Iowa Teenager Might Be Youngest Elector
Columbia (MO) Daily Tribune
DES
MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Kiran Patel is working at a fast-food restaurant
this summer to pay for her freshman year of college, but she could have
a much bigger job by winter: deciding who wears the title "President of
the United States."
The
teenager from Cedar Rapids is one of the youngest members ever of the
Electoral College, elected in April just days after her 18th birthday.
She gave out homemade coloring books during a campaign that led her to
victory over seven others. Seats in the Electoral College, which elects
the president, usually go to longtime party activists.
Patel,
who graduated from Kennedy High School earlier this month, acknowledged
that some of her colleagues were reluctant to appoint someone so young.
But she insisted there was no need to worry.
"I have
been in the Democratic Party for over 70 percent of my life and, being
18, my future, at least politically, is within the party," she said.
"If I go rogue on them or don’t show up, then I’ve just kind of thrown
myself out of the party."
Each
state has a certain number of votes in the Electoral College, equal to
the size of its congressional delegation. Iowa has seven votes, and
Patel is one of seven Democratic electors. There also are seven
Republican electors.
(more)
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Sunday, June 20
Iowa teenager might be youngest elector
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 20 Jun 2004 05:15 PM CDT
Nominate A Candidate: An Announcement from MoveOn.org
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 20 Jun 2004 12:16 PM CDT
Nominate A Candidate:
An Announcement from MoveOn.org Deadline: Tuesday, June 22 Nominate a candidate for MoveOn's endorsement, and help elect a new generation of leaders to Congress who will fight for issues WE care about Every two years around election time, politicos inside the D.C. beltway make most of the crucial decisions about support for Congressional candidates and their campaigns. Their decisions are often based on the "buzz" from the latest poll numbers, breaking news and scandals, or the size of the candidate's war chest. But there's little room in this process for any input or feedback from the constituents these folks serve. That is why we are announcing our first ever MoveOn member-driven candidate nomination process: MoveOn Members Endorse. There are hundreds of good people running for office across the country who deserve our recognition and need our support this election. And the best way to identify them is by asking the folks who they seek to represent. We are beginning the process this week by asking for your nominations of outstanding U.S. House and U.S. Senate candidates. [See below for recommendations from Blog for Iowa.] We want you to provide your personal insights, experiences, and stories about these people - the kind of information that will move other members to get involved in these campaigns. Have a candidate you'd like to nominate for endorsement? Just go here. Whether the candidate you nominate is a long time Congressperson who has served you well or a Senate challenger mounting a vigorous campaign against a wealthy incumbent, we want to hear about him or her. We plan to announce our first list of endorsed candidates next week, and will continue to expand this list throughout the summer and fall. For the first round of endorsements, we need your nomination by next Tuesday, June 22nd at midnight EST. Nominations received after this deadline will still be considered for endorsement throughout the summer and fall, but probably won't make it onto our first slate. What are the potential benefits for candidates who are selected as MoveOn Member Endorsed candidates? First, all endorsed candidates will be listed as MoveOn PAC candidates on our site, recommended by MoveOn members for support and campaign involvement. Many MoveOn Members Endorsed candidates will also be highlighted for financial support to the whole MoveOn base. A few details about the nomination and endorsement process: * After we hear from you, we'll be releasing a first slate of MoveOn-endorsed candidates - including some races we'll ask MoveOn members to contribute to directly. These folks will be picked through a process that considers their progressive credentials, the strategic value of the race, their likelihood of winning, and, of course, the feedback we've received from MoveOn members. * The more nominations a candidate gets from MoveOn members the more likely those candidates are to become MoveOn Endorsed Candidates. But we're also looking for quality: a great personal story about a candidate is worth dozens of one-line nominations. And your story about why you believe a candidate should be elected will be far more helpful than information directly from the campaign or the website. * You may continue to nominate your favorite candidates through the November election, but again, to be included in the first round of MoveOn candidates, we need your nomination by Tuesday, June 22nd, 2004 at midnight EST. Your voice and candidate nominations will bring important races to the attention of the rest of the MoveOn membership. Nominate an inspirational candidate today here. We're looking forward to hearing from you! Sincerely, --Eli Pariser and Hannah Pingree Executive Director and National Candidate Outreach Director MoveOn PAC Blog for Iowa recommends the following candidates in your local area: Art Small, US Senate Dave Franker, Congressional District 2 Paul Johnson, Congressional District 4 Joyce Schulte, Congressional District 5
Iowa City Bridge The Gap For Health Care Rally Report
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 20 Jun 2004 05:03 AM CDT
Rally hopes to bridge gap in health insurance
Iowa City Press-Citizen Health care was the focus Saturday at Hubbard Park as about 300 people rallied for improved access to health care insurance for all. Bridge the Gap, highlighted by a march across the Iowa Avenue bridge, was one of several events across the country that highlighted the lack of medical coverage for about 82 million Americans, as a Family USA survey found. That includes 637,000 Iowans, most coming from working families, the survey said. Iowa Lt. Gov. Sally Pederson highlighted the lack of health care coverage for some Iowans, saying people cannot be satisfied with numbers of those who do have coverage. "If you don't have health care insurance you can die," Pederson said. "I believe it's a right. You believe it's a right." A speaking highlight was by Pat Swancutt of Spencer, who spoke of her 18-year-old granddaughter Janelle Polson dying in 2001 after not being able to get tests for an unknown medical condition. Her daughter and Janelle's mother, Lisa Scott, was speaking at a similar rally at San Francisco's Golden Gate bridge, she said. (more) Background: Bridge march highlights gap Iowa City Press-Citizen When Pat Swancutt planned her retirement party four years ago, she was excited about spending more time with her grandchildren. Little did she know that while she was celebrating with friends, her 18-year-old granddaughter was dying of a heart attack. It was a death that could have been avoided if her granddaughter had health insurance, Swancutt said. "She had blackouts, chest pain and terrible headaches for about 15 months before she died," Swancutt said. "Every time she went to the doctor, they just gave her antibiotics and said it would eventually go away. It finally got so bad that she asked for a chest X-ray." But when doctors found out that Janelle Scott had no health insurance, they advised against the test. "On my granddaughter's death certificate, they put that she possibly died due to arrhythmia," Swancutt said. "On her medical records, the doctors wrote that they 'told this girl she needed health insurance for those tests.'" Today, Janelle's mother, Lisa Scott, is marching across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to protest the high cost of health care. She is one of thousands marching in Bridge the Gap Rallies across the country, including one in Iowa City (more) |
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