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Monday, April 16, 2012 1:37 a.m.

Newark mayor calls on youth to enact “true change”

Cory Booker, mayor of New Jersey's largest city, spoke to dozens of College Democrats members Sunday at Jack Morton Auditorium. Avra Bossov | Hatchet photographer

This post was written by Hatchet staff writer Chloe Sorvino

The mayor of Newark, N.J. urged members of the College Democrats on Sunday to be living proof that idealism and politics can coexist.

Cory Booker said he takes a creative approach to his job, creating partnerships with nonprofits and social entrepreneurs.

“True change in society is never made by people who conform to what is. It’s always made by people who say what can be and what should be,” Booker, the leader of New Jersey’s largest city, said.

He lauded his policies as sustainable solutions that get at the root of combating crime and poverty in Newark.

“After I became mayor, we came together as a community and started tackling problems. I knew our community would be far better off if we could bring people together and get them to dream and believe a bit more,” Booker said.

The 42-year-old mayor said his city is thriving, with a drop in homicides and a population that is growing for the first time in more than 60 years.

“The momentum in our city has not been seen in a generation,” Booker said.

Booker sported a bandage on his hand from a burn sustained while pulling a neighbor out of a house fire last week, lighting up national headlines. He was treated at a New Jersey hospital for second-degree burns after the rescue.

He is also known for his 10-day hunger strike while a member of the Newark Municipal Council, protesting open-air drug dealing.

After Booker took Newark’s highest office, he said his colleagues predicted he would lose his idealism in the midst of politics. He said he has proudly stuck to his values.

“This nation, and our city in particular, had been damned with low expectations long enough. We had to start raising people’s expectations,” Booker said.

When asked about his future in politics, Booker said he was “not ruling anything out” – a response that was met by a burst of cheers from the audience.

President of the College Democrats Joe Maniscalco spearheaded the effort to get Booker to headline the organization’s year-end event.

“In my eyes, he’s probably one of the most inspirational speakers out there,” Maniscalco said.

Monday, April 2, 2012 12:00 p.m.

Newark Mayor Cory Booker to headline College Democrats event

by Lauren French

Photo courtesy of the College Democrats

The mayor of Newark, N.J. will speak to students as part of a College Democrats event April 15.

Cory Booker is the third African American elected to Newark’s highest office in 2006 and is a potential Democratic candidate for the state’s governorship in 2013.

Booker has gained a national reputation for fighting racial injustice and economic inequality in Newark. In 1999, Booker went on a 10-day hunger strike while living in the one of Newark’s must drug-afflicted wards in the Brick Towers apartment complex.

He was named as a TIME 100 most influential people in the world in 2011.

Booker will speak at the Jack Morton Auditorium from 8 to 9 p.m.

Monday, March 5, 2012 1:26 a.m.

Political pundits spar on social issues

by The GW Hatchet

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Delaney Walsh.

Right-wing maven Ann Coulter and liberal commentator Lawrence O’Donnell locked horns on health care, stimulus spending and the voting age at a debate Sunday that drew a boisterous crowd of hundreds of students.

The pair of ideological opposites traded turns at the mic, defending their stances on issues tossed to them by moderator and School of Media and Public Affairs Director Frank Sesno.

Sesno asked the pundits about the Georgetown University law student whom conservative Rush Limbaugh called last week a “slut” and a “prostitute” for advocating for health insurance plans to cover the cost of contraception. Limbaugh apologized for the comments Saturday.

Coulter denied contraception as an issue of religion, arguing that the issue is the stated purpose of insurance.

“Why not cover movies? Why not cover firearms?” she said. “Insurance is supposed to be for unexpected disasters.”

O’Donnell, who hosts “The Last Word” on MSNBC, defended health insurance policies that cover the cost of contraception, arguing that it reduces costs by preventing unwanted pregnancies. He jokingly referred to Limbaugh’s four marriages and lack of children as “not the practice of birth control [but] the perfection of it.”

Coulter shocked many in the crowd when she called for the voting age to be upped to 26 years of age – the point at which individuals must leave their parents’ health care plans.

O’Donnell brought up Coulter’s 2003 interview with The Guardian, when she said women should be denied the right to vote because they cast ballots for more liberal candidates and wreck the elections.

When asked by Sesno if she still backed the opinion, Coulter said the quote was “identical,” and she continued to defend her stance.

“If women couldn’t vote, we would have a Republican president every year,” Coulter said.

