Election 2008 fervor comes to Rice campus

By Dylan Farmer     11/6/08 6:00pm

Ever since the presidential candidates took the stage 21 months ago this election has been in the forefront of Americans' minds. One by one the extensive pool of candidates was boiled down: Edwards, Romney, Huckabee, Clinton and so forth, until finally, on Tuesday, Barack Obama finally stood victorious over his rival John McCain in the fight for the presidency of the United States.

The final ballot was different than any other in the history of American politics, since it included among its choices both an ethnic minority and a politically underrepresented gender, as well as the oldest man ever to run for a first term as president of the United States. The mandate from voters was undeniable, as the nation spoke loudly and clearly that America needed to embrace Obama's call for change.

The special Election '08 section of this online edition contains a limited snapshot of the election and the political, social and even sporting scenes surrounding it. The photos chronicle the activity at Rice on election day. The Thresher exit poll reveals the Rice student population's widespread allegiance with Obama and his proposed policies. The feature pieces and columns offer analysis of the unique facets of the election and their consequences from a student point of view.

---

---

Essentially, the section reflects what is only a sliver of the political fervor this country embraced on election day, but that sliver is already the most memorable political experience the vast majority of people on this campus and in this country have ever known. On Nov. 3, we shut our eyes to the sunset of an old era. On Nov. 4, we opened them again to see what we hope is but the dawning of a new one.

---