It seems like the Lecture Fund has decided not to bring new speakers to campus this semester; instead, Georgetown is hosting encore performances of past, minor hits. How else to explain their heavyweight guests thus far this year: Bill Richardson (who spoke last year) and Christopher Hitchens (who rocks and all, but lives in D.C. and spoke two years ago)?
I have neither the desire nor the chops to pursue a beef with Hitchens (people who do always come to bad ends), but Richardson’s an easily-punctured puffball of bad ideas. Being gay is a choice? He supports the balanced budget amendment? This isn’t the kind of speaker that students are begging to be see reprised.
The situation is made worse by the hype they built around the Richardson announcement. In the last two days I was told by many Lecture Fundamentalists that a major presidential candidate was coming to speak. I don’t expect the top tier Democrats to come, but anyone is more interesting than someone we’ve already seen. Mike Gravel would be great, and you know he doesn’t have anything else going on. [Ed. note: No one wants to see Mike Gravel, either.]
-Will Sommer, blog editor
Flickr photo from VictoryNH
Entries (RSS)
September 30th, 2007 at 8:31 pm
I respectfully disagree with the editor’s note. Mike Gravel’s Dadaist campaign ads alone should earn him a spot in Gaston.
September 30th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Mike Gravel’s Dadaist campaign ads earn him a spot in the old people’s home. I mean, seriously.
September 30th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Go figure Georgetown printed a terrible article like this. Talented political students attend George Washington I suppose.
September 30th, 2007 at 11:21 pm
Correction: Talented political students with tuition cash to burn attend George Washington.
Surely you can agree Bill Richardson’s a snorefest. Even Biden would be more interesting.
October 1st, 2007 at 7:11 am
Major presidential candidate - top tier…not according to meaningless national polls (I mean just how statistically significant is a poll of 600 likely voters across the US? What is that - 12 voters per state??), but certainly according to statewide polls in three of the four so-called “early states”: Iowa, Nevada, and New Hampshire. In those States, Richardson is vying for third and according to The Nation, the only candidate surging upward.
C’mon Will, you know Richardson corrected himself on the issue of sexual orientation (and his position endorsed by Rep. Barney Frank); and a BBA with exceptions in time of war, national catastrophe, or recession is a viable approach to a deficit reaching overwhelming proportions.
You need to learn to be more objective. At this rate, you’ll never make editor of the Harvard Crimson when you grow up.
October 3rd, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Well I guess we can’t blame you for not wanting to step out that night and see someone who you’ve already seen and who you seem to know everything about. Personally I would like to see troops home, renewable energy standards, and I’d pull the plug on the other candidates. But who am I, just a little old girl from New Hampshire!
~Live Green or Die
October 3rd, 2007 at 2:45 pm
And they say Ron Paul has following on the internet.
October 5th, 2007 at 11:34 pm
Richardson’s speech was right on. We need this guy in office…troops home, renewable energy, DIPLOMACY. Enough said.