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Senator John McCain is facing a very tough crowd outside of the Beltway. Students and professors alike at the New School are upset over his selection as the commencement speaker. New School president, fellow Vietnam vet, and former McCain colleague Bob Kerrey selected McCain as a commencement speaker because he's "one of the world's most important leaders," as Kerrey explained to the Times. But a lot of the student and faculty population feels differently, as hundreds of people signed a petition arguing that McCain shouldn't speak, noting that his positions on the war and a woman's right to choose, and a bunch of people protested outside the New School office yesterday. However, Kerrey is sticking to the plan and keeping McCain on the speaking list.
McCain is also the Class Day speaker for Columbia College next week, which didn't make many Columbia seniors happy either. He was their third choice, after Bill Clinton and Columbia alum Barack Obama declined invitations. McCain is also the father a junior there, so that might have had something to do with it. The plus side of having a commencement/class day speaker you don't like is that you remember who it was. So the Columbia Law School graduates will have a class day speaker for the ages - their speaker is Governor George Pataki!
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"Open-minded school" translates to "only people we agree with are allowed to speak" but I guess this is the campus standard nowadays. Just like accepting Taleban member (who supported 9/11 and all those nice al-qaida fellas) to Yale is ok, but allowing ROTC to speak there is not ok.
I wonder if Micheal "Bowling for Falluja" Moore is still available. Hey, why not inviting that Taleban guy? He would be awesome!
Typical New York City fascism. God forbid someone have an opinion other than yours.
When I attended commencement at Columbia in 1990 (not for class day but for University Commencement; I only got my degree in 1991) we had Joe DiMaggio and Dizzy Gillespie receiving honorary doctorates and I couldn't tell you who gave the commencement speech...
Pataki's daughter is in the Columbia Law School graduating class, so, unfortunately for the rest of us, that may also have something to do with it.
I got really lucky for my college graduation. We scored Mikhail Gorbachev (sp?). It was a little anticlimactic after the school had Bill Clinton the year before (this was when he was still the sitting president), but it was still pretty amazing.
Protest all you want, but it's pretty lame to say he shouldn't be allowed to speak and doesn't reflect well on the New School.
Agree or disagree with his views, McCain is a fascinating person and political leader, I don't see why people wouldn't be interested to hear what he has to say.
I'm skipping that graduation ceremony, not because of McCain necessarily, but because it's at Madison Square Garden (ugh) and they don't even call the graduates' names, we just stand up with our division to be recognized.
Laurie Anderson is also scheduled to speak. That's something, at least.
There is nothing fascist about wanting a commencement speaker who is not a flip-flopping bush boot licker who opposes a woman's right to choose. It would be fascist if the students opposing his speaking at their commencement wanted to have him imprisoned for his views, but i don't believe that is the case. It would also be fascist if they wanted to deny him the ooportunity to study at the new school or to deny any of his family members the opportunity to study there based on his views. Delivering a commencement speech is some sort of honor, as well as gives the speaker a forum, a captive audience and public exposure for his views. Denying those benefits to a politician with presidential aspirations is not fascisim. please, get a grip and find a better outlet for your outrage--maybe try letting loose on the bush-cheney assault on our constitution or something--that's a better fit.
McCain used to have gonads, now he is kissing Bush's ass which should cost him in my opinion. People are pissed off and these right-wingers need to be reminded over and over of that.
Too bad, I used to like McCain when he really was a maverick. Then he crumpled.
Honey,people like you are no better than the Group Think posse in the White House. Anything you don't agree with gets lumped into one pile labled Bush/Republican=bad. I didn't even vote for him but at least I can tolerate listening to a moderate speak on graduation day.
Fascism is not defined by imprisoning people. Look it up.
Why would you say McCain's a moderate? He's a deeply conservative senator from a very conservative state.
As a liberal Democrat I disagree with him on many issues but I don't have any problem having him speak at commencement. Sure, picket the speech outside the event but don't get upset that someone you disagree with is chosen to talk. How dull would your life be if you only listened to those with whom you agree?
McCain spoke at Northwestern's Commencement last year. I zoned out during most of the entire process, but the gist from what i remember was "human rights violations = bad". Not very scandalous. Plus, it sounded like he was reading the speech for the first time as if a staffer wrote it for him the night before.
All in all, not very exciting. Nothing to really bother getting worked up over.
Yeah Anomalous, I have no problem listening to McCain speak but one should realize that he is not moderate. McCain, I believe, is ranked the third most conservative senator based on his voting record. He is no different than a Sam Brownback or a James Inhofe.
I think the main issue with McCain speaking at the New School is that he really doesn't represent the student body and has views, especially on abortion, that a majority of students find offensive. He is also using this speach as a way to connect to liberals in a gear up for a presidential bid. This is simply a way for him to distance himself from his ultra-conservative voting record.
Oh, I see. If you disagree with the Left, your views are "offensive". How self-righteous of you, Jake. And how dare a politician try to "connect" to people outside of his base. What ever happened to the Left's romance with tolerance and diversity?
the issue is not weather or not McCain should be allowed to speak. the students opposed to his speech have said time and time again, that this is not a free speech issue. this is an issue that the commencement is not an oppurtunity to debate the issue, it is an oppurtunity for McCain to share his personal views with the world. the reaction would be the same if a liberal speaker was invited to speak at a conservative university.
>>>>the issue is not weather
If you're in the New School, you should know it's "whether."
oppurtunity
How does anyone know beforehand what McCain is going to say? Maybe he will give a political speech, but maybe he will give a "commencement is not an end, commencement is but a beginning..." cheerleader talk.