Michael Bennet '87 Is Colorado's Senator

It's official! Last week, Michael Bennet '87, son of former Wesleyan President Douglas Bennet '59, was appointed to the Senate. Bennet takes over for Senator Ken Salazar who is now Obama's Interior Secretary.

In a recent Washington Post article, Bennet reflects on his father's influence.

"He said find things that interest you, that compel you, and when it's time to move on, something else will present itself," Bennet said. "In the end, it doesn't matter what job a person ends up in if it's an opportunity to make a difference."

Michael Bennet '87: Colorado's next Senator

Many sources close to Governor Bill Ritter have confirmed that Denver School Superintendent Michael Bennet '87 is expected to be selected as the next Senator from Colorado. He was considered a longshot for the job by many; John Hickenlooper '74, Ed Perlmutter, and Mike Miles were some of the other frontrunners.

In fact, Bennet served as Hickenlooper's chief of staff while he was mayor of Denver, before he became Superintendent of Schools. Michael Bennet had formerly been considered a possibility for Obama's Secretary of Education, but that choice went to Arne Duncan. Bennet was at least back to visit Wesleyan in 2006, where he gave a Weseminar called "The Education Race."

Michael Bennet is also the son of our university's last President, Doug Bennet.

Read up about Michael Bennet and his selection for the position of Senator:
Denver Post
Wikipedia
NYTimes Caucus
A fun story from 2003 about the relationship between Bennet and Hickenlooper
FiveThirtyEight

Congrats, Michael Bennet! We're proud of you.

Giant Joint in the Senate?

Former WSA president Matt Ball '08 writes in to tell us that two names with Wesleyan connections are being mentioned as possible replacements for Colorado junior senator Ken Salazar, who has been named Secretary of the Interior.

Denver mayor John Hickenlooper '74 is one, with the other being Michael Bennet '87, the son of former Wesleyan prez Doug Bennet (though unlike his father, Michael is not a Wesleyan alum). They're probably both longshots, but hey, who says we can't dream?

[EDIT] Multiple commenters have noted that Michael actually is an alum (Wes '87). Sorry for the confusion. Also, for a detailed breakdown of the candidates for the seat, check out FiveThirtyEight.

[/edit by Ben, 11:12 AM]

Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State

Big whoop! Looks like Hilldog's joining the Obama cabinet.

Huffington Post: Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State?

Eye of History: Discussion on Documentary Photography

Several of the photographers whose works are currently displayed in the Zilkha Gallery will be on campus tomorrow afternoon. Come for their panel discussion, Eye of History: The Camera as Witness, followed by a book signing and public reception:

Internationally renowned documentary photographers Wendy Ewald, Eric Gottesman and Susan Meiselas join acclaimed writer and critic David Levi Strauss in a panel discussion about photography's role in the world today. Wesleyan President and historian Michael Roth will introduce the panel. A Q&A session will follow. Participating as audience members will be a significant number of international scholars of photography and history including former photo editor of the NY Times, Vicki Goldberg.

Following the Panel there will be a public reception and book signing at Zilkha Gallery at 6:30 pm. If you haven't seen it already the reception will be a wonderful opportunity to view the current exhibition curated by Nina Felshin, "Framing and Being Framed: The Uses of Documentary Photography," which features works by the Panel presenters and other artists.

All are welcome. Hope you can join us for this exciting event.

To visit the presentation's website, click here.

Date: Friday, November 7
Time: 4:30 pm
Place: CFA Cinema, then viewing at 6:30 in Zilkha Gallery

The most important endorsements of all

Sure, much has been made of Barack Obama's impressive list of major newspaper endorsements, including the Anchorage Daily News, Denver Post, Chicago Tribune, and Providence Journal, all of which endorsed George Bush back in '04. But the Big O also leads McCain 63-1 in an even more important category: college newspaper endorsements.

In addition to a sweep of the five NESCAC papers that have endorsed a candidate--Amherst, Bates, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Tufts--and the obvious ones such as U. of Illinois and Penn, Obama has racked up endorsements from some unlikely sources, including Davidson, Duke, Northwestern, Indiana U., West Virginia U., and the Universities of Kansas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and even Arizona. Ole Miss's (U. of Mississippi) Daily Mississippian is the lone holdout in the wave.

Forget about being up just one point in your own home state. Failing to win the endorsement of its flagship university is truly a crusher. Maybe instead of blabbering about how no one will delay the World Series when he's president, Johnny Mac should've promised voters no one would screw over 'Cats basketball if he's in charge.

