A Democrat who dislikes Bush? Now that’s unique journalism!
Ben Lenet has an opinion piece in today’s Emerald, the first of what we can assume will be many since he’s apparantly now a columnist. So what insights does BenLen have into the modern American political scene? Let’s take a gander:
In these troubling times, where we are faced with the threats of terrorism, global warming, rising health costs and an education system that struggles to stay afloat, I hoped the Republican Party would use its control to govern effectively. Instead we’ve been treated to almost six years of smoke and mirrors resulting in no tangible benefits for middle and lower class Americans.
With the midterm elections only six months away, I hope all of us will see through the distractions and wedges and elect politicians who have the bravery and character to confront the real issues.
What a brave stand! Why, with balls like that you’d almost think he wasn’t co-chair of the College Democrats. What else does Ben have to say?
Instead, President Bush has spent the last four and a half years dividing us. It seems that every few months the Republican Party rolls out an issue for the sole purpose of dividing and distracting. I would never say that these issues aren’t important — they are. Nevertheless, they are nowhere near as pressing as lessening our dependence on foreign oil, providing health care to children or insuring education for all. So instead of tackling the real issues, every few months we are thrust into debating “wedge issues” (issues brought up for the sole purpose of distracting and dividing).
This is funny coming from Lenet. He was one of a number of people who attempted to get the Student Senate to sign an Iran resolution– a resolution with no relevance to campus issues or the Senate’s constitutional duties. At the 4/26 Student Senate meeting, in fact, a presentation on the Diversity Plan by Dr. Charles Martinez was pushed aside so that the Senate could listen to Lenet and his cohorts attempt to justify sending the resolution to be enumerated by the Rules committee.
In the ODE‘s defense, words I don’t utter often, they really do an admirable thing. Yes, their columnists are whackjobs: Personally I think Aliee and Kristen fight for the position of Craziest Nutjob On Staff, but putting out a daily is no easy task. And as much crap as we sling them, they do a lot of pretty decent campus reporting. The quality fluctuates, of course, but they do have reliable reporters and do provide a fair amount of decent coverage.
Not that the ODE doesn’t have problems, and not that the OC has ever let that slide, but Bryan is right, bloody try to get a column. Or write lots of Guest Edits, they used to publish mine all the time.
Anthony, how is Lenet writing a column any different than Brock writing one? Granted, Kristen does not hold an actual leadership position in the CRs (at least I don’t think she does), but she is engaged to the VP and likely considers herself to be an active member of the group.
A little bird told me the Emerald was named one of the top three student newspapers in the country during 2005 from the Society of Professional Journalists. Just so you all know.
Jesus, Anthony. Just apply for a position and stop whining already. If you can string a sentence together at least as well as Brock or Bradley, I’m sure they’ll consider opening up one of their token conservative slots for you.
Nice work Emerald having the head of a partisan group on campus be a columinst. The Emerald sucks more than ever.
After this …please pardon me but I have to go dush….LOL….
and not “Summer’s Eve” TM
Douche = Wash
Yeah, even as a lapsed democrat, I am a little ashamed of the role of the campus dems in the Iran resolution whitewash. The entire presentation was the most cynical display I’ve seen since… ok, so I’m privy to a lot of cynical displays, whatever. The out-to-lunch incoming ASUO executive provided much needed comic relief to the blatant exploitation of every student group on campus. Basically, the “Oregon Alliance” (niedermeyers rule of politics #375: don’t trust political groups with anonymous monikers) went to every student group leader and somehow convinced them that the resolution was simply a call to use diplomacy to “deal with the Iran problem.” The resulting 80-some signatures were then spun as being representative of the entire student body. This “unanimous” support was then used to blackmail senators, by claiming that they would never be able to address a larger social issue if this specific resolution was not passed. This was falsely contrasted to the Apartheid disvestment movement of the 1970s, in which students pressured university administrators to disvest university foundations from South African companies. That movement involved funds which came in part from tuition, and furthermore was campaigned for by student interest groups, NOT student governments, making it a completely unapplicable analogy. My guess is that students have been mislead into providing fodder for the hawkish “Now Is The Time” campaign of escalating rhetoric against Iran, without thinking twice about what it will take to defy the world again to strong-arm outdated proliferation norms.
