Death and taxes are not the only two certainties in life. Every four years, Republicans and Democrats go head to head in the presidential race. Will the event pass by Yale quietly? Not if organizers of campus political groups have anything to say about it. While Yale won't see activism on the scale of the rallies of the 60s or the massive anti-Reagan protests of the 80s, campus groups have vowed to make sure Yalies have the opportunity to actively involve themselves in the elections.
Neither the Yale College Democrats (YCD) nor the Yale College Republicans (YCR) have been a significant force on campus in recent years, but they have resurfaced in time for the national and local elections. This time the officers swear the groups will not disappear after Nov. 5, and will remain voices on campus for both liberal and conservative activism.
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| Alderman Josh Civin, CC '96 |
Although their approach to the election is very different, both Yale Republicans and Democrats are more organized than in years past, with elected officers and affiliations with national college political groups. While the people who run the College Democrats hope to use interest in the Clinton-Dole race as a springboard to get Yalies involved in Connecticut politics, the College Republicans are mainly focused on the national election. Milhaljevic said, "Most students come from across the country and are more interested in national issues because they realize that those are the issues that will affect us when we get out of college."
Members of the executive board of the YCD sharply disagree, emphasizing that it is through local campaigns that differences are really made. "Where Yale students can really contribute is in the urban political scene," Alderman Josh Civin, CC '96, said, adding that some of the main goals of the YCD were to get people to commit to local politics and to make them realize how much it affects their lives. Civin pointed out one practical reason for voting in New Haven. "When it comes down to it, the rigors of getting an absentee ballot and sending it in on time means that most people don't do it," he said."It is such a logistical hassle that voting in New Haven is easier."
There is also a campaign to register students by appealing to Yalies' sense of civic responsibility. "We live here for four years and use city services apart from Yale. As citizens of New Haven, if you don't vote, the only voice you have in New Haven affairs is the Yale Administration...By not registering to vote here, you are just giving Yale the rubber stamp to represent you," Miller said. Pointing out that many people are drawn to Yale and New Haven because of its community service opportunities, Miller said merely volunteering in the city is not enough. "Being involved in service organizations in New Haven is important, but without political action and support, it is just stemming back the tide [of social problems]," Miller said.
For the first time in several years, the YCD has a formal executive board, and their membership has been growing steadily since the seven officers were elected in January. Other members have been appointed to act as liaisons with specific local campaigns, helping the group to provide manpower and campaign support in three different congressional districts in Connecticut. A new affiliation with the national College Democrats of America and a working relationship with the Democratic Coordinated Campaign, an umbrella organization for Democratic campaigns across Connecticut, has helped the YCD to establish ties with other party groups.
The YCR is also wearing a new face. Back in 1988, the chair of the YCR, John Fenton, BR '91, said, "We haven't campaigned at Yale, because we know it's hopeless." [YH, 11/4/88] But this year's version of the group has a more optimistic attitude. According to Milhaljevic, the group plans to distribute information to Yalies about Republican policies and candidates. "After [students] get to know Republicans' viewpoint, many will see we have the right arguments and the right vision for Yale students and for the country."
According to Veronica Tucci, SY '98, YCR member and president of the Yale Political Union (YPU), the YCR is more organized this year and is not as closely linked to the conservative parties of the YPU, appealing now to a wider group of conservatives who may not necessarily be interested in the parliamentary debate style the YPU offers. Tucci said the YPU itself is planning to invite a number of candidates to campus, although most speakers are only tentatively scheduled because of conflicts with politicians on the campaign trail. Beyond inviting speakers, "it would be untraditional" for the YPU to do any more specific activities related to the upcoming elections.
Both the College Democrats and College Republicans now claim over 100 members after their organizational meetings this past week, and already many people have attended campaign events. More than 40 Democrats went to an anti-Newt Gingrich rally on Mon., Sept. 9, while nine Republicans went to a Bob Dole speech in Hartford on Wed., Sept. 11. The YCD also got 25 Yalies to vote in the Democratic primary on Tues., Sept. 10, which they said was the highest turnout of Yale students in a local primary in recent history.
The Republicans' 1994 victory took many complacent liberals by surprise, and Civin said that a lot people are starting to realize the effects of the 1994 "Republican Revolution." Government programs that people took for granted no longer exist, Civin said, and "people are realizing that everyone is affected, whether you are a pregnant teen in New Haven, a college student who feels their student loans are being threatened, or a Yale researcher whose NIH grant is being cut." Doug Rubinson, BR '98, a Green Corps member, said he was disappointed in the reaction students had to Republican cutbacks in environmental legislation. "I had expected more outrage and more reaction on campuses across the country in response to the cutbacks. I hope people will respond more strongly in this election, but I don't know if they will."
Green Corps, a non-partisan environmental activism group with chapters nationwide, is also planning a host of other political activities this fall. In addition to being part of a voter registration coalition which includes the YCD and the YCR, Yale's chapter is planning to ask newly-registered voters to sign a Green Voter Pledge, in which they promise to consider environmental issues when they vote. According to Green Corps campus organizer Jayme Christiansen, "This is the most anti-environmental Congress we've ever seen, and people are starting to realize that their votes matter." Pro-environmentalism crosses party lines, Christiansen said, and Green Corps is hoping to get more than 100,000 voters nationwide to sign the pledge to show politicians that people are concerned about environmental issues.
Christiansen also said they plan to distribute non-partisan Green Voter Guides showing the environmental views of candidates for every position from Alder to President. The incumbents in the district will probably fare well, according to Rubinson: "Rosa Delauro, our congresswoman, has one of the strongest environmental voting records in the state if not the nation, and both our senators, Lieberman and Dodd, have very strong environmental records."
In 1994, the congressman in Connecticut's second district won reelection by a mere 21 votes. The margin was one of the slimmest in election history, and it underscored the fact that a group smaller than most class sections at Yale can play a critical part in any election. All of the groups, despite supporting very different views and often radically different candidates, all echoed the same sentiment: "Get out there and vote."