Michelle Obama Rally at Haverford!

Michelle Obama is coming to Haverford College on Tuesday April 13th for a rally in the Alumni Fieldhouse. The event will be free and open to the public. Doors open at 2:30pm and the event will start at 3:30pm.

A ticket is required to attend this event. To find out how to obtain a ticket, follow this link:
http://pa.barackobama.com/page/content/pahaverford

Congressman Sestak at Haverford

Today, Congressman Joe Sestak came to Haverford to answer questions from Haverford students. Topics included gay marriage, why the congressman supports Hillary Clinton for president, and the congressman's experiences as Vice Admiral of the United States Navy.

Congressman Sestak at Haverford College, Photographed by Scott Schnur

Congressman Joe Sestak is Coming to Haverford!

The Haverford College Democrats are hosting Congressman Joe Sestak for a speech, followed by a question and answer session, on Sunday April 13th at 5:00pm in Sharpless Auditorium.

Before he was elected to represent Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district, Congressman Sestak served in the United States Navy, where he reached the rank of Vice Admiral. In congress, he serves as the vice-chairman of the Small Business Committee and is also a member of the Education and Labor and Armed Services committees. Congressman Sestak will be answering questions from Haverford students, discussing current issues, and sharing his point of view on the Pennsylvania Democratic Primary and the 2008 election.

This event is free and open to all members of the Tri-College community. Please contact cbischak(at)haverford(dot)edu with any questions regarding the event.


Congressman Sestak Speaks in Congress about the Iraq War

Maybe Senior Campaign Officials Should Think Before They Act . . .

As has been a common theme this primary season, another campaign managed to shoot itself in the foot. Mark Penn, longtime Clintonite and Chief Strategist for Hillary's campaign, has stepped down after continuing to negotiate and lobby for a U.S. trade treaty with Colombia --a treaty Hillary opposes. WHOOPS. Quote from the NYT:

Mr. Penn, long a divisive figure within the Clinton camp, lost his pre-eminent position after revelations that he met with Colombia’s ambassador to the United States last Monday in his role as head of Burson-Marsteller. The Colombian government hired the lobbying firm last year under a $300,000 one-year contract to help secure passage of a bilateral trade treaty with the United States.

Mrs. Clinton strongly opposes the treaty, as do many Democrats in Congress and many American trade unions, who believe the treaty is unfair to American workers. Mrs. Clinton has also cited the Colombian government’s history of suppressing the labor union movement in that country.

It's worth noting, however, that Penn is not completely gone from the campaign: His firm will continue to do some polling and strategizing. Still, I guess it shows that, fundamentally, politics is not far removed from business.

2003 Torture Memo Released

The NYT and WaPo report today on the public release of a 2003 Department of Justice memo giving military interrogators authority to torture (erm . . . " engage in harsh interrogation". . . ). Written by Office of Legal Counsel official John C. Yoo, the document was finally released after a Freedom of Information Act request from the ACLU. Of course, it provides an extremely narrow definition of what constitutes legal torture. Money quote from the NYT:

“The victim must experience intense pain or suffering of the kind that is equivalent to the pain that would be associated with serious physical injury so severe that death, organ failure or permanent damage resulting in a loss of significant body functions will likely result,” Mr. Yoo wrote.

Georgetown Prof Marty Lederman provides some additional solid analysis over at his blog. Key point: This is in many ways a new frontier for the imperial, unchecked executive power under President Bush.

CASEY TO ENDORSE OBAMA

Philly.com reports this morning that freshman Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) is going to endorse Obama for the nomination, even joining him on a bus tour.

This is definitely significant. Casey is one of the most conservative Democrats in the Senate--he is adamantly pro-life and a strong supporter of gun rights--and his main constituency is white, working-class men. Obama has gotten destroyed in that demographic in recent primaries, and this can help him make inroads in what is generally a strong Hillary group.

Well, I Guess It's One Way to Solve the Problem . . .

Akhil Reed Amar, a Yale Law Professor (and the author of several great books on Constitutional theory and history; America's Constitution: A Biography and The Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction are particularly excellent if you're interested in the subject), has a piece up on Slate proposing a bizarre but legal solution to the tight Democratic primary. Money quote:

But which should it be: Clinton-Obama or Obama-Clinton? In fact, voters in November could actually endorse both versions of the ticket—truly, two presidents for the price of one. How? The Constitution's 25^th Amendment allows for a new paradigm of political teamwork: The two Democratic candidates could publicly agree to take turns in the top slot.

