Few things have captivated me the way the 2008 presidential election has. I have spent the last year or so reading news pieces, analyzing poll numbers, sizing up the candidates and looking wide-eyed toward Nov. 4.
Anyone who knows me will tell you I had become a one-man dispenser of campaign factoids in the last weeks before Election Day. I devoured bits of information with the enthusiasm I typically reserve for a pint of ice cream.
Simply put, I was fascinated, pulled as if by gravity to what has been a stunning election cycle.
I don’t think I was alone here. This election demanded the attention of collegiate pundits from across the political spectrum. We debated the issues and hit the streets for our candidates.
The enthusiasm of young people is a well-documented phenomenon in this campaign. It touched our campus as students registered voters and helped to bring important speakers to address potential constituents.
Student journalists worked, but in a different way. Our role was to explore the explosion of election interest on both sides of the aisle. Helping to bring the Saint Louis University community relevant and fair election coverage in The University News was one of the great joys of my fall semester.
After President-elect Barack Obama completed his quest for the White House and secured his place in history, my roommate asked me if I was pleased with the results. I answered him without hesitation. Yes.
My answer wasn’t based on the country’s overnight shift to the left, but on the passion I have seen in my peers this year. This election split politics wide-open and SLU students dived right in to the fray. Republicans, Democrats and Independents embraced our country’s political underpinnings and helped to shape the world we will live in.
And now, the election is over. Candidates won and lost, propositions passed and failed. Some students are elated, others are disappointed and others still feel a bittersweet mixture of both. I believe all students should be proud of the role we played in local, state and national politics this year.
But our work is far from over. Elections, for all of their drama and divisiveness, are one piece of the political puzzle. They are not a finish line, but a starting point. A page has been turned. The next one is blank, but it won’t stay that way for long. As our generation comes of age, we will continue to write history. The great work begins today; let’s start our next chapter.
The UNews staff will continue to do its part by bringing you fair coverage of political issues that mean something to you. If you don’t see coverage of something you think is important, I urge you to write a letter to the editor or stop by our office in the Busch Student Center. We will need your help to continue to do our job as effectively as possible.
The U.S. Constitution calls citizens to continually strive for a more perfect union. There is still work to do, and this election has proved that all of us-red and blue, young and old-are worthy of that call.
Adam Tamburin is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences. He is Editor-in-Chief of The University News.
