Terminator 4: Rise of the Endorsements

On the heels of multiple endorsement announcements this week, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger officially announced his support of Republican John McCain. Standing beside former candidate Rudy Giuliani, the Governor threw his support behind McCain just days before California’s Primary, which falls on Super Tuesday 2008!

Still undecided about who to vote for in November? There are plenty of people and organizations coming out of the woodwork who would just LOVE to help you make your decision. They are (in no particular order):

Sen. Edward Kennedy & Caroline Kennedy: Barack Obama

The New York Times: Hillary Clinton and John McCain

Norma McCorvey aka Jane Roe: Ron Paul

Oprah Winfrey: Barack Obama

Rudy Giuliani: John McCain

Chuck Norris: Mike Huckabee

Donny and Marie Osmond: Mitt Romney

Barbara Streisand: Hillary Clinton

The list goes on…and on…

Just because a celebrity or newspaper endorses one candidate does not mean that you have to as well; YOU have the final say in who YOU vote for. To find out more about the endorsements, click here or here. To keep yourself informed, check out our blog and the Declare Yourself website! Arnold. Oprah.

So Long, Farewell!

Rudy Giuliani abandoned his quest today to rise from former mayor of NYC to President of the USA. In addition to announcing his exit, Giuliani voiced his support for Senator John McCain, who beat him out for the win in Florida.

Though he finished behind the front-runners in every Primary and Caucus, Rudy did have a leg up on the competition in one respect – he has hosted and appeared on Saturday Night Live multiple times, even in drag. Who else can say they’ve done that?! Rudy Picture

With Edwards out, is Nader in?

"John Edwards, the banner of Democratic Party populism, is dropping out, and Dennis Kucinich dropped out earlier, so in terms of voters who are at least interested in having major areas of injustice, deprivations, and solutions discussed in a presidential campaign, they might be interested in my exploratory effort," Nader said, according to CNN.

Nader originally sparked interest in the media when he launched a website for an exploratory committee for the presidency, which is often a subtle way of saying "I'm running for president." Upon the withdrawal of John Edwards' bid for the White House earlier today, Nader vowed to run if he raises $10 million and is able to recruit enough lawyers, saying the above quote.

For those of us new to politics (don't be ashamed!), Ralph Nader is an attorney and political activist who has run for president four times (in '92, '96, '00, and '04) as an Independent or Green Party member.

Would YOU vote for Nader? Why or why not?

Another Dem Down..but what about Rudy?

With a stark reminder of Hurricane Katrina behind him, Senator John Edwards announced today from New Orleans that he would no longer be pursuing the Democratic nomination. After having gone 0 for 6 in the Primaries and Caucus thus far, Edwards decided “to step aside so that history can blaze its path.” Choosing not to officially endorse either Senators Clinton or Obama, many are wondering if future bumper stickers will be emblazoned with either “Clinton/Edwards 2008” or “Obama/Edwards 2008”. Only time will tell…

As the country buzzes over the Edwards announcement, there is rampant speculation that former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani, will be announcing the end to his presidential campaign as well. Also having never won a Primary or Caucus, Giuliani staked his entire campaign on Florida, a state more known for its Northeast ex-pats than its citrus fruit. Despite having spent more than 50 days campaigning, Giuliani placed a distant 3rd.

Declare Yourself is keeping its ears open and will update you when the announcement comes in – if, of course, there is one. Photo Photo

The Sun Shines for McCain and Clinton!

As it has been widely reported by now, Senator John McCain won the Republican primary in Florida last night as well as the youth vote! Hillary Clinton also won both the youth vote and the primary; but unfortunately the delegates Clinton earned do not count since the Democratic National Committee revoked all Florida delegates for scheduling its primary outside the approved time frame. This is also why none of the Democratic candidates campaigned in Florida. So why was Hillary there? To lock in a win! Although she does not receive any delegates, “Hillary Wins Florida!” was the headline and instead of gaining delegates, she gained press and momentum before heading into Super Tuesday.

Super Tuesday is the biggest day in the Presidential Primaries! 22 states hold primaries, thats almost half the country! Get your friends to come out and vote with you! Yesterday both candidates who won the youth vote, also won the primary. Your vote counts!

New Declare Yourself Video

Working with Voto Latino, Declare Yourself released their newest viral video last week. Starring Wilmer Valderrama and Rosario Dawson, the video mimics a Telenovela to tell a story of love, hate, and what happens when you don't register to vote!!

La Pasion de la Decision

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What do you think?

FUN FACT!

The current Mayor of Beverly Hills beat the incumbent by only 7 votes! Proof that your vote counts.

Got a fun fact? Send it to DeclareYourself@gmail.com with your source and we will post it! Button Picture.

Showdown in the Sunshine State

Despite controversy surrounding the awarding of delegates (or the lack there of), voters in the Sunshine state took advantage of the nice weather and headed out to the polls. Even before the polls opened in Florida, 8.5% of registered Democrats and 10.5 % of registered Republicans voted early, exceeding the turnout in other early Primary states!

Many of you may be wondering why the Democrats aren’t campaigning in Florida. That’s because the Democratic and Republican parties are punishing the Sunshine State for moving their primary up to January. The Democrats took away all their delegates, and the Republican Party took away half. What does that mean for you? Well, there is always the chance that the delegates will be reinstated. If that is the case, every vote will count for the Democratic candidates as they are awarded on a proportional basis rather than the winner-takes-all practice for the Republicans. This is where the strength of young voters (that’s right: YOU!) comes into play. Should delegates later be awarded, your vote could make or break a candidate, as there are normally 210 delegates up for grabs for the Democrats.

