Sitting in my common room a few days ago, a floormate and I were having an intense discussion on the current political scene. The upcoming midterm elections, the Bush tax-cuts and Don’t Ask Don’t Tell were all subjects of discussion and the conversation got fairly intense. It was a liberal versus a conservative in an intellectual battle for the ages.
As a Generation Y GOP member, Meghan’s outspoken criticism of the rigidity of the Republican party has earned her both eager fans and a reputation as a political pariah.
In a stunning reversal of fortune, the Democratic supermajority in the United States Senate has now been shattered with the election of Republican Scott Brown to succeed the late Ted Kennedy from Massachusetts. With 99 percent of precincts reporting, Brown received 52 percent to his Democratic challenger Martha Coakley’s 47 percent, an astonishing demonstration of widespread apathy and even anger at President Obama’s health care reform proposal.
Americans love agreement. In kindergarten, we are taught to play nice, share our blocks and get along with others. This elementary principle enters our political minds, and because of it, we want bipartisan agreement. A partisan bill equates to hogging the Legos when the majority party passes legislation without input from another party. Many citizens think that the more people who agree, the better, so if no one disagrees with the bill, it must be a good idea.
Many of you may be fellow fans of shows such as “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me” and “This American Life,” but for me, this particular habit of mine remains a black mark on my record of entertainment. It’s because I’m a conservative. You know, the kind that makes you turn up your nose and snicker in disbelieving disgust that one could be so very ignorant.
A friend of my roommate’s, Sarah, came up to me and smiled. She said, “I didn’t know you were a Republican. That’s cool, I am too.” Unlike me, wearing a College Republican shirt and holding a McCain-Palin sign, she had nothing political on her. I asked her why she didn’t want to come help make a presence at the show, and she told me that she has two ultra-liberal suitemates who didn’t know she was a conservative.
As a recent graduate of Wash. U. (2008), I’ve found myself checking the Student Life Web site to get updates about the vice presidential debate. In the process, I stumbled upon Tricia Wittig’s letter about being a Republican at Wash. U. As an ardent liberal currently working for the Democratic parties efforts in this election, I actually must agree with most of the points in her editorial.
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