Editor & Publisher: BMOC: College Papers Back Obama, 63 to 1

AREA to show movie about Japanese politics

For those with an interest in Japan and/or international politics, the Awareness of Relations in East Asia group will be presenting Campaign, a documentary about the Japanese political system.

After the showing, there will be a lecture and Q&A session with Professor Haddad. Watch, listen, and learn... and enjoy free food from Japanica II.

Date: Wednesday, Oct. 29
Time: 4:00 PM
Place: PAC 001

Palin postcards from a Wes mom

Ezra Farber writes:

My Mom just painted this awesome picture of Sarah Palin, and she wanted it to get it out there for some people to see. I thought Wesleyan would really appreciate it. We've also made a bunch of postcards with the picture, and we'd like to send them up if anyone wants them.

Ezra didn't mention how to request the postcards, but a simple way might be to leave a comment with your name and WesBox.

Roth in HuffPost, on Trusting Institutions

President Michael Roth has apparently joined Arianna Huffington's complex social network, as a blogger on Huffington Post. How did this come about? Do they have a Blackberry connection from some West Coast dinner party?

He writes about our shaken trust in the financial and political institutions of America:

It's a cliché that trust is a lot easier to destroy than it is to build. When children tell us that this time they are telling the truth, and that they lie only some of the time, they are about to learn that even one lie destroys the credibility of all your other statements -- even when these other claims are true. One lie creates general uncertainty. We are seeing this everyday on Wall Street and in the banking sector. Governments are desperately trying to restore trust, but as long as there is lingering (and, I might add, reasonable) uncertainty about who is holding the bad debts they once tried to profit from, it will be impossible to have the basic trust that makes our credit systems work.

...The cure for the erosion of trust is not medicinal; it's social. Participation builds trust. On the university campus where I work, the only ways I've seen trust successfully restored is to involve people once again in whatever activity they'd become uncertain about. From athletics to music, from lab science to poetry workshops, participation reduces uncertainty and builds faith through practice. When you begin again to seek or offer credit in secure ways, when investments can be protected, then you feel prepared to take a few new risks. When you get involved with your fellow-citizens in a political campaign or make your voice heard with your neighbors, you begin to see that democracy isn't only about attack. Democracy is about participating with people who you grow to trust by working together.

Teachers know this. We have to earn the trust of our students everyday so that they can risk making mistakes, so that they can take the chance to open themselves to learning. That's why we encourage the participation of our students.

Our current, acute crisis of confidence will pass. Then we must rebuild trust by participating in our economy and polity rather than just try to tear down others who are doing so.

A lot of people read the Huffington Post!

Huffington Post: "Trust" in the Economy and Electoral Politics

Political Humor

Logan Ludwig '09 and Kate Gavriel '09 both sent in this viral video meme thing with a bunch of Hollywood political activist types completely insensitive to the fact that some of us can't vote. What a bunch of jerks. For those who can, though, you probably ought to.

And Emily Caffery '10 forwards along this humorous little dig at the French Canadians (everyone can enjoy that - except maybe the Quebecois):

Get 'er done

Tired of the same old windbags hemming and hawing on Capitol Hill and never actually doing anything? Feeling like your hands are tied and you can't do anything about it? Former WSA President Zach Kolodin '07 wants to change that. He writes:

I'm now running a start-up nonprofit initiative called Young People First. I'll be coming back to Wes to give a talk next Monday, October 6 at 12 PM in Woodhead about YPF, about what it's like to start a nonprofit, and to get Wes students ideas about open source political advocacy. I'm videoblogged about it on my website (just launched) (www.youngpeoplefirst.org).

Here is the video, for good measure:



(Woodhead Lounge is in the back of the science center, right by the Hall-Atwater connector. Go through the double doors next to SciLi on the first floor; it's at the very end of the L-shaped hallway.)

Is Sarah Palin Qualified To Be VP?

PBS is conducting a poll asking whether Sarah Palin is qualified to be the next vice president.

In a message to all WesDems, Chris Goy '09 writes:

The right wing has organized a yes campaign--and the "yes" is at the moment winning. Take 30 seconds or less.

Cast your vote today!

Professor Lim on Anti-Intellectualism in Politics

Professor Elvin Lim, author of The Anti-Intellectual Presidency, explores the appeal of anti-intellectual politicians in America, along with Professor Daniel Drezner of Tufts:

Time for Some Campaignin'

c/o JibJab

Dear 9/11 Enablers

If anybody is confused about what constitutes satire, this is the opposite of it:

via Gawker

Totally Offensive

I know much of the blogosphere is talking about the horribly offensive New Yorker cover featuring Barack Obama dressed as a Muslim, but I personally would like to talk about another piece of infuriating media that offends my liberal sensibilities:


That's right, Jonathan Swift's 1729 treatise about how the Irish might alleviate their poverty by selling their children for food.

