Though we’ve already somewhat slyly commented on President Obama’s recent withdrawal of American troops from Iraq, we’ve decided that the event deserves a more thorough discussion. The U.S. has maintained a presence in Iraq since 2003, a.k.a. when most current undergrads were still in elementary and middle school. This war has dominated America’s foreign attention for most of our lives, and memory of the war is sure to have a lasting impact on our futures. For that reason, we’d like to offer Columbians the chance to talk about it in a more focused way. Here, we present to you the responses from four different campus political organizations. We hope that they serve as a launching point for your discussions in the comments.

Columbia University Military Veterans:

“The troop withdrawal from Iraq is a topic of immediate political interest, the merits of which will undoubtedly be subject of debate. However, geopolitical and strategic implications aside, our greatest challenges lie in managing the welfare of veterans and their families. Though they represent a sliver of the American population, they have shouldered the burden of our nation’s wars. To many Americans the troop withdrawal brings closure, but to many veterans the struggle to readjust to American society continues.”

Read on for comments from Dems, Reps, and CPU

Bwogger Carolyn Ruvkun tagged along with the Columbia University Democrats on their annual campaign trip. Recapturing Columbia’s activist past, the dedicated Dems knocked on 50,000 doors, made the local news and almost got arrested. So open a cool can of Keystone, kids, we’re heading to the Keystone state!

Early on the Friday morning of Fall break, the Dems assembled at the sundial, grabbed their bags and bagels, and squished into silver vans. They left for Pennsylvania’s 8^th Congressional District to campaign for the incumbent, Patrick Murphy, against his Republican opponent and (spoiler alert!) eventual winner, Mike Fitzpatrick. PA-8 serves the contested Bucks County, which has historically swung between the two congressional candidates. Fitzpatrick represented the district for one term before Murphy unseated him in 2006. Their 2006 race was the nation’s second most competitive, drawing a whopping 57% turnout. Murphy prevailed by a slim margin of 1518 votes. But 2010 presented very different circumstances for a district battered by the recession. An Iraq veteran who championed the repeal of “don’t ask, don’t tell,” Murphy proved a worthy candidate for the Dems’ support. The fiscally conservative Blue Dog Democrat faced Fitzpatrick, an extremely conservative Republican. Plus, Murphy’s campaign agreed to finance our lovely (read: ciggie-stained) rooms at the Days Inn, conveniently located by a real Amish Market.

Though briefly delayed by a fight in the Days Inn parking lot, the Dems got fired up on Saturday morning with the Cupid Shuffle, then headed to their “staging location,” the local campaign headquarters. Murphy organizers presented us “turf” —long lists of names, routes and addresses —for canvassing. We were instructed to knock on the doors of these registered Democrats and remind them to vote. Sounds simple, but what a spectacle.

Blasting Pretty Boy Swag, we sped through the sleepy suburbs of Bucks County in our silver vans lovingly named the Sketch-mobiles. (The Dems know how to make an appearance; a Columbia Democrat speaks at a noticeably higher decibel level than an average person). My van spent most of the weekend canvassing in freakishly uniform upper-middle class neighborhoods that resembled the set of American Beauty. But those “little boxes” held true gems; we met some crazy characters. Some were excited about our endeavors. One eager middle-aged dad in a strapping sweater vest offered me and my canvassing partner soda, and urged us to “kick some ass!” Others accused us of being “fucking naïve” socialists. Overall, the friendly folks outnumbered the sassy and downright rude. I talked to Bucks County residents about their Halloween decorations, the origins of their last names and their colorful mezuzahs. Also, apparently people think it’s okay to answer their doors wearing only boxers.

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Sarah Camiscoli is a shoe-leather journalist! She sat in on the College Dems vs College Republicans final debate of the year, and everyone yelled a lot.

The chalkboard in Fayerweather 313 blared: “Resolved: The public school system should be replaced with vouchers.” This was to be a long evening. Before the debate got underway, the College Republican moderator noted that this was the last debate of the year. “It’s been fun while it lasted,” he said. He then introduced Will, a passionate advocate for the abolition of public education, as someone who claims to have “killed a goat with his bare hands.”

Opening with the statement that “everyone knows” that current education system “is broken” and offering statistics such as the “increase in 185% in real dollars” that have been “thrown at” students in low income areas with “no effect,” the Republicans claimed that they wanted to offer “parents a choice” by enrolling each eligible student in the United States into a “radical voucher program” that would offer each family a sort of subsidized ticket to assist them in affording an education that would no longer be free. Read more…

Photo via Wikipedia

The Columbia Political Union hosted another in its series of debates between the Columbia Democrats and Republicans. Senior Junior Political Correspondent Derek Huang was there.

