Students hit campaign trail for candidates

Earlier this month, College sophomore Scott Sher got a firsthand look at the recession's toll on New Hampshire's economy. Campaigning door-to-door in the town of Derry for Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, Sher said wherever he went, "people are either unemployed, their spouses are unemployed, or their houses are foreclosed." It is fittingly symbolic of the hard times, he said, that the Harkin field office where he slept his first night in Derry was a former video rental store that had been driven out of business by the recession. "The people are disgusted," he said. "They're looking for a change." Sher said he hopes that desire for change will translate into votes for Harkin in tomorrow's Democratic presidential primary election, propelling Harkin to the Democratic nomination this summer and, ideally, to a win over President Bush in November. Sher said he knows this will not be easy, especially now that polls show Harkin is only vying for third place with Nebraska Senator Bob Kerrey in an election which every Democratic nominee since the 1950s has won. But like other University students working for the campaigns of Harkin, Kerrey or Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton, Sher is doing what he can to put his candidate on the road to the White House. In recent months, several students have taken active roles in promoting the candidate of their choice, both by pounding the pavement in New Hampshire and by helping to organize on campus. The Clinton, Kerrey and Harkin campaigns all have organized committees at the University, each headed by two students. College Democrats has been working with them to help coordinate their work so that they will all support the eventual nominee. This past weekend, between 30 and 40 students trekked to New Hampshire to work for the various campaigns, according to Michael Berman, president of College Democrats. He said nearly 70 students went the weekend before. Berman said there are no campaign groups on campus for former California Gov. Jerry Brown or former Massachusetts Sen. Paul Tsongas, who is currently considered to be the frontrunner after catching Clinton in the polls last week. Conservative columnist Patrick Buchanan, who has attacked Bush on several points, including his decision to agree to higher taxes, is the only Republican candidate challenging the President for the Republican nomination. College senior Phil Crosby, who heads the Clinton group on campus along with College senior Martin Lind, said Thursday that about a dozen students would be heading to New Hampshire for the weekend to "lock down" Clinton supporters and convince the many undecided voters to support Clinton. He acknowledged that his team has its work cut out for it now that journalists have scrutinized Clinton over questions of marital infidelity and draft evasion, which Crosby accuses the media of "completely distorting." Wharton Freshman George Callas, another Clinton supporter, said he is satisfied that Clinton was not "a draft dodger" after hearing the candidate defend himself on ABC's Nightline last week. Callas said that because the press reports about the allegation have made him "really angry," he plans to go to New Hampshire over the weekend to try to convince voters not to abandon Clinton. He said he supports Clinton's proposal to replace the student loan system, which currently costs the government billions of dollars every year in defaults, with a new system that would make loans available to anyone who wants to attend college. Under the Clinton plan, a student would repay such a loan either through community service for a certain period of time, or by allowing the government to deduct a small portion of his or her salary over a period of years -- measures that would prevent a student from defaulting. College senior Frank Green, who is running Kerrey's campus group with College freshman Jill Family, said that despite limited support for Kerrey among University students so far, the candidate's ties to Philadelphia could help him later in the campaign and might result in a campus appearance by Kerrey. Kerrey underwent rehabilitation at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital after losing part of his leg during a tour of duty in Vietnam that earned him the highest possible commendation, the Medal of Honor. Green added that the recent focus on reports that Clinton avoided the draft in 1969 should help Kerrey, who has used his war record, along with a call for national health care, as a basis for his campaign. College senior Harry Sandick, who is working for the campus Harkin group headed by College sophomore Samantha Halem and College senior Fred Nemeth, said he supports Harkin's candidacy because of the senator's programs that emphasize "grass-roots liberalism" and rebuilding the national infrastructure. But he said he has "no deep-seated problem" with any of the candidates, adding he will campaign during the fall for the Democratic nominee, whoever that may ultimately be. "Eight months ago, it didn't seem like anyone could beat Bush," he said. "Now, there's definitely a chance to beat Bush. Although the odds are very long, the right candidate with the right message can beat him."