A rally with Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick in front of Amherst Town Hall on Saturday and a speech Monday night from Obama’s senior advisor Tony Lake marked the Obama campaign’s palpable presence in town and on campus. The College invited spokespersons for all candidates to campus, and so far only Hillary Clinton and Obama representatives have spoken.
On Saturday morning, a bundled group of Obama supporters gathered outside of the Amherst Town Hall to hear Governor Deval Patrick and several local officials endorse Senator Obama. More informal than his inaugural speech for the opening of the Center for Community Engagement in the fall, his speech on Saturday cited Obama’s stances on education, health care and the war in Iraq as reasons to support the senator. “We’re ready for a change; we’re ready to work for it; and Lord knows we need it,” he said.
He spoke briefly, encouraging the audience to volunteer by making phone calls and going door to door before Super Tuesday. Although groups of students and professors attended, the rally drew townspeople, including families with young children wrapped in layers and carrying Obama posters.
Many more Amherst students attended Monday evening’s lecture with Obama’s senior advisor and former President Bill Clinton’s national security advisor Tony Lake. Students, faculty members and townspeople filled the lower level of Johnson Chapel and several rows of the upper balconies. College President Tony Marx introduced Lake, citing his background working for the U.S. Foreign Service and the State Department. During his career, Lake has worked for Presidents Nixon, Carter and Clinton, and has taught International Relations at Mt. Holyoke College.
Though he referred to himself as a “charismatically challenged professor,” Lake charmed the crowd with charisma and humor. He said that he has been inspired by Obama and the hope of working to elect the first black man to the presidency. He asserted that more than Obama’s race, his sincerity sets him apart as a leader.
“He is real,” Lake said, emphasizing that Obama speaks and acts from conviction instead of following public opinion. “He says what he thinks.”
Lake described Obama as an agent of change who could bridge the divide between Democrats and Republicans and help recover world support.
“He understands the real problems and real hopes of real people around the world and that’s what foreign policy is about,” Lake said, to soft applause. He touted Obama’s international experiences, which include living in Indonesia and traveling around Kenya, as well as Obama’s community organizing work in Chicago.
Earlier in the day, representatives for Hillary Clinton spoke in Pruyne Lecture Hall. Domestic Policy Director for the Clinton campaign Catherine Brown (Smith ’96) and energy and environment legislative assistant to Clinton Dan Utech ’88 held a conversation on Clinton’s proposed policies, with topics ranging from higher education to global warming.
In endorsing Clinton, Brown highlighted her remarkable work ethic, describing her as “tenacious.” “She is a workhorse,” Brown said.
Utech noted Clinton’s expansive experience and her ability to “hit the ground running.” He cited the relationships and knowledge she accumulated in her eight years as first lady.
With her years as first lady come questions about a presidential dynasty. Brown described Clinton’s marriage as a “partnership of two incredibly talented people,” and emphasized that she should be recognized for her individual accomplishments. “Hillary Clinton has been an incredibly talented leader in her own right since she gave the Wellesley Commencement address in 1967,” Brown said.
Although many students are still unsure who they will vote for, support for Obama has been most palpable on campus. Trevor Lewis ’10 and Josh Nathan ’10 volunteered for the Obama campaign in Charleston, S.C. over Interterm. Lewis admitted that he did not become a fervent supporter until he joined the campaign. “Once we got down there, that’s when it solidified itself,” he said. Lewis, a Maryland resident, will mail in his absentee ballot by Feb. 12. Lewis conceded that he sounds like the telephone conversation script he used while campaigning. “I find Obama so beyond inspirational. He honestly is someone who can cross the political divide.”
Nathan, an executive-board member of the College Democrats, has already mailed his absentee ballot in Massachusetts. Both students expressed disappointment about the lack of political action on the part of Amherst students so far. Nathan blamed the secluded Amherst College lifestyle for creating complacency. “It’s easy to remove yourself from the outside world,” Nathan said.
On the other hand, they recognize that more students are becoming interested in the current political campaigns, and hope rallies and talks may inspire more undecided or apathetic students to become politically active. Despite their work for Obama, both feel optimistic about the upcoming election regardless of the Democratic nominee. Both say they see Clinton and Obama as competent and qualified.
“There has been no better time in my lifetime to be a Democrat,” Nathan said.