Let’s face it, there’s only one reason why it has taken this long to pass comprehensive health care reform: the Senate Finance Committee. The three related committees in the House passed their versions before the August recess, and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee passed it when the chairman was still Senator Kennedy. Yet the Senate Finance Committee, under moderate Senator Max Baucus (D-MT), has yet to pass a bill. And it is highly likely that any bill that passes the Finance Committee will not contain the public option–a pivotal part of the other four bills. How is this so? (more…)

Where do you think these pictures were taken? In a war zone perhaps, or a unstable Eastern Bloc country? What if I told you that these pictures were taken on a college campus in a location four and a half hours away from our Foggy Bottom?  This is the scene from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where as world leaders discuss greater economic cooperation and political understanding the Bill of Rights is being trampled on. If you don’t think these pictures look 1984/Minority Report-esque or militaristic enough, then maybe these videos from University of Pittsburgh News website Pitt Briefly will do a better job of telling the story of the insanity taking place in the streets of the Steel City:

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The Young America’s Foundation has tried to create a controversy again, this time by condemning Michelle Obama’s challenge to GWU to achieve 100,000 hours of community service this year. They claim she’s a partisan figure who should not be a commencement speaker at GWU. Although I disagree - she is the First Lady of the United States - I can understand that they might not be excited about her due to political diferences. The more disturbing thing, however, is that they fail to recognize the purpose of her challenge. She’s not trying to make service partisan, as YAF claims, but rather create a strong incentive for students to help their community. By rejecting the First Lady’s challenge, YAF is rejecting the concept of promoting service, and creating a controversy out of an altruistic move.

This isn’t the first time GW’s chapter of YAF has stirred up controversy. Many of you recall the enormous, spontaneous party in front of the White House last year on election day. If you’re reading this post you probably don’t recall the numerous reports in Fox News and conservative newspapers and blogs of a Soviet flag having been waved over the crowd. Despite commentary that this proved supposed Communist sympathies amongst Obama supporters, this was in fact an act carried out by YAF. In addition to gossip that people saw a YAF e-board member holding the flag, I also discovered that this was, unfortunately, the case. On Thursday November 6th, I met with someone in Marvin Center room 401 immediately prior to the YAF e-board meeting. A member of their board pulled out the Soviet flag, and they began discussing how successful their stunt was. This stunt mischaracterized the views of GW students who participated in this party, and denigrated the political discussion on campus and nationwide.

These are just two examples of the controversy caused by YAF’s actions. We as the GW community should put pressure on them to end their senseless partisanship and libelous stunts. The George Washington University is a place for people of all political persuasions, but we should be respectful and honest when discussing our political views. YAF hasn’t demonstrated an ability to do this yet. Hopefully they’ll catch on soon.

Today I checked out the GW Hatchet’s website to see if there was any new news on campus, but was flabbergasted by one headline in particular: the GW College Republicans will host Rep. Joe Wilson, the now infamous conservative ideologue who yelled out “You lie!” during President Obama’s speech to the joint session of Congress. Not only were Democrats perturbed, but many members of his own party, including Senator John McCain, who thought it was was completely inappropriate.

So why are the College Republicans hosting this ideologue who has also attacked Rep. Bob Filner for opposing the Iraq War and criticized Senator Strom Thurmond’s illegitimate daughter for admitting her family history for “smearing his legacy.” This man consistently offends and inappropriately yells out his radical views, and after this recent outburst has questioned his own ability to be part of a constructive dialogue.

The College Republicans are making a misguided decision in choosing Rep. Joe Wilson as a speaker. The Executive Board of the College Republicans has done a disservice to their moderate membership by associating them with such a controversial figure. I urge the College Republicans to revisit their decision to invite Wilson to GWU.

“Stay in school, kids” is the latest postscript to the Communist Manifesto, if you are to believe the GOP uproar to the president’s address to the nation’s students yesterday. But in tonight’s address to the nation on health care, the fringe right made another appearance in the form of not just Joe “You Lie!” Wilson, but in many outbursts from various Republican congressmen:

Throughout the speech, Republican members of Congress repeatedly held up stacks of papers that appeared to represent ideas they had for the bill.

Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) held signs that read “What Bill?” and “What Plan?”

When Obama told the chamber that the “death panel” lie was, in fact, a lie, a Republican member said loudly enough to be heard in the press gallery, “Read the bill” — a common refrain at August’s angry town hall meetings.

When Obama told the chamber that he had “no interest in putting insurance companies out of business,” a Republican member responded with a loud, “Ha!”

Say what you will about members of Code Pink who interrupted speeches by President Bush over the years, but never did we see Democratic members of Congress pollute the discourse like this. Even I, an admitted cynic, did not expect to see this.

In today’s GW Hatchet, College Democrats Communications Director Matt Ingoglia wrote an op-ed describing the Republican’s Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell’s 1989 thesis espousing views on working women, contraception, and the homosexual community that make most people cringe.

McDonnell has claimed that his views expressed in this paper he wrote at the age of 34 have changed drastically. The Republicans have accepted this excuse. The GW College Republicans even had him speak for their first event last Wednesday. Is this an accurate assessment? Did he really give up those views?

Despite attempts to portray himself as a “moderate” now, it’s pretty clear that he’s still pursuing his radical, right-wing agenda. Supporter Republican Del. Robert Marshall of Prince William said that McDonnell hasn’t given up his socially conservative views, but is merely hiding them in order to win the election. Bob McDonnell thinks he can trick the people of Virginia to believe he is a moderate, a thought that’s scary enough. This raises another question, however: if McDonnell is trying to cover up this thesis, what else is he hiding?

Bob McDonnell has made a mistake trying to hide his extreme political views from his constituents, and the people of Virginia will see right through his masquerade.