How dare Jonathan Swift perpetuate stereotypes of the Irish as being both poor and delicious! With lines like "A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout" Jonathan swift ignores the plight of Papists everywhere, who have to contend with being objectified as delicious treats, perfect with a good ale, imported from the colonies.

Now, I know the piece is meant as irony and satire, but, beyond being unfunny (in my ever-so-humble opinion) much of our nation still believes that the Irish would make a fine delicacy. And, what's more, because most people outside of our elite liberal arts school have no understanding of subtlety or humor, this essay will only perpetuate these ugly, yet mouthwatering stereotypes of the Irish. So shame on ye, Jonathan Swift, for offending both myself and millions of proud Irish folk with your bilious drivel. You will not get another penny-farthing from me!

Suggested further reading:
Rush Limbaugh was Right @ Salon.com
The New Yorker Draws Fire @ Slate

Ted Kennedy Back In Business

Ted Kennedy returned to the Senate yesterday after for the first time since the brain surgery for his malignant tumor. He just showed up to vote on an important Medicare bill, but his standing ovation wouldn't stop for two minutes.

From the NYTimes:

Looking steady but flushed in his first visit to the Capitol since his cancer was discovered in late May, Mr. Kennedy was quickly surrounded by senators who could barely keep from overwhelming him despite cautions to keep their distance because his treatments have weakened his immune system.

Democrats were overjoyed and Republicans stood, smiled and applauded as well, though some looked uneasy as it dawned on them that once again Mr. Kennedy was about to hand them a stinging defeat on health care policy. The defeat was sealed once Mr. Kennedy delivered a clear “aye” in his familiar but recently absent baritone accompanied by twin thumbs-up.

“I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to be able to express my voice and my vote,” Mr. Kennedy told reporters as he left the Capitol to return to Massachusetts and resume his treatments.

Slotkin on Gun Ownership

The Atlantic Monthly looks into its archives for some context on the Supreme Court's monumental decision this past week on gun ownership in D.C. v. Heller. In case you missed it, the Supreme Court ruled that Washington, D.C.'s longtime strict ban on private handgun ownership, meant to combat gun violence, violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms. Big deal!

One of the relevant articles dredged up is our own Professor Richard Slotkin's important 2000 review of Arming America, a book about the cultural significance of America's historical relationship with guns. Blogger Andrew Sullivan excerpts a section on his blog:

The militia issue highlights a critical difference in the way American and European cultures permit violence. American culture has tended, from the eighteenth century on, to assign an extraordinary value to individual rights, desires, and property. So we came to treat weapons, and the right to use them, as we treat all forms of private property—granting the widest possible latitude of action to the owner.

Our self-defense statutes are more permissive than those of any other industrialized nation. Under English law if a person menaced with deadly force is able to flee, he is obliged to do so. American laws since the Jacksonian period have typically declared that a man may defend himself with deadly force when he has a credible belief that he is menaced with deadly force. Under this rule a Louisiana man was acquitted in 1993 after having shot an unarmed Japanese exchange student who came to his door looking for a Halloween party.

I doubt that many Wesleyan students are gun owners, but this is an interesting read regardless of your NRA status.

Links
- Atlantic: Guns Out of Control- Ashley Johnson
- Atlantic: The Fall Into Guns - Richard Slotkin

It'll go away if I pretend it's not there

"White House Refused to Open Pollutants E-Mail"

I'm not really sure why I'm still surprised at headlines like this, now that we've endured almost eight years of George W. Bush. But I am. From the article:

The White House in December refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency’s conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, telling agency officials that an e-mail message containing the document would not be opened, senior E.P.A. officials said last week.

My life would be so much easier if I could do this. Student loans? No, don't think I'm going to worry about those. Tuition bill? Nah, that's far too much money, I'll just let it sit there until they decide to reduce it.

Honestly, how the hell does anyone, even especially our President get away with this? I didn't know it was possible for me to be even more depressed about the job Bush is doing...

Professor Out on a Lim

If you're a political junkie you might be interested in "Out on a Lim", Assistant Professor of Government Elvin Lim's aptly named blog on current American presidential politics. Link added to "Wes 2.0" sidebar.

Thanks to Bradley Spahn '11 for the tip.