Civil Liberties Panel

Today, we enjoyed the insights of an all-star panel of experts as we discussed civil liberties with all our classes. Our panel was chaired by Judge Robert Rufo of the Barnstable County Superior Court. Judge Rufo was flanked by Attorney William Robinson, head of the Public Defenders Office for the Cape and Islands, and Officer Jeff Davis of the Harwich Police Department and our Harwich High School Resource Officer. The students and panel considered hypothetical situations in which young people encounter the police - on the road and at home. At each point in the scenarios, the students posed questions about specific actions, Officer Davis and Attorney Robinson offered their perspectives, and Judge Rufo ultimately explained how the point would be decided. Many of the discussions had the feel of pre-trial hearings on motions to suppress evidence. Ultimately, we detailed possible charges and what conditions might lead to these being dismissed.

Officer Davis and Attorney Robinson agreed surprisingly often, and Judge Rufo did an excellent job synthesizing the core issues for the students. They all emphasized the importance of cooperation with the police. Even if they are searching or arresting you in a way that you think is unfair, it never helps to try to resist or argue. You can make it clear that you are not consenting, but beyond that you should be attentive and wait until after the incident to document the potential violation and then consult with your parents and you attorney. And officers don't just make stuff up, they have to stand behind their written reports under penalty of criminal punishment, but the evidence they find is sometimes thrown out under the exclusionary rule.

I want to commend the students for their attentiveness and participation, and especially their thoughtful and insightful questions on each point. And, of course, I want to thank Judge Rufo, Attorney Robinson, and Officer Davis for donating their time so generously. This was a great catalyst for deepening our understanding of civil liberties and the Fourth Amendment - one we will be following up on tomorrow and frequently. Let's hope we can make this an annual event!

DarFUNdraiser

We had a great time last night at the DarFUNdraiser. Thanks to all the bands and especially to Brian Boyle for donating his time and equipment to provide a light show, and Mike Raneo for doing the same for the sound system. Thanks also to Sheila House for arranging the space at the Community Center and the volunteers, and providing the pizza! Our press release:

Press Release 2/9/08: Harwich Students Host Band Showcase to Benefit Darfur

Harwich STAND (Students Taking Action Now: Darfur) hosted a band showcase Friday night at the Harwich Community Center to raise money to aid the victims of genocide in Darfur. About 100 people attended and the event generated over $600 to benefit the Genocide Intervention Network. Bands from Harwich, Chatham, and Dennis-Yarmouth participated, including Corrupted Youth, Blind Drive, Synesthesia and the Handsome Pool Boys, and the event was headlined by Cape sensation Roots Down Below. Also at the event, the students painted a refugee tent that, when completed, will be displayed on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. later this year, then sent to Darfur. For more information on the tent, visit http://www.tentsofhope.org/.

See an album of photos from the event on Flickr, click here.

For more info, photos and video from the event, check out our sister blog - STAND Now Cape Cod.

Some video clips from the bands:

Roots Down Below:


The Handsome Pool Boys:


Synesthesia:


Blind Drive:


Students painting a Tent of Hope:

Harwich Exit Poll

We had a great time polling today. Thanks to all the students for their enthusiasm. Thanks to Kory Thacher for helping enter data after school, and especially to Pat Blute who stayed until 5 helping to analyze the data. The press release:

Press Release 2/5/08 6:00 PM: Harwich Students Conduct Primary Exit Poll

Approximately 70 Harwich High School students conducted a primary election exit poll today at the Harwich Community Center. All were seniors taking United States Government. In all, they interviewed 323 voters. The students gained many insights into how individual voters make their decisions. The results:

Overall, Romney was a clear winner over McCain (67% to 28%, Paul and Huckabee got 2% each) and Obama over Clinton (62% to 38%). The war (57%) and the economy (46%) were the two most important issues for voters with health care (24% and character (18%) also prominent (voters were asked to cite one or two issues out of nine). In appraising President Bush’s performance, 18% approved, 74% disapproved, and 8% were unsure.

Among the critical independent (unenrolled) voters, Obama (59% to 39%) and McCain (61% to 36%) won, but unfortunately for McCain, independents chose Democratic ballots 3 to 1.

Twice as many voters took Democratic ballots in our poll, and in the issues most Democratic voters cited the war as an issues (65%, favoring Obama 67% to 32%) which most Republicans cited the economy (58%, favoring Romney 69% to 28%). Republican voters approved of President Bush (50% to 35%), while 93% of Democratic voters disapprove.