As the audience booed, O’Donnell replied, “I rest my case!” and pretended to walk off the stage, yielding a boom of cheers and applause. After returning, he praised Coulter for “hanging in there with her own stuff” and refusing to back down.

The debate was co-sponsored by the College Republicans, College Democrats, the Student Association, Program Board and the Young America’s Foundation.

Chris Wassman, public relations chairman for the College Republicans, called out Sesno for acting less than impartial toward the speakers.

“If the moderator is getting applause, that says a lot of things,” Wassman said. “He was obviously not fair.”

Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2011 1:36 p.m.

On election day, student campaigners make final push

by The GW Hatchet

Junior Dan Horning, a member of the College Republicans, has spent weeks working for Virginia state senate candidate Miller Baker. Elise Apelian | Hatchet photographer

The post was written by Hatchet reporter Kaya Yurieff.

Months before Election Day, students canvassed neighborhoods, knocked on doors and made hundreds of phone calls to urge voters to get to the polls on Nov. 8.

Ryan O’Regan spent the fall interning for Barbara Favola, a Democrat from Arlington, Va., competing for one of 40 open state senate seats in Virginia.

Today, the freshman plans to dedicate “almost every free moment” working at the Arlington County Democratic Committee, eagerly awaiting results when the polls close at 7 p.m. Virginia Democrats hope to cling to their two-seat majority in the Senate.

“The best part of working on the Favola campaign has been working for a cause I really believe in and seeing results,” O’Regan said.

The College Democrats, of which O’Regan is a member, has also worked on Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear’s reelection campaign. Beshear is favored to beat out Republican contender David Williams in today’s contest.

Shiah Shahmohammadi, communications director for the College Democrats, said gubernatorial elections have traditionally low turnouts, about 10 to 15 percent in past years. Making calls to remind voters to head to the polls could change the course of the election, she said.

College Republicans are less active in this year’s elections compared to past years due to the not-so-publicized races, Dan Horning, a third-year member of the organization, said.

Horning, who works for Virginia senate hopeful Miller Baker, said many of this year’s local races “are low-profile.”

“Unless a person is super ambitious, they probably don’t know there are some very competitive elections,” the junior said.

Baker is fighting to unseat incumbent Sen. George Barker in a district that includes Alexandria, Va. and Fairfax, Va. The tight race is “statistically tied” and could be the push needed to give Republicans control of the state senate, Horning said.

Horning, who has experience on national campaigns like that of Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman, said students get a different experience working in local elections.

“You learn a lot more in depth about the issues than you do in national campaigns,” he said.

Tuesday, Oct. 4, 2011 1:58 p.m.

Invisible Children film helps students connect to conflict

by Sarah Ferris

Jessica Crawford, a self titled roadie for Invisible Children, speaks to students about violence in Uganda before the screening of the organization's documentary, "Tony," on Tuesday night in Funger Hall. Michael Boosalis | Hatchet Photographer

The post was written by Hatchet reporter Cat Barnao.

About 50 students gathered in Funger Hall on Monday night for GW Invisible Children’s screening of a documentary, part of the nationwide movement seeking to raise awareness about Africa’s longest running war in northern Uganda.

The audience heard from a Ugandan woman who escaped abduction from rebels in her country as a teenager.

When when the rebels came to her village, Stella Mistica recalled with horror how she pretended to be an old woman so the rebels would not abduct her. Mistica now mentors girls who return home after being abducted.

She stressed the importance of young people across the world fighting to end the tragedy in her country.

“The youth can do more to help their fellow youth, because youth understand their fellow youth,” Mistica said. “That is why we show students the film.”

The film “Tony,” created by the national Invisible Children organization, is about a teenager growing up during the civil war between the Ugandan government and the Lord’s Resistance Army. The conflict has lasted 23 years, uprooting more than 2 million civilians from their homes and abducting thousands of children into the rebel army.

The 60-minute film depicted the ordinary aspects of Tony’s life as a teenager—listening to rap and going on Facebook—and the less ordinary, spending nights huddled with other children on damp concrete floors, fearful that the rebels of the LRA would come to kidnap them to fight in their army of child soldiers.

“GW students are so politically driven and internationally driven,” said Megan McDonough, president of GW chapter of Invisible Children. “It’s important for us to know what’s going on.”

Pi Beta Phi, Phi Sigma Sigma, GlobeMed, Stand, Amnesty International, Voice Gospel Choir, the African Student Association and College Democrats co-hosted the event.

Wednesday, Sept. 21, 2011 12:14 p.m.

