Campus Politics Proliferate Debate Continues with Liberals and Elections

Author: Daniel Phillips

Last year, there were on average four members at the College Democrats' bimonthly meetings. Currently boasting a total of 87 names on their mailing list - a number that surpasses membership of many political organizations at Middlebury - the College Democrats are proof that political activism is a new trend on campus.

The liberal presence of Lyndon LaRouche, presidential hopeful, was felt on campus long before his visit here last Friday, which placed many skeptical Middlebury eyes on their College Democrats who sponsored his visit.

"We are really setting up a new chapter here, and the event of this past weekend was the jumpstart," said Jonathan Brand '05.5, co-chair of the club.

By bringing events like these to the College community, the campus liberals have recently basked in a surge in interest, attracting record numbers of students including new seniors. Brand noted that some first-years have already filled leadership positions for the Democrats, making them more likely to remain onboard for four years. "That's where you get a strong organization on campus," said Brand.

On assuming club-wide support of issues such as abortion, income taxes or gun control, Brand noted they have yet to distribute a memo on such policies. "That's not where we are in terms of a club," Brand said.

He claimed that the vast majority of members harbor different political views, but that the group's mantra promotes political activity and political awareness. "We are really more about promoting the Democratic process. The idea that Democrats are the majority [on campus] is somewhat justified by the people who go here. It makes for an interesting debate," he said.



Defending Liberal Labels



Brand echoed the position of Tabby Connor '05, president of the College Republicans, in his belief that the Middlebury campus is not so much apathetic as it is unaware. "That does not - and should not - hinder anyone, especially at a campus with such open policies. You are not going to know all of the information unless you actively pursue it," said Brand. He described the most common response he receives concerning political activism at Middlebury as, "This is where I'm coming from and this where I want to go."

"In my experience," said Brand, "I feel like people do not hesitate to speak up about political issues. This is a pretty accepting campus."

Fellow Co-Chair of the College Democrats Laura Kelly '06 agreed with Brand's observations. "The forum of class discussion at Middlebury is tolerant and respectful of a plethora of ideas," she affirmed.

There is a commonly held perception that Vermont has a liberal identity, but Brand sees Vermont as "politically progressive, active and aware." He said the engaging political environment "gives every club the chance to get off campus." Brand explained, "Once you get the real world feeling, you get the idea of what you need to accomplish on campus."



On the Agenda



Apart from LaRouche's campus-wide address, the College Democrats have also hosted other awareness speeches at their meetings such as Addison County's Howard Dean campaign organizer Amy Morsman, campus representative for the Kerry campaign Chris Shields '04, Clare Studwell '04 for Teach for America and Liz Lyon '06.5 for the Prisoner's Rights Group.

Kelly noted that the club is working to make absentee ballots more accessible to students. They have been collaborating with the College Progressives and the College Republicans to increase voter registration on campus. Preparations have also been made for a legislative breakfast in April.

The club also embarked on an e-mail campaign called Head Start, chaired by Arielle Knudsen '06. The campaign"tried to address the issue that President Bush wants states to take away federal standards and oversight of the Head Start Program," said Kelly.

Knudsen's campaign attempted to make representatives aware that states strapped for cash might be tempted to cut corners on such a successful program, according to Kelly.

The club has recently compiled a Democratic campaign binder that "identifies the numerous candidates running for the Democratic Presidential Primary and summarizes their platform," said Kelly.



2004 Presidential Election



With calendars turned to election month, presidential campaign fervor is already budding on campus. According to Eric Davis, professor of political science and secretary of the College, "The student vote will be very important in the 2004 election. Because the 'baby boom echo' generation is now of voting age, there will be more first-time voters - voters between the ages of 18 and 21 years old - in 2004 than in any previous election in our history."

As part of the club's guidelines, according to Brand, the College Democrats are not permitted to collectively endorse a candidate until the end of the primary elections after the Democratic National Committee has chosen their frontrunner. Kelly elaborated, "The Middlebury College Democrats do not have a unified stance on a variety of issues because we value the different opinions that our members have."

It has been difficult for the club to form one solid opinion because many of its members are working for various Presidential campaigns. However, Brand added that their participation "makes it less intimidating for people to get involved." As co-chair of the campus Democrats, Brand cannot say who he will support personally, so he must take more of an objective look at the election.

From the campus Conservative's standpoint, Connor pointed out that many of the Democratic presidential platforms emerge in reaction to the Bush campaign and how it should be reformed. She expects nearly every member of the College Republicans to back Bush in the next presidential election. However, Vermont primaries do not occur until three to four months before the elections.

Last month, Harvard University's Institute of Politics released a poll of 1,202 college students nationwide. The results showed that President Bush's approval rating has not declined since April and that he is currently favored by 61 percent of undergraduates, which is about 10 points higher than the general public.

The Harvard poll also mirrors earlier results taken from the University of California at Los Angeles, that indicated that 31 percent identify themselves as Republican, 27 percent Democrats and 38 percent filling out the Independent or unaffiliated contingency.

Davis published an Op-ed column in The Addison County Independent, in which he claimed, "The principal explanation for what appear to be the internal contradictions in this poll - general support of George W. Bush coupled with serious reservations about his Administration's policy in Iraq - is that students do not consider 'agreeing with me on the issues' or 'being attuned to the problems and needs of young people' as primary considerations in their judgment of presidential candidates."

More than two-thirds of the students surveyed are registered to vote, and over 80 percent plan to vote in 2004 and think their participation will "make a difference in the Presidential election," as the press release claimed.

Davis told an interviewer from WCAX Channel 3 News two weekends ago, "If Howard Dean ends up as the Democratic presidential nominee that President Bush would probably win 35 to 40 states and over 400 electoral votes." With the exception of New Hampshire, Davis does not see Dean winning any states outside New England, New York, Washington D.C., Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Washington, Oregon and probably California, since Schwarzenegger's win in the recall election shows more Republican tendencies than some analysts thought.

Davis also suspects that the Middlebury student opinion about Bush might reflect the
regions of the country they are from. "I believe Bush would beat any of the leading Democratic presidential contenders, although Gephardt would probably be more competitive in some Midwestern states, such as Ohio, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri, while Edwards would be more competitive in some southern states, such as Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina and Florida," said Davis.

By analyzing the Bush-Gore exit poll data from November 2000, the map provides these results: Republicans won the West, South and Midwest, while Democrats won the Northeast, the West Coast and several Midwest industrial states.

Davis felt this might explain why student opinion at the most highly selective colleges and universities, such as the Ivies or NESCACs, might be very different from the national student opinion reported in the Harvard poll.