UCLA B.A. in Political Science, Public Policy Minor.
Born and raised in that suburbs of Los Angeles, I have always had a passion for writing and interest in politics. I just returned from Washington D.C. working on campaign coverage with CBS News' internship program.
The Kentucky primary favored Senator Hillary Clinton by a wide margin while Senator Obama pulled ahead in Oregon’s primary. While the Democratic nomination is still up in the air and primaries are still being fought over, the message and tone of Obama’s campaign has changed in the last few days as he focuses on the general election in November. Yesterday’s results give Obama over half of all pledged delegates, 1,627 of 3,253 total, propelling his campaign to focus on bringing Democrats together to defeat McCain in the general election. Lately his messages have been on platforms widely shared with Clinton but he is highlighting differences with the Republican nominee.
Senator Clinton has not given up the fight, claiming that no one has officially reached the required number of delegates to secure the nomination. Her base of support that gave her victory in last week’s West Virginia primary gave her a large margin of votes in Kentucky with 65% of the vote. Clinton still argues that she has what it takes to defeat McCain and has a better change in the swing states needed in the November elections. Obama offsets Clinton’s claims by downplaying the idea his party will have trouble unifying in the fall.
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Tags: News · World news
Senator Hillary Clinton cinched the West Virginia Primary on Tuesday and vowed to fight on. The New York senator received about two thirds of the vote (67%) to Obama’s 26%. Her win was predictable based on the state’s large population of Clinton’s base supporters – rural, small town residents - but the most important part of the primary was Senator Clinton’s victory speech in which Obama supporters were hopeful that she would drop out. Instead she thanked West Virginia for an “overwhelming vote of confidence†and audible boos were heard from the audience at the mention of people who want her to give up. Her speech means the battle for the nomination is still going to continue despite calls for Clinton to drop out and growing criticism she is hurting the Democratic Party.
Senator Obama, the front runner of the Democratic nomination, gave a speech earlier in Missouri but stayed away from an evening speech following the primary results. Clinton is hoping the landslide victory is enough to stop Obama’s momentum but the fight will be tough. Senator Clinton’s pledge to continue campaigning means that the Democratic nominee will not be secured until at least the end of the month. While many have already deemed Obama the nominee, the Democratic Party faces a large split between the two candidates which must be resolved before the general election in November.
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Tags: Local Politics · News
Former Newsweek correspondent Donna Foote gives us an inside look into our failing education system and the people trying to save it. Beginning in fall 2005 Foote stepped into Los Angeles’ Locke High School for a disheartening yet inspiring perspective of four new Teach For America members trying to make a difference.
Teach for America is a controversial non-profit program with a mission to eliminate educational inequity by enlisting college graduates through a highly competitive selection process. Foote’s documents the experiences of the teachers and students at the suffering Locke High School to give readers insight into Teach for America’s ambitious and sometimes overwhelming attempts to educate and guide students.
Donna Foote’s interest was sparked by a friend who switched careers to teach students at Locke and was shocked at the poor reading abilities of the students. The book takes the reader through the frustrations of the teachers, the motivation of the students, and the inspiring journey of education not just for the students in need but also the TFA members trying to help.
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Tags: Interviews · Literature
Confirming recent polls, Senator Barack Obama won yesterday’s primary in North Carolina while Senator Hillary Clinton was victorious in Indiana. A strong base of African American Democrats gave Senator Obama a large margin of victory in North Carolina with 56% of the vote to Clinton’s 42%. Senator Clinton made a strong pitch to blue-collar workers and pulled a majority of the votes in rural and suburban Indiana giving a 51% advantage to Obama’s 49%. Clinton inched ahead of Obama but didn’t give her the victory she was hoping for, making Obama’s nomination all but inevitable although Clinton claims she will not give up the fight leaving the choice to the superdelegates.
Voter turnout was high in both states as it has been throughout the Democratic nomination process, reflecting the interest and enthusiasm of the competition between Obama and Clinton. The high Democratic turnout may also be a reflection of growing dissatisfaction with the Bush Administration as Democrats are hopeful to take the White House after the previous eight years.
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Tags: News · World news
I sat down with Michael Levine, founder of the public relations firm Levine Communications, to get some PR advice for the 2008 elections. Hollywood stars balance fame and fortune but not without the help of good pr that can cover up bad press and promote a star’s best qualities. The world of Hollywood glam and appeal seems to heavily mirror that of the modern political campaign: advertisement and a candidate’s character have a large impact on electability.
On the current Democratic nomination race, Levine doesn’t think the race is dragging on too long perhaps because he knows things can change at any minute in such a volatile industry. The Democrats have time to recover before November as long as there are no major incidents such as the recent Reverend Wright factor. Levine does note that an important factor in the elections will be experience which McCain and Clinton rely heavily on to boost support.
