Still the Best Choice

As the dramatic Democratic presidential primary season comes to a close, Sen. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., is in a position unthinkable at the close of 2003. He is, after Tuesday’s round of primaries, the certain nominee, and after the elimination of all his serious rivals but President Bush, he is still—as he was a year ago—the strongest candidate in the race. Kerry’s tenacity has shown that he cannot be boiled down to the lowest common denominator. His long legislative history only shows that he gives serious and appropriate consideration to the complicated individual circumstances surrounding the matters presented before him in the Senate. Instead of mindlessly toeing the party line, Kerry has established his own conscientious position as an advocate of the average citizen.

In an American society where intellectualism is often frowned upon, Kerry is still a thinking man. The choice in November will be clear, with a thoughtful, intellectually engaged life-long public servant who will not be afraid to fight a sitting president who has bragged about not reading the newspaper. Certainly, any Harvard student should be able to appreciate the importance of staying informed and making an intellectual contribution to our country’s discourse. Kerry is willing to engage in this discourse, and he will not shy from challenging the president’s lies in public debate.

All of this explains why Kerry is the candidate for America, but it still leaves the question of why he should be the candidate for Harvard students. Though Kerry spent his college years in New Haven, Harvard students should pay him serious heed. It is clear that this year’s presidential election will be critical in shaping the future of this country and the direction of both foreign and domestic policy. With that in mind, college students at Harvard and beyond should pay close attention to some of Kerry’s lesser-known plans and policies.

In an era when a college degree is a prerequisite for an increasing number of jobs, Kerry plans to offer a “two-for-four” system. If you give America two years of service, the Kerry administration will fund the equivalent of four years of in-state education—which can be applied to tuition at private institutions or, if the service comes after college, can be used for loan repayment, directed towards vocational training or business start-up fees.

Harvard frequently touts the prominent role of the Phillips Brooks House Association on our campus, and rightfully so. Students work on dozens of projects for thousands of hours every year. This ethic translates into commitments past graduation as well, with serious competition for positions in service programs like Teach for America, which has been summarily kicked to the wayside by the Bush administration. Another service program sought out by students leaving Cambridge after four years is AmeriCorps—yet its size has been halved by congressional Republicans, despite Bush’s promise in his 2002 State of the Union address to increase the number of volunteers by half.

Kerry supports the mission of Teach for America, and he wants to double the size of AmeriCorps. Kerry also plans on expanding the size of the Peace Corps to 25,000, from its current dismal all-time low of 6,500—crucial at a time when the American image is rapidly degrading abroad. This is a part of Kerry’s larger vision to inspire service to America as a normal part of the average citizen’s life, to better the lives and improve the safety of all Americans. The ethic of service that is so strong at Harvard will be expanded to the entire country and expanded in our own lives past graduation.

In a place as politically charged as Harvard, there is no reason not to be involved with the campaign. Since the campaign is just now beginning to focus on the general election, now is the best time to get involved, get noticed and make a difference. The world of campaigns is very fluid and dominated by upward mobility—it is up to the initiative of the individual to make a place within the campaign and excel at it, thus guaranteeing a long-term involvement through the summer. The experience of working for a campaign is unlike any other.

The current atmosphere surrounding the campaign is both vibrant and frenzied. I have watched spirits rise with Kerry’s poll numbers, and I now have no doubt that participating in the leading campaign is an unparalleled experience. The community working on the campaign is on the whole very young, with our peers—on leaves of absence from colleges across the state—usually heading up the key organizational positions for the field work that is accomplished by the local offices.

In conjunction with these opportunities offered through the campaign, there will be innumerable further ways to get involved through the Democratic National Convention, which will be right across the river in Boston this summer. Between these two local opportunities, there is no reason why anger at the administration cannot be transformed into action that will stop the Bush campaign juggernaut.

Michael P. Etzel ’06 is a social studies concentrator in Eliot House. He is secretary of Harvard Students for Kerry.