the O&B can keep up the enthusiasm (and continue to act like an opposition party instead of a quiet enabler), they stand a good chance at winning – especially if they can further bloody the nose of the Gator Party by peeling off a segment of the Gator Party’s non-Greek base.
This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.
Thank you for posting something in regards to SG that actually makes some sense… The “deal” that mr. duque is so scared of is simply an agreement not to make Senate grind to a halt (by, for example, ordering roll call votes at every possible moment) in exchange for the Senate seat and seats on R&A and other committees. Duque says that instead this is a deal to improve the resumes of our leadership while the rest of the movement is left in the dust. This is insanity.
First, “Member-at-large, R&A Committee” isn’t exactly the high value resume line Duque thinks it is…
Second, it’s not a deal, it’s a gift. O&B gave up ZERO tactical standing, ZERO strategic standing, ZERO ANYTHING. What does Duque propose, that instead we kick Cavataro to the curb and roll call vote the Gator Party to death? That’s not opposition, thats lunacy. What O&B did was win 1/5 of the seats, and then get a third of the Senate’s most powerful committee. Saying that this was a bad decision is not an educated comment, but the ramblings of a distanced relic…
fuck you ken
Now that’s an intelligible response for future GDIs to emulate! LOL.
Ken, you are the yin to Duque’s batshit crazy yang.