Guest column by the Government and Politics Association | Beyond partisan

W e are the Government and Politics Association, the largest and most active political group on campus. With over 200 participating members, we are the central political forum on campus, the only place where anyone of any political belief can come and have their voice heard. We host over 50 events per semester, including politically diverse speakers, weekly intellectual discussions through the Polybian Society and formal policy debates through the Penn Political Union.

The 2014 midterm elections make now an especially important time to be politically engaged. Control of the Senate, the House of Representatives and state houses across the country is at stake. The policies of our elected officials have a direct and immediate impact on all of us and those we care about. Here are the issues at stake:

An unprecedented inflow of unaccompanied minors from Central America at the U.S.-Mexico border has engendered a new focus on immigration reform, long a controversial topic on the political horizon.

As economists and policymakers consider how to stimulate employment, job growth continues to stagnate and the employment outlook for current college students grows increasingly grim.

While pundits, doctors and politicians debate the merits of the Affordable Care Act, health care reform persists as one of the most inflammatory and divisive topics in our politics discourse.

At home, the national debt and deficit remains a sticking point that threatens the operating ability of our government as we head into a heated election season.

Abroad, rapidly shifting events in Syria, Israel, Ukraine, Iraq and Nig eria are precipitating discussions about America’s role in the world, human rights and global stability.

Provocative and incendiary discourse surrounding wages, race, health, sex, equality and gender have triggered court cases, demonstrations, protests and petitions.

These are the issues at stake. We do not tell our members what to believe or whom to vote for. Rather, we encourage them to develop their own views after reviewing the facts and engaging with other political perspectives. As a result, our members are often reconsidering their political views, and not all of us are sure about where we stand. But there are things that all of us in Penn GPA know we want:

We want dialogue on campus to be robust and diverse, not exclusive and one-sided.

We want students of diverse political perspectives to come together and discuss the issues that matter.

We want members of the Penn community to question their beliefs, reevaluate their dogmas and challenge their convictions.

We want to get beyond partisan talking points and exchange real ideas.

The question here is not “Democrat or Non-Democrat.” The question here is not even “Democrat or Republican.” The real question is “liberal, conservative, independent, libertarian, socialist, progressive or none of the above.”

We know that we can’t have these conversations without all of those perspectives at the table. We know that we must consider these issues together. We know that everyone at Penn, Democrat or not, has something to add to the discussion.

The Government and Politics Association is a student-run organization dedicated to civic and political advancement. They can be reached at penngpa@gmail.com.

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