But from an outside public relations perspective he believes the experience factor will actually favor Senator Barack Obama and not the others.
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Tags: Local Politics · News · local news
Yes She Can. Senator Hillary Clinton managed to get a much needed victory in Pennsylvania yesterday against Senator Barack Obama. Victory meant she needed to win by at least 8%, and she managed to pull 55% of the vote to Obama’s 45%. Clinton’s base supporters make up a large portion of the state’s population where blue collar voters gave Clinton the win. Another major factor was the large number of Catholics in Pennsylvania who favored Clinton by 70%. Senator Clinton was favored among female and older voters while Senator Obama remained stronger with younger and new voters. Obama outspent Clinton in the state by three times as much and his efforts do show in the polls because there were high numbers of newly registered voters that voted in his favor.
So how do the results from yesterday’s primary change the race to the nomination? They don’t. Senator Clinton is claiming she will fight and she can win. Barack Obama is claiming he is still victorious overall and will win in November. The same arguments both candidates previously made are still valid and will continue as they move ahead to Indiana and North Carolina.
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Tags: Editorials · Local Politics
Los Angeles residents will be funding the expansion of the police force by paying more for trash. Trash disposal and fighting crime are not generally associated with each other, but for Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa they go hand in hand. During Monday’s State of the City Address the mayor attributed the 33% rise in fees to his plan of adding 1,000 police officers to the Los Angeles Police Department. The speech focused on a determination to fight crime in the city by restructuring the current anti-gang programs. Councilman Jack Weiss supports the proposal if it is the only way to add necessary officers to the LAPD.
If the plan passes look to paying about $36 a month to have the city take out the trash, a dramatic increase from the $11 fee in 2006.
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Tags: Local LA · local news
By now anyone that still pays attention to the 2008 democratic primaries has probably heard Senator Barack Obama called “elitist†and “ignorant†for his comments on rural America being bitter. These comments seem like a potentially damaging gaffe, a gaffe being inappropriate words or actions that can damage a candidate’s support quickly and possibly end victory hopes. A small reminder: at a recent fundraiser, Obama said it was difficult to win the support of working-class voters because they are frustrated by a declining economy. He is quoted as saying that “they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.â€Â
Despite his possible good intentions, his word choice was a bad one. These comments seem to be another hit to his campaign efforts, following the harsh criticism of Obama’s pastor Rev. Jeremiah Wright for his racist and anti-American comments.
In a fundraising email McCain manager Rick Davis said to supporters that “these hard working men and women aren’t ‘bitter.’ They love their country, their faith, their family and their traditions.†Clinton’s campaign is also taking advantage with numerous attacks on his recent misstep. Although the comments may not effect his current Democratic nomination, it will cause him trouble in the November election. Obama’s recent comments will raise questions by independents and blue-collar voters, essential support for presidential hopefuls.
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Tags: Editorials · Local Politics
Hailing a cab is one of those techniques New Yorkers have learned from a young age. If they moved to Los Angeles, they’d have trouble using their skills. One unique fact about the bustling town of Los Angeles is that unlike most metropolitan areas, cabs are not coloring the busy streets yellow. The reason there are so few cabs in the busy streets of this city is because they can’t stop.
Contrary to popular myth, it is not illegal to hail a cab but it is illegal for cabs to impede traffic or park illegally. Since almost all areas in Los Angeles are notorious for heavy traffic, taxi cabs find it difficult to stop without risk of large fines. Cabs will still pull over in these areas, but it is not without risk which many drivers are not willing to take. Taxi drivers are claiming that these regulations are hurting business and making it difficult to make ends meet. General Manager of Yellow Cab of Los Angeles claims that his drivers spend around 60% of their time waiting at designated stands. One cab driver had accumulated over $300 of tickets for stopping in a red zone and dropping off a disabled passenger in a bus zone. Parking enforcement hands out numerous tickets to cab drivers for small violations; sometimes the fines are larger than the earned fare making it hard for cab drivers to earn a living. That doesn’t even include the rising cost of gasoline that is hurting all businesses. As Los Angeles grows in population and traffic, there seems a benefit to creating a taxi-cab culture similar to other large cities.
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Tags: Editorials · Local Politics
The key to the Democratic nomination may come down to the Keystone State, and many are hoping it will. The outcome of the Pennsylvania primary on April 22nd means a lot for the current contenders to the nomination: Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. Senator Clinton knows that this primary can be the end to her hard-fought and persistent campaign. Even if she acquires victory in this state, a close margin between the two candidates will give her a sign that staying in the race will have more negative consequences to the Democratic Party than possible personal gains.
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Tags: General · World news
