Greetings from the deep South, y'all! As of now, we're still preparing for a showdown from below the Mason-Dixon line.
This is an exciting time for everyone here. When I arrived in this town/on this campus 4 years ago, the Princeton Review had us ranked as the 7th most conservative school in the nation. There wasn't Democratic ANYTHING. Slowly but surely, we've been turning the tide on campus, and it's starting to look more and more what a typical college environment should look like: Diverse and open-minded. Today, the PR has us ranked at 17 or 18 on that "Most Nostalgic for Reagan" list. It's still regarded as a crown jewel of the conservative South, however.
The significance of this debate can not be overstated. In 1962, riots broke out on campus when James Meredith, the first African-American admitted to the college, tried to attend classes. There are still older people here who speak affectionately of rolling logs onto the highway to prevent the President Kennedy-authorized National Guard from entering. Obama's presence on this campus tonight (assuming the debate happens) will draw a stark contrast with those days.
As I type this, we're still not totally sure if this debate is going to happen. But as we say here during football season at the number 2 party school (Again, according to the PR), we never lose a party! Obama said that he is still coming and just a couple of minutes ago, our Chancellor Robert Khayat said that the format will be a town-hall question-and-answer for Obama. And that's still going to be historical.
Y'all take care, and here's hoping we get to see another show like Kerry-Bush debate #1!
This is some footage I shot of a rally Tuesday that happened just an hour after McCain said he might not come.