Mass Communications Week

by Anuj Singh

Former White House correspondent Bob Deans speaks to Virginia Commonwealth University students about the upcoming Presidential Election.
Deans is a graduate of VCU’s school of mass communications and the former president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. He spoke to mass communications students and faculty Wed. at VCU’s student commons building.
Deans said the upcoming election is the most exciting of his time, and Virginia has the most dramatic story of this election.
Virginia has been a dominant Republican state since 1964, but 53 percent of Virginian voters favoring Democrat Barack Obama over John McCain.
“It’s a historic lead for a former confederate state,” Deans said.
Deans thinks that Obama will win the election.
“Any one with a pulse knows that (Barack) Obama is cruising toward a comfortable win,” Deans said.
Deans who was a White House correspondent during the Clinton and Bush administrations said the country is in bad shape.
He discussed why he thinks the John McCain and the Republican Party will not win on Nov. 4.


“The country (USA) is in dire straits, it is at its worst since World War II,” Deans said.
Deans said that few problems were corrected by the current administration.
“The financial system reeks, $2 trillion in portfolio wealth has been washed out, and the stock market has lost 35 cents on the dollar in the Dow Jones (&Co.)” Deans said.
Deans said the Republican campaign is deeply flawed, and that the presidential election is not a national election 50 individual state elections.
“Many Americans are siding with Barack Obama’s plan…people don’t see a reason to vote republican.” Deans said.
Deans closed his speech by discussing Barack Obama himself as a reason why Obama will win the Presidential Election.
“He (Obama) is a genuine political phenomenon, he speaks at an emotional and spiritual level,” Deans said.
Deans thinks Obama has merged himself with John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King.

Anuj Singh
Hometown: Charlottesville, VA
Favorite thing: The New York Giants