4A the university daily kansan --- opinion DEMOCRATS IN DETAIL wednesday, february 18, 2004 'Marry Kerry' candidate best choice to battle Bush A bumper sticker that is becoming popular among the country's Democrats refers to the former front-runner for the nomination and the current favorite. "Dated Dean, Married Kerry," the sticker reads. Each COMMENTARY Zack Hemenway opinion@kanan.com These voters are making the right decision for themselves, for their party, and for their country. John Kerry is the candidate the Democrats need to have a chance to defeat George W. Bush in November. week, another primary shows us that more and more voters are taking Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) to the electoral altar. It's hard to question Kerry's credentials. After attending Yale, he joined the Navy and fought in Vietnam, earning three Purple Hearts. After making a name for himself by speaking out against Vietnam, Kerry worked as a prosecutor. He then served two years as lieutenant governor of Massachusetts before winning the state's Senate seat in 1984. In his 20 years in the Senate, Kerry has distinguished himself by making education a priority and taking the lead on military issues. But as oil baron, pro-baseball owner and one-term governor Bush showed us in 2000, resumes don't win elections. The simplest reason the front-runner Kerry is the best candidate for the nomination is simply that he's the front-runner. In politics, it's much easier to tread water than to gain ground, and Kerry's landslide victories in primary after primary have shown he has by far the most support of any candidate. This popularity is the foundation of Kerry's most important attribute: electability. The 2004 election has the potential to be a political turning point, with many key issues facing the country's near future. Both sides have realized this. Republicans have raised a record total of contributions, while those who oppose the president have funded groups like moveon.org, devoted to the single goal of getting the president out of office. This situation creates many voters who are likely to vote for a candidate opposing Bush no matter who that candidate is. But these voters need to be sure the Democratic candidate has a legitimate chance of defeating the president. If they are resigned to another four years of Bush, or can't bring themselves to choose the Democratic nominee, these voters will waste their votes on an unelectable candidate making a political statement, a la Ralph Nader in 2000. Polls have established Kerry's electability — the most recent head-to-head poll was a statistical dead heat — and this electability provides the strongest argument for Kerry's candidacy. Kerry also trumps his Democratic opponents as President Bush, for that matter, in a category that is not discussed much by political pundits yet is important to voters nonetheless: appearing presidential. At 6-foot-4, he towers over his political opposition, and his thick, wavy, parted hair looks like it should have the words "E. Pluribus Unum" circling it. We see presidents as imposing physical figures, stereotypes shaped by the power of the office and stories in histories books about Washington and Lincoln. The dawn of the television age in politics has made appearance even more important. Since television began playing a role in election coverage, the taller candidate has won 10 of 13 Presidential elections, and voters often admit to being affected, whether consciously or subconsciously, by other aspects of a candidate's appearance. The Bush campaign fears Kerry more than any other candidate. He equals the president's Yale pedigree, trumps his alleged military service, and scariest of all, gives moderate voters alienated by the Bush far-right a feasible option. The Republicans have already begun their assault on Kerry, releasing an advertisement accusing Kerry of catering to special-interest groups. But Bush's pot calling Kerry's kettle black shouldn't scare off voters who accept that campaign funding is the reality of American politics. Kerry still has many things to accomplish between now and Nov. 5, starting with choosing his vice-presidential candidate wisely. But there's no question Kerry is the Democrats' best shot. Voters need a candidate who will stand up to the president, who can rally voters of all parties and all walks of life, a candidate who has a legitimate chance of defeating the incumbent Bush. John Kerry is that candidate. Hemenway is a Lawrence senior in journalism. EDITORIAL State-regulated gambling has possible benefits Here's some advice for the Kansas lawmakers debating whether to give the goahead for state casinos: Roll the dice. Rather than conjuring up simply another Sin City, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius Expanded Gaming Opportunity Act, which includes five state-owned casinos, 2,500 video lottery machines dispersed OURVIEW While the slot machine junkies are as well. Sebelius intends for a portion of slaves to Lady Luck, the state of Kansas the profits to go toward high school senior has stronger numbers to work with. scholarships. Bring gambling to Kansas; Kansan will gamble either way. throughout Kansas' race tracks and five video lottery machines for each of the state's fraternal organization halls. appears an economically sound move. The state would receive 22 percent of the profits without having to financially invest in the endeavor because private developers are shouldering the bill. Following the unemployment mire of the past few years, a casino chain would provide a much-needed shot of job growth. Ameristar, in Kansas City, Mo., employs more than 1,900 people, many of who receive "the works" in terms of benefits. The question for many Kansans is likely to deal with the almighty dollar: How much will the casinos pay to Kansas residents? Kansas is estimated to receive $60 million per year from the video lottery machines and $30 million from one major casino alone. And education might receive help Sebelius should still do her homework thoroughly before finalizing the plans. Harrah's Entertainment announced two weeks ago that a primary reason for its decline in national profits last year was due to its own new casino