By candidate, Clinton (79% to 67%) and Romney (74% to 50%) voters were more strongly supportive of their candidate, while Obama (37% to 29%) and McCain (35% to 28%) were more likely to have made their decision in the last week.

By gender, women were a little more supportive of Romney (72% to 61%) and Clinton (45% to 27%) though a majority of women still supported Obama (55%). Women tended to more strongly support their candidate (77% to 59%), and to have made their decision last year (42% to 29%). Not much difference could be seen in issue choices, though women were more likely to cite health care (30% to 18%).

By age (younger: 18-39, middle aged: 40-59, older: 60+), older voters were most supportive of Romney (71% to 64% and 60%, old to young), and younger voters favored Obama (85% to 61% and 53%, young to old). While the war was the largest issue for all groups, this was most pronounced among younger voters (74% to 50% and 56%, young to old). Young voters were also most likely to have made their decision for whom to support in the last week (43% to 29% and 25%, young to old).

The average voter watched 4.1 debates and 55% reported that these helped them make their decision. These voters favored Romney more (72% compared to 63% of those not influenced), while no difference existed among the Democrats.

While our results are limited by their size and location, we think they do reflect many of the trends that drove this election. The actual survey can be viewed here.

Video: Kory Thacher polling Ann Wade:

Super Tuesday tomorrow

Tomorrow will be the Massachusetts Primary - voting as part of Super Tuesday. We will be exit polling - I copy our press release below:

Press Release: Harwich High School to Conduct Exit Poll

Harwich High School government students will conduct an exit poll tomorrow at the Harwich Community Center polling place. The poll will be conducted during school hours from 7:30 AM to 2:00 PM. We hope to interview 200-300 voters. The poll is copied below.

After conducting the poll, we will analyze the results and send out a press release tomorrow afternoon with the results. We have been conducting exit polls since 1998. For past results, see our webpage: http://www.harwich.edu/depts/history/dickson/Surveys.htm

The Poll:

Excuse me. I am a senior at Harwich High School, and my government class is conducting an exit poll today. Could I ask you a few questions about how you voted?

Are you Republican, Democrat, or Independent?
1) Republican 2) Democrat 3) Independent/Other

If independent, which primary did you vote in today?
1) Republican 2) Democrat

Who did you vote for today?
Rep: 1) Romney
2) McCain
3) Huckabee
4) Paul
5) Other

Dem: 1) Clinton
2) Obama
3) Other

How strong do you feel about your candidate?
1) I strongly favor my candidate
2) I like my candidate, with reservations
3) I dislike the other candidates

Which one or two issues were most important to you in deciding how to vote?
1) War in Iraq/foreign policy
2) Economy/Tax policy
3) Health care
4) Character/integrity/experience
5) Immigration
6) Education
7) Abortion/Stem Cell/Gay Marriage
8) Environment/Climate Change
9) Crime/homeland security

Which of the following candidate qualities mattered most in deciding who to support today?
1) Can bring about needed change
2) Has the right experience
3) Cares about the values and issues that matter most to people like me
4) Says what he believes and is trustworthy
5) Has the best chance of winning in November

How many debates did you watch or listen to in this campaign?

Did the debates help you choose who to support? 1)Yes 2)No

When did you decide who to vote for?
1) in the last week
2) in the last month (since 1/1)
3) before that

Do you approve or disapprove of the job President Bush has done as president?
1) Approve 2) Disapprove 3) Don’t Know/No opinion

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Gen: 1)M 2)F Age: 1)18-39 2)40-59 3)60+ College Degree: 1)Yes 2)No

The New Hampshire Primary

We took our field trip to the New Hampshire primary today. The record warmth was appreciated as we had to stay 100 feet from the polling buildings to do our exit polls. We left before 7AM and arrived at Ward 1 in Nashua around 9:30. Our bus was immediately surrounded by TV cameras and reporters, who were soon disappointed that no candidate was aboard. But fortunately for us, their target - the Straight Talk Express - showed up 10 minutes later. McCain was nearly crushed by the media frenzy but he made his statements and managed to shake a couple hands - including Ms. Barton's! (see video below) The kids all got good pictures, and some even got interviewed by the TV reporters hanging around. So cool!

From there we went to Ward 3 in Nashua - a lot quieter - and then on to Milford. Our polling in both places was fascinating, as we all met a wide variety of voters. Below is the press release I just sent around to the local papers, which summarizes the results of the poll.

