Rich Eisenberg & Jess Smythe: In defense of the Penn Dems

In the Jan. 30 edition of The Daily Pennsylvanian, Craig Cohen wrote a column launching several criticisms at campus political groups. While we are in no position to talk about the College Republicans, Cohen made a number of false characterizations about the Penn Democrats that contradict the true purpose and practice of our organization.

Cohen wrote, "Rather than make an effort to establish a unique identity that reflects both modern thought and the feelings of the members, these two groups blindly follow the party line." He asserts that instead of thinking for ourselves and representing the views of our members, we blindly defer to our superiors in the national party, saying, "Thank you, sir, may I have another?" This assertion is entirely baseless.

In fact, our policies come entirely from our membership. Each month, our members choose a topic to focus on in our "Issue of the Month Campaign," which aims to highlight our positions on these topics and stimulate discussion around campus. So far, we have focused on a range of topics, from the preservation of Pell Grants to the PATRIOT Act, from women's rights to gay rights. This month, we are working on health care.

However, we are about more than just words; we hold strongly that our ideas must be catalysts for action. In conjunction with the issue campaign, we held a rally against the PATRIOT Act. We supported gay marriage and the coed housing initiative at Penn. None of these were positions taken by the national party. Additionally, we hold community service events every semester, from volunteering in soup kitchens to rebuilding houses in West Philadelphia.

We do not ask for special recognition for any of these efforts, but it is rather startling to be accused of neglecting our surroundings and focusing on the past when we are working quite hard to improve the future. If the Craig Cohens of the world do not like the results, then they are entitled to their opinions. But to state demonstratively that we show no interest in the views of our members, that we simply turn to the national party and say, "May I have another?" shows only that Cohen lacks any real knowledge about our organization.

At times, our membership and even our leaders are as frustrated with the national party as others, likely more so. We recognize a growing perception among our generation that partisanship is a bad thing, that political parties are negative entities in our society. Political arguments often follow the same old mantras, refueling the perception that politicians are placing confrontation over the needs of constituents.

So why do we spend so much of our college careers involved with partisan politics? It is not because we expect the national party to laud us with high-paying jobs the minute we graduate from Penn. Believe it or not, it is because we believe in something. We are Democrats because while our party is not perfect, Democrats fight for progress and real solutions, rather than spewing rhetoric and simple propaganda. We believe in a patriotism based upon working to improve the future of our country.

The Penn Democrats have tried to raise real concerns with the Bush administration's handling of the country. While some might accuse us of simply "Bush-bashing," it is a fact that 40 percent of Americans and a larger percent of Penn students have serious problems with how Bush has acted during this term. We remain steadfast in our resolve to help elect a president who will forge a new path.

In this year's campaign, Republicans will talk about the threats facing our nation. They will talk about terrorism and killers and evil-doers. Democrats understand these threats. We will talk about hope, about returning to the prosperity and international respect we so recently possessed, and about moving forward both economically and socially. We recognize that protecting us from terror involves more than saying "terrorism" 19 times in the first 20 minutes of the State of the Union address.

Exactly what our national party will do, we cannot say. We have not gotten that memo yet. All we can promise is what the Penn Democrats will do. We will be out across the campus and region advocating the positions of our members, raising issues that we hope the Penn student body will actively engage in and working to increase interest and participation in the upcoming elections. We hope you will join us.

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