developments. Rather than jumping in feet first, Sebelius should allow proponents and opponents an opportunity to present their research. If Kansas lawmakers pay attention to the state's own history, they will learn from past mistakes. In 1987, the Racing Commission was getting into full gear with a team consisting of people uneducated on the nuts and bolts of racetracks. The Woodlands, a horse and dog racing venue in Kansas City, Kan., received its license in 1988 after little public input. If the Woodlands' lackluster profits are not what Sebelius' committee desires for state casinos, developers should allow as many public debates as possible. A casino chain built by the ideas of the community will also have the support of the community. CLARIFICATION In Monday's Kansan, the editorial, "Wal-Mart hurts local economy;" was incorrect. The court hearing held on Thursday will not address the building of the Wal-Mart but will decide if the city should pay bills for the six lawsuits filed against the city from 6Wak Land Investments LLC, the property owner of the proposed WalMart land. ON SENATE From greek vs. hippies to a new, moderate Senate "God, I hate hippies and I for damn sure don't want a bunch of pseudo-Marxist leftists running my campus government," or so the party line used to be if you were a candidate running with one of the traditionally Greek student senate coalitions. COMMENTARY "Man, I hate greeks and all of their 'neo-Reaganite' values. I for damn sure don't want a bunch of silver-spooned trust-fund babies running my campus government." Alternatively and essentially mirroring the previous statement, if you were a member of Delta Force, this might have been the slogan that compelled you to take up arms against "the man," and run for Student Senate. But now Steve Munch, a non-greek sophomore from Bellevue, Neb., is running for student body president under the KUnited flag. A few years ago, such a thing would have been unthinkable for a traditionally Greek coalition like KUnited. And a few years ago, it would have be equally unthinkable for any member of Delta Jeff Allmon opinion@hansan.com Force to set foot in a fraternity or sorority house. Now, they make dinner visits. So as I finish my last semester at the University, I start to wonder "Have Student Senate elections gone stale?" It used to be same story every spring; greek versus hippie, loafers challenging Birkenstocks. It used to be that if you took one member from each group and locked them together in a closet for an hour, all that would be left was be a musty haze the stereotypes that riddle this column derive from a very real place. And it is simply the fact that there used to be real differences between the types of people running on the opposing coalitions. One side was made up of a fairly moderate group of students, who were usually greek and who wanted to improve the campus through various projects. KUnited is now the most recent manifestation of this trend. The other side, made up solely of Delta Force, was generally comprised of students who leaned far to the left politically, and who wanted to bring about radical changes on campus that reflected their broad-based, generally leftist political ideas. reeking of nag champa and cheap cologne. Trying the same experiment today might get you involved in nothing more than a wicked game of patty cake. Nonetheless, after Delta Force won its first election in the seven years that it had been in existence, the two classes of coalitions started moving closer together Delta Force seemed like less of a vehement freedom fighter, hell bent on revolution, and more like a kid from Leawood whose only experience with anarchy was pirating the new Blink 182 album. However, the changes occurring on the other end of campus political spectrum have been much more subtle. The only differences seemed to be more openness to outside ideas and perspectives. And to this respect, KUnited became, or just came across, as far more accessible to students who were not greek. These subtle changes reflected deeper tendencies that groups often display. They become more accessible to outside influence and become more liberal. The staleness on the side of Delta Force, however, is puzzling. It's not that Delta Force closed its doors to those wanting to take up arms against the "establishment." I get the impression that some people just quit coming. The toned- down, more centrist approach to student government did not click with someone wanting to bring about a revolution in campus democracy. More than anything, I think I miss the old Delta Force. Senate meetings of late have been, if anything, boring. The differing ideological perspectives simply aren't there anymore, and it is because Delta Force has gone soft on us. This spring, I really hope that students hear from the old Delta Force; I hope they see other students on Wescoe Beach speaking out for radical change in campus government. I want to see real, heated debates about important issues from a wide range of political perspectives. Given the huge range of political and ideological perspectives across this campus, that is what we as students need, and it is what we deserve. KANSAN Michelle Rombeck editor 864-4864 or mburhenn@ka.san.com Alimon is a Wichita graduate student in philosophy. Andrew Vaupel managing editor 864-4954 or vaupel@kansan.com Meghan Brune and Johanna M. Maska opinion editors 864-4924 or opinion@kansan.com Danielle Bose business manager 864-4358 or adddirector@kansan.com Stephanie Graham retail sales manager 864-4398 or adsales.kansan.com Matt Fisher sales and marketing adviser 864-7686 or mfisher@kansan.com Malcolm Gibson general manager and news adviser 884-7687 or mqgibson@kansan.com Editorial Board Members Kendall Dix **Amanda Flott** Lynzee Ford Laura Francovigliia *Nana Gregory* Amy Hammontree *Kelly Hollowell* Teresa L Stephanie Lovett **Mindy** Obsebre Greg Holmquist **Ryan Scarrow** **Sara Behunek** Kevin Flaherty **Brandon Gay** **Zack Hemenway** Alex Hoffman **Kevin Kampwimp** *Amy Kelly* Cameron Koelling **Courtney Kuhlen** **Brandi Mathiesen** **Travis Metcalf** *Mike Norris* Jonathan Reeder **Erin Riffle** Alea Smith *Kj Zimmerman* Erik Riley Alda Smith Keri' Zimmerman .