kill
y elected Sen
Sounds like Nate must have been one of the faithful slate members that Jared used to get elected…I don’t if anyone else could call Iran an important student issue and truly believe it, unless you are part of the joke called the Oregon Coalition. The 80 members of the university that signed this resolution are hardly a representation of the student body. Even the 12 percent of students who stupidly elected the patsy know as Jared Axelrod aka Mr. Status Quo, Mr. I give programs anything they want because they are the only thing important, don’t represent a significant number of students. It scares me to know the President just elected feels the need to sponsor such a waste of student government time. Even scarier yet is that the Primary supporter of the resolution, Jonathan Rosenberg, member of the Oregon-Israel Alliance, is a newly elected Senator since no one opposed him. The Oregon Coalition is promising to bring the resolution before the student government again, and with Jared as the President and the election of numerous slate members to Senate, the ASUO stands to become even more of a joke than they are now if they pass this ridiculous resolution in the future.
I remember when my mother bought me my first dush bag….
Nate: It’s not like 12% of the student body, nearly wholly comprised of the friends of ASUO wankers, really count as “all students”.
Hey Nate…whats your last name?
As does seeing the words “Miles Rost” and “fellatio” within three inches of each other.
Damn, I’m glad I’m getting off this campus. With people like Nate who are in dire need of a lobotomy, it makes me pretty damn happy.
And Nate, you may want to stop performing continuous fellatio on Axelrod. While it might be enjoyable for both of you, it makes the rest of the student body sick to the stomach.
We’re witnessing something special here. Seriously, how many ways can one man spell the word “douche”?
You guys should lay the fuck off Ben. First off, he is only one of many who supported the Iran-resolution at the Senate meeting. Second the very man who introduced the resolution was just given the blessing of the student body in the election… yes the one the only Jared! He is leading the fight for real important issues like Iran. It’s not his fault there are dush-bags like Dallas Brown who skip meetings and don’t represent anyone but themselves. If anything you should be giving props to college dems co-chair Ben for standing behind our Pres-elect Axelrod who represents all students!
More importantly, does this have anything to do with the price of Tequila at Sixth Street? If not, then I will postpone caring about it until tomorrow. Or perhaps the next day.
What does any of this have to do with Vietnam?
Ian, ditto the request for a post explaining why the Student Senate should get involved in passing resolutions. I am curious as to the explanations. From what I hear all the arguments at the Senate meeting were incredibly weak….EX: “We should not ask what this issue can do for us…but rather ask ourselves what we can bring to this issue”…or something similar to the cockamamie rhetoric that was spewed to the Senate by the supporters of the resolution. Do these students or in fact all student deserve the right to air their agenda in the form of a resolution before the students of the University? Why? That is a question I want to see answered and justified.
Aside from pointing out that one of its proponents is the author of the article in question, what does it have to do with the article
Dude, it was a pretty weak column. I’m not saying it was poorly written, or that the claims were incorrect; I’m simply saying it was weak.
Dude, it was a pretty weak column. I’m not saying it was poorly written, or that the claims were incorrect; I’m simply saying it was weak.
I’m honestly baffled by this post. The ASUO/Iran debacle is its own dead issue, and I doubt there’s anyone in the OC circle who isn’t glad the resolution was nixed. Aside from pointing out that one of its proponents is the author of the article in question, what does it have to do with the article’s claims? How does it render them false? I’d be fascinated to learn that you actually think Ben introduced the Iran issue to create a smokescreen for Martinez’s agenda. Maybe he felt strongly about it, and as long as those serving in the Senate ultimately determined correctly that having strong feelings about something doesn’t justify passing meaningless resolutions, there’s little harm done. Maybe a lot of people realize by now that Martinez is a clown who will talk all day if you let him, to no tangilbe effect for the listener other than a desire to jump out a window. What does any of this have to do with whether Bush has been a competent leader?