Ah, debate: an experience normally associated with eager high-schoolers who take themselves too seriously. Last night’s debate, though, involved a different type of hyper-argumentative youth. Last night’s debate between the College Democrats and College Republicans featured two moderators–one from each group–and two debaters representing each side. The topic of the debate was the recent and controversial (in most circles, at least) ruling by the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission.

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The College Dems held a contentious rally against a member of their own party on Thursday. Bwog’s Senior Love/Hate Correspondent Mahrah Taufique reports.

Despite the slush and chilly weather, the Columbia University College Democrats (CUCD), joined by State Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, rallied on the steps of Low from 9am to 3pm yesterday for the first event of their Students Advancing Marriage Equality (SAME) campaign. Their aim was to highlight the hypocrisy of State Senator Joe Addabbo, for whom they campaigned in 2008 when his platform included a pro gay-marriage emphasis, but who subsequently rejected marriage equality in December along with 7 other Democratic Senators. The senator’s decision was apparently based on the 75 phone calls he received from people against gay marriage. A massive representation of Senator Addabbo with “WTF” written in angry red letters exemplified the students’ frustration and indignation. The Dems spent the afternoon collecting signatures on paper hearts and petitions – Valentine’s Day messages which are being delivered to Sentator Addabo’s office in Queens today.

UPDATE: Dems Sam Klug and Sean Quirk found Senator Addabo’s office empty on Friday afternoon, so they posted all the valentines signed during Thursday’s event in an innovative way.

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The College Democrats are on Low Steps now for the first event of their Students Advancing Marriage Equality (SAME) campaign. Assemblyman Daniel O’Donnell, State Assemblyman for District 69 (aka Rosie O’Donnell’s brother), will be speaking at the event at noon!

Election season means another Columbia Democrats campaign trip, and this year, they are returning to the Old Dominion (aka “Virginia”) to campaign for gubernatorial candidate Creigh Deeds. Sean Quirk sends us the first of two dispatches from the trail. 

It’s 11 A.M. on a blistering, rainy Sunday morning as Columbia Democratic foot soldiers get a pep talk under Quality Inn’s dark green awning.  “’Change we can believe in’ was not just a slogan,” Jonathan Backer yells to his fellow Columbia Democrats.  “Change cannot come with one candidate.”

Fall break is no break for the Columbia University College Democrats.  The year’s annual campaign trip brought over 40 Columbia University students to marvelous Manassas, Virginia—home of the first major battle of the Civil War and Barack Obama’s last major speech of the 2008 presidential campaign. The Columbia Democrats were also here in Manassas last year to witness that speech after working in McLean, Virginia, to get out the vote for Obama. But this is not 2008, and Barack Obama is unfortunately not a candidate this time around.  The fight is now for the governorship, a far tougher prospect. Read more…

Last night’s Columbia Political Union Healthcare debate boasted no special format: the soothing power of the free market versus humanity and logical responsibility. Their respective groupies cheered, scoffed and even engaged in some raucous Joe Wilson-ery.  More valuable than watching the news, less valuable than personally investigating the issues, but more time-effective than either – it was as perfect as perfect can be in dialogue on a contentious issue. So is Bwog’s empty, conflicted soul a pre-existing condition?

The Republicans agreed that the healthcare system is broken, but because of overregulation. By their account, a freer market and a shift to individual healthcare policies (not employer-based policies) should remedy the problem. They also took a quick jab at the Democrats, claiming that they desire a single-payer system, want to use the public option to take over the health industry, and are essentially reckless social experimenters – not the most constructive use of a debate, but at least no one started a semantics catfight.

Logically, the Democrats took the opposing stance with equal certitude and equally misused facts.   The healthcare system is broken and it is because of profiteering insurance companies who care more about making a buck than saving a life. Thousands are dying, millions are uninsured. It’s all so preventable with early-stage medical care, itself helped along by a public option, which would be cheaper overall than private insurers and eventually nullify its own cost.  “These are facts. You can’t argue with them.”

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Proving that even middle grounds can be staked forcefully, the Campus Democrats released a statement lambasting the recent Gaza protests on campus, accusing both camps of harmful divisiveness. They urged dialogue instead of separate protests and unveiled their plan to cosponsor, along with CIRCA, the College Republicans, Hillel, Turath, and the Chaplain’s Office, a “community conversation on the recent conflict” on February 10th. The Dems emphasized that “all perspectives are welcome” at the event.