Obama’s chief messenger shares his toughest moments

by Sarah Ferris

Robert Gibbs, Obama, College Democrats, CDs, Betts theater

Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs discusses everything from candid moments in the White House to the Obama administration's response to the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Francis Rivera | Assistant Photo Editor

The post was written by Hatchet Reporter Naina Ramrakhani

Robert Gibbs directed students to rediscover their political passion as he recounted the highlights of crafting the President’s message in a speech Tuesday night.

Gibbs, who served as President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign director and press secretary for the first two years of his term, assumed his position during the most difficult months of the financial crisis.

“Jobs in manufacturing have moved overseas. A college education, which you’re in the process of getting, is more vital and far more expensive to get,” Gibbs said in Betts Theatre. “More and more people lack health insurance. More and more people are in poverty. More and more of our energy comes from overseas and our fiscal house is a mess.”

He said the nation’s economic growth stalled over the past decade, using the shrinking median household family income to illustrate how little buying power Americans have.

“To give you a sense of what that means, your parents are paying your 2010 GW tuition bill with their 1996 income,” Gibbs said.

But with his switch to the re-election campaign, Gibbs said his new challenge is working within the changing media culture that makes communicating with voters increasingly difficult. He said the White House had to rethink its communication strategy over the best way to serve the public.

Obama’s unorthodox appearance on Jay Leno’s “Tonight Show” in 2009 was Gibbs’ idea. He dismissed public criticism of the decision, and said if there is an opportunity for millions of people to watch an interview, “you just do it.”

As the communications director for Obama’s 2012 campaign, Gibbs explained the demographic challenges faced by Democrats and Republicans. He said young voters largely favor the Democratic party, although many who voted for Obama in 2008 failed to come out for the 2010 election.

Gibbs said in order for Obama to win reelection, the campaign team will need to “figure out how to get young people excited again, how to make them motivated and how to get them to vote.”

Friday, Sept. 16, 2011 5:56 p.m.

College Democrats to host Robert Gibbs

by Sarah Ferris

Former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. Photo used under Creative Commons.

Former press secretary Robert Gibbs will headline College Democrat’s annual kick-off event on Sept. 20.

Gibbs, who served as President Barack Obama’s presidential campaign director and press secretary from January 2009 to February 2011, will speak at Betts Theater in the Marvin Center at 7:15 p.m.

Gibbs has been a top consultant for Obama since the president’s first senate race in 2004. Gibbs stepped down from his post as press secretary earlier this year to focus on the 2012 race. The Alabama-native also served as the press secretary for John Kerry’s presidential bid in 2004.

Doors will open at 6:30 and the event will be open to all students, College Democrats communicators director, Shiah Shahmohammadi, said.

Friday, April 15, 2011 4:36 p.m.

Details emerge about City Hall death

by Lauren French

The student found dead in his City Hall room Wednesday is 20-year-old Ismail Ginwala, according to police documents.

Ginwala, a junior, was discovered after a witness – unnamed in police documents – had not heard from Ginwala for “a couple of days,” according Metropolitan Police Department documents. The witness found an unresponsive Ginwala at 1:40 p.m. Wednesday.

Police documents label the death a suicide.

Friends of Ginwala said his family is on campus and speaking with those who knew the junior.

The University has not announced details for a memorial service as of Friday afternoon and has continually declined to release information about the student.

Ginwala was the policy director for the GW Roosevelt Institute, an activist group that pushes for a progressive approach to U.S. foreign policy. He also penned a blog post about Hillary Clinton for The GW Blue Line, a College Democrats’ publication, in 2008. He is from Corona, Calif. and attended Santiago High School.

“I am deeply saddened to report that the university has been notified of the death of one of our students. The student was found in his room this afternoon at the City Hall residence hall,” University President Steven Knapp said Wednesday. “On behalf of the entire university community, I would like to express our sorrow and extend my condolences to the student’s family and friends.”

Members of the community may contact the University Counseling Center at 202-994-5300.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011 1:25 a.m.

Newly-selected DNC chair said Republicans have failed to embrace Hispanic voters

by The GW Hatchet

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, who was selected as chair of the Democratic National Committee Tuesday, discusses the challenges she faced during her early political career. Becky Crowder | Hatchet photographer

This post was written by Hatchet reporter Jeff Jacobson.

The newly-selected chair of the Democratic National Committee made her first public appearance since the announcement Tuesday, telling a group of College Democrats that Republicans will face election challenges in 2012 because of the party’s alienation of Hispanic voters.

