Change? I Think Not.

As a member of both the Students for McCain and the College Republicans, I recieve many a dirty look as I walk around campus in my McCain Palin hat and College Republican shirts. And, of course, snide comments when I am forced to share the lit Desk in the student union with teh College Democrats and "Campaign for Change" doing voter registration.

As I have experienced these things, a thought has occured to me: the "Campaign for Change" is a pretty huge misnomer. "Change"? It seems that their campaign is pretty much the same as the campaigns of old: low and dirty methods and a "do whatever it takes" mentality that causes one to abandon all morals and ethics, as long as the assigned goal is met.

Example one: I have been told that the Campaign for Change has campaigned in the residence halls of Indiana University. Partisan groups are not allowed to solicit in the residence halls. Upon being told this, Higher ups in the campaign told their field ops to go back in, despite the reprimand.

Example two: Rules don't seem to apply to them either. While using the lit desk in the union for voter registration, a group is not allowed more than 2 people to be there at any one time. Apparently, 2 people is the same as 5, as that is usually how many people they have there. Also, they apparently NEED almost the entire desk in order to monopolize it and spread out their "Free Obama posters!" while other student organizations are squeezed to the edges of the desk.

Example four: In adition to rule breaking and ignoring warnings, the Campaign for Change will do anything it can to meet its goals. I have also been told that when using the lit desk with others doing voter registration, they have stolen completed forms in order to meet their own quota. They were told yesterday that anything less than 400 new voter/address change forms would be "unacceptable." With such pressure, it makes sense that they would do whatever it took to reach their goals.

Does this sound like "change" to you? Even if these orders are not coming from Obama or those close to him, they are still coming from someone in the campaign, and official order or not, still reflect upon him and his organization. These are the tactics of old-school politics. Of a politics involving party heads and Tammany Hall. A politics lacking ethics and morals. And a politics of dangerous consequences.

Change? I don't think so.