By the way, the New York Times ran the article on political tourism today in which I got mentioned. See http://travel.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/us/politics/08tourism.html

Press Release: Harwich Students Conduct Exit Poll in New Hampshire

Twenty-four students and two teachers from Harwich High School took a field trip to New Hampshire to see the state’s “first-in-the-nation” primary first-hand. While there, they interviewed 137 voters in Nashua and Milford for an exit poll summarized below. They also got to see Sen. John McCain as the “Straight-Talk Express” visited Ward 1 in Nashua.

In the exit poll, McCain beat Huckabee, Romney, and Paul 40% to 26%, 16%, and 10% respectively. For the Democrats, Clinton led with 39% over Obama and Edwards tied with 29%. The small survey conducted in a narrow area of the state isn’t likely to be an accurate predictor. However, many other interesting trends emerged.

Independents voted for Democrats 77% of the time, indicating a possible advantage for November. The top four issues cited by voters were foreign policy (the war in Iraq), character and experience, health care (esp. for Democrats) and the economy. Among these, foreign policy helped McCain and Obama, Experience helped McCain and Clinton, and the economy helped Edwards.

The average voter watched 3.6 debates, and those who were influenced by them in their decision favored Huckabee and Obama most. Voters reported seeing hundreds of ads and receiving dozens of phone calls – some had been called ten times in the last day. While most said the were not influenced by ads, 15% of Democrats cited Clinton’s ads as convincing, and 22% of Republicans voted against Romney because of his negative ads.

Pres. Bush had very low ratings in the survey with only 15% approving, 77% disapproving and 9% unsure. Even among Republicans, 54% disapproved. Only 30% of Republican voters described themselves as evangelical Christians – half the rate reported in Iowa, and while Huckabee led with 42% of their votes, the lower percentage might account for his loss.

Both men and women favored Democrats though more so for women (68%-32% compared to 55%-45%). Both younger and older voters favored Democrats while middle aged voters were evenly split. Younger voters voted most for Obama and Huckabee, while middle aged and older voters supported Clinton and McCain.

The students on the trip were all senior government students. They reported a deeper interest in the presidential race after this experience.

Some video of McCain's visit:

Just remembering - a slip by Rep. Steve King?

One interesting moment from the week that just came back to me. It may be an indication of how hard this election has been on some conservatives. Rep. Steve King, a very conservative Congressman form NW Iowa was introducing Sen. Fred Thompson at the W Des Moines event yesterday morning. In doing so, he compared having to endorse a candidate with being executed. The context, paraphrased:

Nothing focuses the mind like knowing that you’re gonna be executed in the morning. For me it was a press conference. I stayed up all night thinking about which candidate I would endorse. In the end, I decided to support Thompson.

He then went on to explain why Fred was the true fiscal and social conservative in the race. I’m sure he didn’t mean it that way, but an interesting psychological slip, perhaps?

Some numbers and my survey data

A couple follow-ups on the final results. I won’t rehash all the numbers (see http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/04/iowa.caucuses/index.html) but the results reflected the energy we saw in the rallies (expect Edwards didn’t do as well as we thought).

At the various rallies we attended, I interviewed 25 Iowans about the caucus. This was hardly a scientific poll interviewing so few among those who took the time to attend a rally. However I think some of the trends I found are interesting. There was wide support for the current system, with 88% supporting Iowa’s first in the nation status, and 60% supporting the caucus system over a primary (12% preferring a primary and 28% unsure). I didn’t interview people at all the rallies, so my candidate preference numbers aren’t meaningful, though the Clinton rally was the only place where most of the people I interviewed didn’t identify themselves as Clinton supporters – perhaps an indication of the soft nature of her support which is one reason why she lost. The issues people identified were interesting – 48% cited the war/foreign policy issues as important Health care next at 24% with immigration and character issues each getting 16% (some people cited two issues). Among Democrats, 50% cited health care, and 40% cited the war. Among Republicans 50% cited the war and 25% cited immigration. Bush was divisive as 90% of Democrats disapproved of the job he has done as president, while 67% of Republicans supported him. Among demographic variables, men and older voters were more Republican and women younger people were more Democratic. This matches entrance poll data – see http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2008/01/04/547795.aspx or http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/03/iowa.dems/ for Democratic data.

It’s on to New Hampshire and we will be there on a field trip exit polling in and around Nashua. More to come from NH!