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said the GOP controlled statehouses may have the power to redistrict parts of the country, but that Democrats will still benefit from the higher percentage of Latino voters throughout the country.

“We’re looking to embrace all Americans,” Wasserman Schultz said. “I think we’re in great shape.”

She added, “Republicans haven’t exactly embraced Hispanic voters… [and] Democrats are the big tent party.”

The avid White House supporter said the Democratic Party needs to articulate its platform better for 2012 than it did for 2008.

“We have to be singularly focused on creating jobs and turning this economy around,” she said.

The Florida congresswoman said her tendency to be overlooked as a female politician encouraged her to work harder during her almost 20 years in office.

“Nobody was going to outwork me,” she said. “I might not convince you that I’m right every time…but I will never lose because I’ve been outworked.

Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2011 12:07 a.m.

Dean, Gingrich go head-to-head in CD, CR debate

by Andrea Vittorio

Former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean and rumored 2012 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich engaged in a bipartisan discussion of current affairs Tuesday at a debate co-sponsored by the College Democrats and College Republicans. Francis Rivera | Contributing Photo Editor

Former Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean and rumored 2012 presidential candidate Newt Gingrich emphasized the need for bipartisanship in American politics Tuesday evening in a debate co-sponsored by the College Democrats and College Republicans.

Dean and Gingrich discussed five pre-determined topics – healthcare, the economy, national security, immigration and the 2012 election – and found common ground during the two-hour event.

Both politicians recognized the need for fundamental change in the U.S.

“This is a transition point for the country because there are a lot of changes that are going to happen,” Dean said. “Your generation is not tolerant; it’s inclusive. And the Republican Party is going to have to deal with that.”

Gingrich – who came as a last-minute replacement for Liz Cheney after she canceled her appearance to help work on her father’s upcoming book – called for a return to localism, saying “it is impossible for a Washington-based system to effectively govern a country of this size.”

The two also found common ground when they learned that neither fully supports the health care reform bill that passed Congress last year.

“We have to decide what we want in this country and it isn’t free,” Dean said. He added that “we can’t blame everything on Washington,” and that “it’s time we took a little responsibility for ourselves.”

Gingrich lauded Dean for his position on the health care bill.

“The fact that Governor Dean would say flatly things aren’t free marks him as so different from much of the Democratic Party,” he said.

Though they disagreed on the specifics, Dean and Gingrich agreed in principle on the need for economic reform that creates jobs and helps cut the deficit.

“It’s important to understand that these problems originate in both parties,” Dean said, placing the blame on both President Bush and President Barack Obama. “If the president doesn’t succeed we all lose.”

The discussion of national security was especially heated when Gingrich rose the subject of Islamic radicalism, describing the need to hold a national dialogue on terrorism.

“Your generation is going to face a long struggle – I believe at least as long as the Cold War. I think it is going to be extraordinarily dangerous and I think if our opponents get either biological or nuclear weapons, we are in real trouble,” Gingrich said.

Dean, however, took offense to Gingrich’s use of the term ‘Islamic radicalism.’

“Intolerance breeds intolerance and we can’t fight intolerance with intolerance,” Dean said.

The two politicians disagreed on immigration, with Gingrich favoring residency status for illegal aliens while Dean called for the opportunity of full citizenship.

Looking toward the 2012 presidential election, Dean expressed support for Obama.

“I am going to support the president. I do think he’s going to be better than the alternatives — no insult intended,” Dean said, referring to Gingrich’s much-speculated 2012 presidential bid.

Dean also applauded the ability of the CDs and CRs to come together for what became a discussion, rather than a debate.

“We [Gingrich and I] think the respective presidents of both organizations ought to write an op-ed to show the Congress how it’s done, cause they could use a little help,” Dean said.

CR Chairman Jake Wolf echoed the bipartisan sentiment in his introduction to the debate.

“Although we may be strongly opinionated, we need not be divided,” Wolf said.

The debate was moderated by Derek Malone-France, director of Writing in the Disciplines and interim executive director of the University Writing Program.

“It was exactly what we had hoped for: the preeminent activists in both parties really having a discussion. It wasn’t this vitriol-filled back and forth. It was a discussion,” CD President Josh Altman said.

Altman said the event was well worth the $40,000 co-sponsorship provided by the Student Association, the body’s largest single allocation last year.

“You know to bring an event of this caliber to campus, it has a cost,” Altman said. “But you know the SA, the University, they supported us and I think that the student body got a lot out of it.”

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