The political enthusiasts were out early cheering for candidates on Swenson Street by the Thomas & Mack Center parking lot at UNLV.
Mostly Clinton and Obama supporters were hollering and waving signs at 10 a.m. and when I returned to campus at 11:30 a.m. the crowd had grown.
“What are we?” yelled one group of Clinton fans, to which another group responded: “Clinton country!”
“O-bam-a!” replied the group of Obama fans sporting red shirts.
Each side had a loudspeaker and the crescendo of dueling chants made me think for a few moments that I was somewhere other than UNLV, a place where apathy is in attendance at most university events.
The passing motorists also showed their enthusiasm by honking to the cheers of the supporters. But with both groups of supporters so close together, both groups thought the honks were for their candidate.
The crowds and the cheers are sure to get louder as the countdown to the debate continues.
The national media sometimes forgets to let the little guy in. That’s what happened with Sen. Mike Gravel.
Gravel is a senator from Alaska who is running for president. He wasn’t given a spot in the debates because he hasn’t raised the set amount of money that CNN said he must have to participate, supposedly $1 million.
Gravel will be holding his own debate party at the Paris Hotel at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. He will discuss issues with his followers that the other Democratic candidates are asked at the actual debate.
If you are interested in attending this event, ask at the Paris’ front desk what room Gravel is in. Gravel supporters might accept you as their own.
Security at UNLV this week will be pretty tight with the Secret Service and other entities protecting presidential candidates. One of those entities includes UNLV’s own police department.
There have been rumors that when high-profile events come into town, the Secret Service has a way of taking over the campus. UNLV police officer Laura Tramposch said that everyone would be working together this week. There would be no problems or belittlement from the Secret Service towards the department.
UNLV has asked students to bring identification to verify they are students. Make sure to do this if you are anywhere near the campus.
