The candidates involved in the Democratic National Primary have a range of striking personalities, from the Rev. Al Sharpton to the outspoken frontrunner John Kerry, the junior senator from Massachusetts. At the college, two names in particular are making an impact: Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Governor Howard Dean of Vermont.
Senior Hope Bastian, who has been campaigning for Kucinich on campus and in Greensboro, was first introduced to Kucinich as she listened to NPR while driving home after work as a union organizer for the United Commercial Workers Union in Redsprings, N.C. last summer.
In that interview, Kucinich proclaimed, “I’m running for president to bring a new day to America, an administration which will focus on the social, the economic, the human needs of the people and use the resources of our country to make sure that all Americans have decent health care, to get rid of health care for profit, to make sure that when people are sick they can see a doctor, to make sure that no one in America is afraid to go to a doctor or to a hospital because they can’t afford it. I want universal health care.”
“That’s what caught my attention,” Bastian said. “I had been talking to workers all day long who had gotten hurt on the job and couldn’t afford see a doctor. Here was somebody running for president talking about something I believed in.”
Bastian and other students from the college have organized to spread the word about Kucinich’s views.
“We have a great group of folks on campus who are excited about Kucinich and the values he stands for,” Bastian said. “We have been distributing information to students on campus by mail and are running an info table in Founders during lunchtime. We hope to also be involved in registering people to vote on campus.”
Senior Caroline Kernahan agrees. “The more I read about Kucinich, the more amazed I am that one candidate could be so brave as to stand for everything so unpopular, and yet so needed,” she said. “Who could reasonably say that we don’t need more investment in alternative energy sources, or a ‘living wage,’ or withdrawal from NAFTA which has destroyed so many U.S. jobs? I say thank goodness someone is finally promoting practical ways to solve U.S. problems, and I think it’s funny that I so often hear people say Kucinich won’t win because he’s too idealistic. No Child Left Behind and the War on Terror seem a lot more idealistic and fruitless to me.”
Sophomore Will Johnson is another Kucinich supporter on campus. “I am working for (Kucinich) because I believe it is important to keep progressive views on issues in the media,” Johnson said. “(Kucinich) excites me because of the passion he brings to being a advocate for those who have been left behind in the United States. Even as he is projected to be in last or second to last place, (in the Maine caucuses) he received 15 percent of the vote, more than (North Carolina senator) John Edwards or (retired general) Wesley Clark, so it is my view that he can truly ignite a desire in America for someone who truly desires to improve the quality of life for everyone in the United States.”
First-year Adam Waxman has been campaigning for Dean on campus by posting fliers, raising general awareness about Dean and his policies, and registering students to vote.
“Dean seemed to me to be the only candidate who was standing for things I believed in: universal health care, campaign finance reform, a just foreign policy,” Waxman said. “He’s the only one who speaks bluntly, in aggressive language. I found this refreshing from other candidates.”
Guilford has long been known for its political activism and with the November elections looming, this year is no different.