As the November 4 Election Day nears, some Andover students have attempted to get up-close and personal with the candidates. A group of 16 students attended Sarah Palin’s rally in Salem, New Hampshire on Wednesday, October 15, and another group of eight attended Barack Obama’s rally in Londonderry, New Hampshire the next day. The excursion to the Palin rally was student-coordinated. The Junior State of America Club (JSA) obtained tickets online for the Sarah Palin rally after seeing an ad for the event in a local newspaper. David Lowenstein ’09, co-head of JSA, ordered the tickets because enough people had expressed interest for them to consider the rallies a worthwhile trip. Tickets were distributed to members of JSA, Democrats Club, Independents Club and Republicans Club on a first come, first serve basis. Those who attended the Palin rally left campus after school at 4:00 p.m. and didn’t return until 9:30 that night. Erica Harris ’09, President of the Andover Democrats Club, expressed her interest in the Obama rally to Zach Hobbs, Teaching Fellow in Community Service, who planned the trip. Harris said, “I am a huge Obama fan and this was probably the last chance to see him.” The trip lasted from 9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and, consequently, students missed double period classes on Thursday. Harris said, “Most teachers were understanding since they knew the issue was really important.” Lowenstein, Harris and Jake Romanow ’10 attended both the Obama and Palin rallies. None of them is eligible to vote in the upcoming election. Lowenstein actually reconsidered his political opinion after attending the two rallies. Going into the rallies, Lowenstein had favored the Republican ticket, but after attending both rallies, he felt Obama’s tax and healthcare plans would best serve the country. Lowenstein attended the Palin rally because “I knew the celebrity side of [Palin] but not necessarily the political side.” Lowenstein admired the energy and optimism of the Palin rally. He said, “It was really a joyful, exciting event.” After attending the Palin rally, Lowenstein decided to attend the Obama rally to “balance his perspective.” He thought the Obama rally had a very different tone than Palin’s. “The mood was mellower and the crowd seemed more dissatisfied with the current state of affairs,” he said. “I had a total misunderstanding of the distribution of wealth in this country. I was shocked when Obama asked everyone that makes more than $250,000 to raise their hands and only about 10 people did,” he said. Harris said the rallies did not alter her perceptions of the candidates. She attended the Palin rally “basically out of curiosity” and said that she did not find anything out of the ordinary about the experience. However, Harris said she “felt much more at home at the Obama rally,” as a supporter. Harris noted that the crowds at the rallies were roughly the same size, and the type of people at each rally that she described as “hardcore Republicans” and “hardcore Democrats” did not surprise her. She also noticed protestors at the Palin rally, who were primarily protesting President George W. Bush ’64 and the Iraq War. Harris said, “It was interesting attending both rallies and seeing how the two parties function. I’ll definitely do it again in upcoming elections.” Hobbs and Alana Rush, Assistant Director of Community Service, chartered the buses to the rallies. Hobbs said he agreed to attend both events because “rallies are worthwhile even for students who can’t vote. It is important for young people to be a part of the political process, especially this year.” Rush echoed this comment as she said, “Rallies are exciting, tangible events…It’s exciting to get groups of people together for the purpose of politics.”