Adopted in 1967 in the shadow of John F. Kennedy's assassination, the 25^th Amendment allows presidents unilaterally to transfer presidential power to their vice presidents and enables presidents, with congressional consent, to fill a vacancy in the vice presidency should one arise. By creatively using the constitutional rules created by this amendment, the Democrats can, if they are so inclined, present the voters in November with a new kind of balanced ticket.

Seeing those two running together (as Co-Presidents, no less) would produce some hilarious and awkward moments on the campaign trail, hmm? Sounds like fun.

The Wright Stuff

Obama's race speech--definitely worth watching.

Hillary Up Big in PA

Looks like Hillary's win in Ohio and "win" in Texas (she got fewer delegates than Obama in the latter) have had the desired effect in the final frontier of Pennsylvania. Though Obama was pulling close at the end of February, polls are showing Hillary with a high double-digit lead, most recently 16 points in a Franklin and Marshall poll. (It is worth pointing out that the poll was taking at the height of the Wright mess, and before Obama's widely-acclaimed race speech.)

But will it matter?

Short answer: Probably not. Giving Hillary solid wins in all of the remaining states (including a 16 point win in PA) and a split in the remaining superdelegates on the CNN delegate counter, she still loses by nearly 100 delegates:




The Wright debacle was probably Hillary's last chance to really slam Obama, and it didn't work very well. She needs a miracle to pull this one out.

Haverford Democrats See Michelle Obama at Villanova

A few members of the Haverford College Democrats traveled to Villanova University last Friday to see Michelle Obama, the wife of Barack Obama, speak. Amy Thomas '10, a strong Obama supporter, describes the event:

After speaking at two other spots on the Main Line, Michelle came to speak at Villanova University. Her one-hour speech centered around the idea of a “moving bar”—a bar of success that seems to always be out of reach, both in her husband’s campaign and in the lives of what she calls America’s “regular folks”. She detailed Barack’s struggle with the always-shifting bar—he couldn’t win because he couldn’t raise enough money… but then he did. He couldn’t win because he couldn’t create a strong and widespread organization…but then he did. He couldn’t win because he would never win Iowa…but then he did. The story continues, as we know, and no matter what Barack did it was never good enough. Just like the American people, Michelle asserts. American citizens are working so hard but never quite reaching that level of success that assures them comfort and security in their own lives and for their children. As the cost of living sky-rockets, salaries remain stable and the quality of life that most Americans experience drastically decreases. However, as Michelle reminded us, we are a wealthy nation. There is not a deficit of wealth in the United States. She says that there is a deficit of empathy. And I completely agree. Due to the unfair and ever-changing circumstances, everyone is so focused on getting the money they need for themselves, that we forget to share it. And everyone is so focused on getting the food they need for themselves, that we forget to share it. As a result of outrageously impossible societal standards of living, we are all, understandably, a little more selfish than we used to be. And that must change. And that change will start with Barack Obama. Through his aggressive reforms of No Child Left Behind, tax cuts for the middle class, and comprehensive healthcare plan, I truly believe that Barack Obama is the man to change the national attitude and return us to the beautiful belief system of the Kennedy years—“ask not what your country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”

In the end, Michelle asked us: “Can we do it?” And the crowd answered, overwhelmingly, “YES WE CAN!”

Amy Thomas '10 with Michelle Obama

Register to Vote!

The deadline for voter registration for the super-important Pennsylvania primary is a week from today (March 24th). Remember, you can register to vote in the PA primary even if you are registered in your home state (provided you didn't vote in its primary).

People will be tabling at the Haverford DC this week with forms and information. If you're feeling independent/aren't from Haverford, here's the state link.

Hooray for participating in democracy!

Internship Opportunity With Bob Roggio

Bob Roggio is now the nominee for Congress in the PA-06. This is the last Republican district in Suburban Philadelphia!

The Roggio campaign is looking for interns, both immediately and for the summer.

Please contact Betti at 610-415-0714 or
betti.packman@bobroggioforcongress.com



Check out his website