You may very well be wondering why The Flip Side is being distributed today, two days before the day of the week we usually release. With some small bits of meandering (which I hope you'll agree were at least somewhat called for), I'll try and explain.

I and several other Flip Side staffers attended the media forum held two Thursdays ago on February 5 in the Presidents Room in Davies Center. One of the panelists there, Doug Mell, the managing editor of The Leader-Telegram, spoke about how frustrating it can be to report the salient issues with these elections, to feel that they should be what is important, and then have most voters choose the candidate who is leading in the polls. Every other panelist agreed. The general feeling expressed might have been described as, "Well, what can you do?" (This was a question most of the media representatives at the forum, thankfully, have striven to answer in their reporting.) In essence, this issue (and its timing) came about as the best answer we could give that question.

Rewind to the beginning of this semester. Plotting out our release dates, one of our staffers noticed that by staying on schedule, by releasing an issue on the second week back, we would actually end up with an issue coming out the day after the Democratic primaries. Of course, this would likewise be the day after the primaries for Eau Claire City Council. Gasp. Life...unfair.

Understand that the upcoming elections are events for which we would like to be a useful source of information. Each primary taking place tomorrow deserves a wealth of debate for voters to consult and decide with. And for our purposes, the more recent our news is, the better. And, of course, there are some exceptionally opinionated writers at this university who very much wanted to share their two cents.

I, for example, had a decision to make when writing this column--whether I would stick to the topic in it, upholding the journalistic integrity of our magazine, or unduly use it as a fount for my own political biases.

Without further ado, I would like to here urge readers to pick Dean, Brandon Buchanan, and Darrin Wurz at the ballot box. But hold on to that thought for a second. I'd like to direct your attention to the fact that I am raising the entire point of the issue you're holding in your hands; it is a strike against those damn self-fulfilling polls, and a banner for the hopeful--and deserving--student City Council candidates.

There is always much talk of "You have to Vote! It's Your Responsibility as a Citizen!" But to be frank, those are half-truths. It is your responsibility to vote. However, it is a lot more your responsibility, and privilege, to make informed decisions. In the primaries coming up, that means not rubber stamping a candidate you know little to nothing about, for no reason besides his leading the polls. Furthering--or guaranteeing--the leading candidate's nomination at this stage--unless you understand and believe in his platform--is asinine. Do not "Get out and Vote!" for someone, anyone, just because you're having that pressure put on you. You are supposed to vote as you believe, not dance to the tune of earlier state's primaries.

If you want to vote for Dean, I can guarantee you won't be voting alone. If you want to vote for Kerry, give him your vote. If you want to vote for Edwards, do it. If you want to vote for Kucinich...um, settle. Hey, there are realities.

But whoever you want to be your next president--that includes Joe Eaton & co.--ask yourself what a fellow student can do for you as an Alderman.

Having already mentioned my political leaning, I hope no one will mind if I end this "plog" (admittedly somewhat jarringly) on the following quote:

"This is a chance to turn around a campaign that's been managed by the media and the folks inside the Beltway. Wisconsin voters have a long history for standing up for what they believe, not when it's popular, but when it really matters." - Dr. Dean, speaking in Milwaukee.