Don’t be embarrassed if you don’t understand the delegate system – it is overly complicated and hard to explain. DY is working on the easiest way to relate this system to you, so sit tight! Cartoon. Florida Pic.

Saturday Night's Alright (For Voting)

Following the Republican Primary on January 19^th, the Democrats held their Primary in South Carolina this past Saturday. Following in John McCain's footsteps was Barack Obama, who took home another win. As reported by Declare Yourself in a press release on Sunday, January 27^th, youth participation tripled in the Palmetto state, and overall 19% of eligible South Carolina young voters came out to support their chosen candidate. Young Democratic turnout rose 5% compared to their 2004 primary, which is actually a much bigger difference than it sounds! Even if you choose to ignore the stats, you can’t ignore the fact that the under 30s came out in record numbers to cast their votes! A round of applause, if you will!

Tomorrow, the polls open in Florida! While the Republicans have been campaigning there for what seems an eternity, the Democratic candidates have not, as a result of the Democratic National Committee stripping the state of their delegates for moving up the Primary date (as was also the case in Michigan). Even so, it should still be an exciting race – check back here for updates and results! Barack Obama Picture.

The Declare Yourself Fun Fact of the Day!

Not registered to vote because you want to avoid that horrible thing called jury duty? Reality check, people: only a handful of states use voter registration lists as their sole source of potential jurors. Tossing aside one civic duty to get around another is very unfortunate. Register to vote – you can have a say in the future of your town, state, and country. Serve jury duty – you witness first hand our judicial system (without committing a crime). And you get paid. Stamp Picture.

When It Rains, It Pours

After a long week spent pouring over political blogs at Declare Yourself HQ, sometimes you just need to have the weekend to escape. It’s not as easy as it sounds, though – the coverage of the Primaries and Caucuses is everywhere, seven days a week…

This past Saturday, as Fred Thompson spoke to his supporters following a poor showing at both the Nevada Caucus and the South Carolina Republican Primary, it was clear that he had come to the end of his Presidential campaign, which was officially announced on Tuesday. We may not be seeing him any time soon in the Oval Office, but chances are that somewhere in the United States right now, someone is watching an episode of “Law & Order”.

The GOP wasn’t the only party to see the candidate pool grow ever smaller. While Chris Dodd and Joe Biden bowed out of the Democratic race following the Iowa Caucus, Dennis Kucinich held on for a few more weeks. On Thursday, though, it was widely reported that Kucinich was going to end his bid for President and focus on his re-election campaign in Ohio; today, it became official.

The all important South Carolina Democratic Primary is tomorrow, and not to be forgotten is Florida, who holds its contest on Tuesday, January 29^th. So, the big question is: who will be following Thompson and Kucinich out of the race? Declare Yourself is on the case and will keep you updated! Thompson Picture. Kucinich Picture.

Super Tuesday – 11 Days and Counting!

The “super” day Declare Yourself is counting down to is February 5th, not Super Bowl Sunday. Super Tuesday brings out voters for Primary elections in 22 states! All across the US, we predict that record numbers of young Americans will come out and support the candidates that have been speaking directly to them over the past few months.

Not sure if you are supposed to vote on Super Tuesday? Here are all the states that will be holding a Primary on February 5th:

*Alabama*Alaska*Arizona*Arkansas*California*Colorado*Connecticut
*Delaware*Georgia*Idaho (Democratic only)*Illinois*Kansas (Democratic only)*Massachusetts*Minnesota*Missouri*New Jersey*New Mexico (Democratic only)*New York*North Dakota*Oklahoma*Tennessee*Utah*

Polls open across the country at different times, and some Primaries are open to all voters while others are restricted to only those affiliated with each party. To find out more about your state’s primary, head over to the DY website. Click away!

While some newspapers have begun to endorse certain candidates, we here at Declare Yourself are non-partisan. We don’t care who you vote for – as long as you register and vote! Football, though, is a whole different story. Picture.

Hands Up, Baby, Hands Up!

So, a show of hands, if you will: are you registered to vote?? While the process itself is so simple that it can be done online (shameless plug for Declare Yourself!), many young people celebrate their milestone birthday by complaining about all the things they can do at 18 and all the things they’ll have to wait to do until they’re 21 – I know, life is like really hard. In doing so, they neglect to register to vote, and if they do, they never make it to the polls. Let’s take a look at the statistics, shall we?

In 2004, only 51.5% of the 18-24 year olds in this country were registered to vote. Worse yet, how many of those young people actually made it to their polling place? A measly 41.9%. Sorry to rag on you, Vermont – I love your maple syrup and outlet malls – but only 39% of you actually voted!

So, as your high school health teacher might tell you, don’t be a statistic. And if you want to be one, be a registered voter. If you’re feeling ambitious, how about being a registered voter that actually votes, rather than the one that feels as though their vote doesn’t count or their voice won’t be heard? Show this country that you’re not the apathetic, lazy, (fill in stereotype here) teenager/young adult that they think you are.

Bonus points to those readers who were actually alive when “Hands Up” was originally on the radio. On second thought, bonus points to those readers who actually knew what this post’s title referred to. Ottawan Picture.