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Tipster Rick Betita noticed that Barack Obama is in New York City today, delivering a speech about the economy at—where else?—Cooper Union. Obama was introduced to the crowd by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.
In the speech, Obama explained his rationale for visiting Cooper Union: “In a city of landmarks, we meet at Cooper Union, just uptown from Federal Hall, where George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States.”
Also “uptown from Federal Hall?” A certain other university with which Obama might be vaguely familiar.
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30 Comments
@Come on Look, it’s perfectly clear why he doesn’t come to Columbia right now. He has upper-middle-class, educated voters in his pocket and is vying with Clinton for the support of blue-collar and lower-income voters. The last thing he needs right now is a photo-op that makes him look elitist.
@si se puede could it be a class/voter thing? Is Columbia irrelevant to his YES WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD AND LEARN TO LOVE AGAIN SAY IT WITH ME NOW campaign?
@green me thinks, he feels mistreated…if he’s indeed a slut, he’d be here to politic, but, michelle, he’s displaying self-respect by shunning “us.” that’s a theory…anyway, what is w/ this groupist “us” business? obama doesn’t know you; his slight is not personal.
& i’ve met my share of unpleasant folks at this place, but if I ever have $$, I would donate – not ‘cos of loyalties but ‘cos I’d like to help make it easier for someone else to learn stuff. so I hope Obama’s not just holding some petty grudge but hasa good reason to not wanna come out & playy…whatev. his reason, i hope he plays nice w/ billary because I expect more from him, despite max weber’s warnings…
why am i defending this man when i have more immediate things to attend to, like my stupid laptop that has been magically shutting off every 5 mins & might go any sec noww
@DHI Okay, the Ivies didn’t do as bad as I said, but Penn State still beats all of them:
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.national.html
@the speech you obviously didn’t watch Obama’s speech today..he alluded to Lincoln’s address immediately in the opening. it is also believed that Obama is waiting to be invited to speak at the harvard law’s graduation and will then speak at columbia after.
@I've heard that he had a very questionable encounter during his time here. Possibly along the lines of a sexual harassment allegation. It would not be unlike Obama to avoid the chances of such a thing becoming public.
@you have? Are you possibly the same individual who promulgated this rumor on Bwog a few months ago? I have never heard any such thing mentioned anywhere besides Bwog. Of course, Bob Novak suggested that there is a scandal of gigantic proportions lurking in the shadows, but he’s far from a reputable source. I suspect the Clinton campaign would have publicly revealed this information long ago if it was supported by substantial evidence.
@whatever screw Obama if he’s so ashamed of Columbia to visit during his campaign. No matter how shitty his experience here was, I think it’s totally bullshit he turns his back on the Columbia community. If I were a member of “Students for Obama” I’d go slit my wrists in anguish.
Go Billary.
@I can totally understand why he has effectively disowned CU. This place stokes resentment like Barnard sucks cock…without a single notion of irony and often in public. The sad thing is that as overt a rebuke to
CU as this is I feel that it will not register at all with the powers that be in Low.
@1111111111112 Just forget about him and move on. If he doesn’t like us, fine, we don’t need him.
@Cooper Well, as mentioned earlier, Lincoln did speak there. Nevertheless, his avoidance of Columbia is more than a little conspicuous.
@typo Hmm , didn’t realize that Bloomberg was a major as well as the mayor…..
@Oh, come on... Obama is speaking at Penn State this weekend. Penn State. This doesn’t sit well with me at all.
@DHI Why does it not sit will with you? Because the school is less prestigious? It has 43,000 students. It is also important to its students, especially in state because it is the best school with an affordable price tag. As an educational institution, it is more important than Columbia. It is also in a state with an upcoming primary. Obama’s not in academia.
@really? “As an educational institution, it is more important than Columbia.”
let’s not say things we can’t take back.
@Well, he probably meant that in the context of the election.
Frankly, I’m living somewhat of a hermetic existence here as well, and greatly looking forward to a change of pace wherever I choose to go for grad school. But I’m already telling myself that I’ll always give Columbia credit, if for nothing else than for the experience it provides, and I’ll be a regular donor even if I have a tough year and can only give $50.
(I tell myself this now… but who knows if it’ll still be true come graduation. Eek.)
@DHI Educational. Not research (although Penn State also has pretty good research). Nor alumni networking.
I would say that a school that educates far more people, many of whom have fewer alternatives, is definitely more important than a school with a small advantage in educational quality. If Penn State disappeared, more students would be fucked than if Columbia disappeared. And the difference between a Columbia education and a Penn State education is much less than the difference between a Penn State education and an education at a college without the resources to offer a full catalogue of classes.
Plus, earnings aren’t all that different.
http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/departments/elearning/?article=elitecollege
Some valuation depends on how elitist you are, not in a pejorative sense but in the sense that you believe in an elite class of people who attend top institutions and contribute far more to society than others. Generally, though, large state universities with a good level of education, if not small class sizes, are extremely important for the country’s infrastructure.
Read this: http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2006/0609.collegeguide.html
Penn State is generally in the top five or ten. Cornell was in the top 10 but the smaller Ivies were generally down in the 50s or lower. I can’t find the full list.
@Hillary That’s probably because Pennsylvania’s primary is on April 22nd, not because he wants to piss off Columbia students.
@jeez chill out. the comment was made in jest
@But still Cooper Union has like 2 students. Surely it would have been more fitting for him to speak here? More students, his alma mater, proximity to Harlem, history of great US leaders, etc etc
@Dear Barack If you are ashamed of us, please stop advertising your undergrad degree. I’m sure Harvard law will do just fine.
@Don't care Obama is all hype and won’t win the presidency. The Democrats are too divided.
@... cooper union = free
columbia = not free
any questions?
@ugh slut, come to Columbia. Then I’ll vote for you… maybe.
@even if he does come i still won’t vote for him!!!
@Eric Foner Well done, Mr. Rosen.
@history guy that is very true!
@Armin Rosen Obama’s aides really should have done a better job prepping him: the Cooper Union is probably best known for hosting a pre-presidential Abraham Lincoln’s landmark Cooper Union address: http://showcase.netins.net/web/creative/lincoln/speeches/cooper.htm
@well I was going to point that out as well. Way to miss a slam dunk, especially following the race speech last week.
@what do underpaid staff at carvel and ben and jerry’s form to get higher wages?
scooper unions!