I absolutely loved the surprise I got this morning when I turned on my TV to find that President Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his renewed focus on diplomacy as a solution to international crises. And now I’m really enjoying watching my Republican friends show their true colors as they attempt in vain to discredit my president yet again.
I’ll be honest, the other candidates for this award were very impressive. And I’m not particularly hot on awarding the guy who’s yet to close Guantanamo Bay, withdraw our troops from Iraq, and make a decision on Afghanistan. But unlike the reactionary, hate-filled right wingers out there, I see the committee’s decision for what it is: a genuine attempt by the international community to reward incremental but promising progress.

This is a day to take pride in our president’s leadership, and hope that he remember this accolade whenever making critical decisions on matters of war and peace. It is not a day for petty partisanship, but don’t tell the Republicans that.

Have you ever noticed that after putting your iPod down for a second, when you pick it up the headphones are twisted into a complicated jumble that takes several minutes to untangle? It seems as though, all of the sudden, you have to spend more time fixing this issue than you had spent enjoying it and you can’t help but ask, “how did I get here?”

As a Democrat, I ask myself that question pretty often these days. It seems that we can’t put forth a policy or assert a position without it coming back tangled, twisted, and in a very different form than that which we had submitted.

Let’s look at the issue very much on the public agenda today: health care reform. This summer, the content of the Health Care Bill supported by Obama was made public. Elements such as required coverage for preventative care, lowered insurance costs, and a public option could be seen by Americans of all parties as our President’s attempt to provide our nation with equal health care. Discussion, debate, and contention are to be expected. But health care equality is not on the rocks because Republicans have asserted sound arguments rooted in evidence. Let’s follow the breadcrumb trail back to our first proposal for health care equality early in Summer 2009, shall we? We find the evil witch Sarah Palin jumbling up our quotes and getting her supporters tangled up in threats of “socialism” and “death panels.” Even when it seems like what Glenn Beck says can whisk the Republican Party out of its misery, come midnight, he turns out to be more of a pumpkin than a carriage. The Democratic Party put forth a plan to equip men and women of all income levels with health care, but is instead exhausting important discussion time reversing ludicrous claims asserted by Conservative news-generators like Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin. Instead of communicating a message of equality and accessible health care, we are countering men and women who shout in town halls that we plan to prematurely force old people to the grave. How did we get here?

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And you thought Glenn Beck was bad? Check out this dude, who’s got the ear of some Republicans in Congress:

A syndicated radio host, filmmaker, and all-around countercultural icon based in Austin, Texas, Jones has long been one of the country’s most significant purveyors of paranoia. His 2007 documentary Endgame: Blueprint for Global Enslavement, in which the megaphone scene takes place, purports to reveal a eugenics-obsessed global elite bent on eliminating most of the earth’s population and enslaving the rest. Members of a Satanic international network, Jones explains in an ominous voiceover, have been “steering planetary affairs for hundreds of years. Now, in the final stage, they prepare for open world government.”

[snip]

But it’s really only since Barack Obama’s election, when Jones turned the full force of his apocalyptic imagination toward the new president, that his ideas have found purchase in the conservative mainstream. Several Republican officeholders, from state representatives to congressmen, have appeared on his program to trade wild theories about Obama.

“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” It works for the mobsters of The Godfather, but President Obama and the White House have been working so hard to court our enemies that they have alienated core Democratic constituencies. No group has felt this more than the LGBT community. When Obama addresses the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC, the largest gay-rights organization) annual gala this Saturday, he will have the chance to either renew his relations with this loyal Democratic constituency or incite further agitation and disenchantment.

As a candidate in the primaries, Obama positioned himself to the left of frontrunner Hillary Clinton on gay rights. He promised speedy repeals of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell (DADT, the law that bans gays from serving openly in the military) and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA, which bans same-sex marriage on a federal level). He made a number of other commitments, promising to serve as a “fierce advocate” for the LGBT community and pledging to put the full weight of the White House behind eight legislative goals. In return, the LGBT community threw much of its support behind Obama, both in fundraising and in actual campaigning. The community finally saw someone that would work for them in the White House. Read the rest of this entry »

This past week the College Democrats were lucky enough to host Michael Moore in a town hall style meeting. He made some brilliant points and I am happy to say he really made me think about health care in America. Later that day, I watched Sicko which made me think even more, and by the end, I was extremely angry. You’re right Mr. Moore, the way we treat our citizens when it comes to health care is immoral.

One thing that Michael Moore touched on, but doesn’t talk  about specifically, is mental health care in America. It is an issue that I am passionate about and I wholeheartedly believe that we need major reforms for the mental health care system in America.

Fifteen to eighteen percent of Americans are said to suffer from some type of mental illness. According to the NIMH, about 20% of adults will at sometime seek treatment for a mental disorder. Suicide accounts for more deaths than homicide and HIV/AIDS combined. Mental health is real, it’s prevalent and it needs to be addressed. Read the rest of this entry »

A recent topic of discussion is the prospect that the GOP could re-take the House of Representatives in the 2010 midterm elections. With today’s unfortunate report that the economy is still shedding jobs, and with the defeat of the public option in the Senate Finance Committee’s version of the health care bill, many Republicans no doubt believe they are on the offensive to a such a degree that they can take back the House. Read the rest of this entry »

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? Read the rest of this entry »

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.