With her eclectic taste in television and a strong sense of patriotism, Penn Leads the Vote's Stephanie Simon puts the super in Super Tuesday.
Street: Tell us a little about Penn Leads the Vote.
Stephanie Simon: PLTV is a non-partisan organization promoting student voter registration and mobilization. We tripled voter turnout on campus during the 2006 midterm election (brushes the dirt off our shoulders) by handing out free t-shirts, cookies and a healthy dose of civic virtue. We take voting pretty seriously. I may or may not have challenged Ibby Jabber to a fight on Locust Walk because he wouldn't register. Who do you think made him move to Europe?
Street: How do you stay updated on political news?
SS: I'm pretty much a political news junkie. I try to read the newspaper everyday, and I watch all those infuriating political talk shows on TV. With the writers' strike, it's not like there's anything better on.
Street: Democrat or Republican?
SS: I like to think of myself as an American. A patriot, really. Baseball and Cheerios, stars and stripes. Give me liberty or give me death.
Street: How do you show support for your candidate?
SS: I show up on Election Day and vote. If you don't do that, does anything else really matter?
Street: How did you get involved in political organizations?
SS: The West Wing was my favorite TV show growing up, and I always wanted to be Josh Lyman. And the fact that the former president of Penn Leads the Vote was pretty cute didn't hurt either.
Street: If you were running for president, what would be your campaign slogan?
SS: I won two successful campaigns for class president in high school with the slogan "Just be rhymin', vote for Simon." I like to think it was the Rastafarian vibe that gave me cross-cultural appeal and helped me reach out to voters. Or maybe it was just the cookies I handed out on election day.
Street: What celebrity would you appoint as your vice president?
SS: Hands down, Britney Spears. The Simon-Spears campaign would get more free press than any candidate could dream of. We'd lose among values voters, but you know Perez would blog for us. Plus, how could I look bad standing next to that?
Street: Any advice for freshmen?
SS: Register to vote in Pennsylvania - we all know you're going to forget to request an absentee ballot. Chances are, you already have enough things to regret.
Street: Most overrated thing about Penn? Most underrated?
SS: Most overrated: ABP. Why do we all wait half an hour to pay $10 for a bad sandwich, and then have nowhere to sit? Most underrated: Fox Leadership. Cool speakers AND free food. Need I say more?
Street: Plans to stay involved in politics after college?
SS: Don't be surprised if you see my name on the ballot in 2024. Why do you think I deleted my Facebook photo application already? Two words: political liability.
Street: Best speaker you've ever seen?
SS: When I worked on Capitol Hill, Colin Powell spoke to all the interns. He rocked the House, no pun intended.
Street: There are two kinds of people at Penn...
SS: Those who vote, and those who wish they had.
Street: Sexiest politician?
SS: Michael Douglas in The American President. I'd be his date to the state dinner.
Street: What do you TiVo?
SS: My top two season passes: Meet the Press and Gossip Girl. What can I say, I have eclectic taste. I did have a TiVo crisis last week when the Lost season premiere was on at the same time as the Presidential Debate. What's a girl to do? The choice was heart-wrenching.