Although underlining the openness of their upcoming conversation, the Democrats showed little restraint in criticizing the protest groups. They compared the quibbling in Morningside Heights to the battling in the Middle East. “If words possessed the force of rockets or the power of bombs,” the press release says, “Columbia’s campus would be as devastated as Gaza City or Sderot.” And that would no doubt suck.

The Dems concluded by declaring it “is time for us to beat our polemics into plowshares.” No word on whether the Dems apply that to their own press releases. Full statement after the jump. Read more…

And here Bwog thought that Barack Obama’s victory would satiate campus liberalism for at least a month. Instead, the College Dems are already out to hold him to account, and this year they have a new weapon: LARGER POSTERS! Bwog mostly loves them for being put in blatantly no-poster zones. 

Dems Lead Activist Kate O’Gorman told Bwog that the posters, which cover issues ranging from education to the economy, show “the issues that we want to push, and we want students to join us in being concerned about them. A lot of students on this campus, including the 132 that went with us on the campaign trip, spent a lot of time and effort on electing Barack Obama and we want to keep that spirit alive.”

Perhaps most importantly, though, the first Dems meeting/Wednesday night free food opportunity of the year is tomorrow night in 511 Hamilton.

Intrepid photographer/Columbia Dem Nancy Huemer took about a thousand photos down in Virginia. She sent along her favorites from the trip, presented in chronological order (and with silly captions).

The van considers a stop at the local Cracker Barrel.

Judy Feder introduces herself through “large-hand” gesticulation. Read more…

Before anything happened, Lauren Salz advised the next president to break his promises. 

Obama won.  Yes, he did.  Just in time to find Washington decimated.

We watched it in Harlem, Times Square, Virginia and the Broadway Sky Lounge.

Now what?  Apply for grad school! 

Bwog’s James Downie checks in again from Virginia. Photo by Jason Reed of Reuters.

ON THE ROAD BETWEEN LEESBURG AND MANASSAS, VA. – Even after an hour waiting in the November cold, 80,000 people can make some noise. That was the first lesson of the Obama campaign rally the College Democrats attended late Monday night. The second lesson? Standing for two hours in the cold is no less tiring than knocking on doors, especially when you face the prospect of a 4:15 wakeup call. The third lesson? A candidate at the start of his campaign will be very different, in both substance and style, at the end.

The day began in the same way as the last two days: rise, wolf down breakfast, and receive the canvassing sheets. The schedule quickly swerved into the surreal, as Judy Feder (this time actually Dems Media Director Avi Edelman in a fantastic wig) made a second appearance to sing an inspirational song. After a group photo, complete with scenic highway background, the Dems piled into their vans and drove off. Read more…

Bwog’s James Downie checks back in from Virginia.

LEESBURG, VA. – If you’re going to knock on doors for a candidate, you will rapidly learn how much you’re willing to work for that candidate. 6 hours of walking tests not only one’s feet and shoes, but also the ability to sell a shtick again and again to closing doors. The only thing that could have made it worse would be the weather – we have lucked into reasonably warm weather for this four-day sojourn. Even more fortunately for the Obama, Warner, and Feder campaigns, their Columbia foot soldiers ended a second day of campaigning still in high spirits. They even managed to navigate the Daylight Savings Time switch without missing any vans.

That does not mean there have not been interesting stories of voter resistance and hilarious stories of voter reaction along the way. After all, memorable moments are bound to happen on the campaign trail. Some of the best stories of the last two days, and the method behind the Obama canvassing machine, after the jump. Read more…

Bwog Daily Editor and White House Bureau Chief James Downie checks in from Virginia, with the College Democrats’ campaign trip.

LEESBURG, VA. – Back in the so-called “glory days” of student activism (really?), student campaigners would arrive in an broken-down Eurovan, sleep on hard floors, scrounge for their own food, and build rafts from local…no, wait, that last one was Robinson Crusoe. Anyways, while student campaigns of yore may have some differences, the method of choice remains the same: walk up to door, knock, (hopefully) talk, repeat.

If they want to help win Virginia, the Columbia Dems will have to do that again, and again, and again. In the “Old Dominion State,” the Dems have chosen probably the most important state for both Obama and the Democratic Party. While many states have moved in and out of contention, Virginia has been a close state for as long as any in the presidential campaign. Obama has opened a slightly larger lead recently, with polls giving him anywhere from a 4 to 9 point lead. Read more…