On Washington, Presidential Politics and Grad School

Ellen Austin is a fellow at 21st Century Democrats and a graduate student at American University

The past month has been an exciting one. Midway through August, I was finally able to move back to Washington, DC, where I have wanted to be since I left at the beginning of August last year. This move was particularly exciting given that we are in the midst of a historic election, and I can’t imagine a more dynamic place to be as the election moves into its final two months. The excitement has been accentuated as I began graduate study as a student of Applied Politics in the Department of Government at American University. Although I have only been a graduate student for a short time, I can say with a great deal of enthusiasm that I really enjoy what I am doing, and that there are a great number of incredible opportunities to take advantage of in this city. In addition to my work as a student, I wanted to gain practical experience that would complement what I was learning in the classroom. I have begun a fellowship with the Twenty-First Century Democrats, which has allowed me to gain a new perspective on elections at all levels. It is, like Washington itself, a particularly exciting place to be at this time, and only increases my awareness of the importance of a Democratic victory in November.

As a graduate student in Politics, I spent my nights during the past few weeks eagerly watching the political drama unfold as Obama and McCain made their vice-presidential selections and the parties held their conventions, although I missed the text message from the Obama campaign at quarter after three in the morning announcing his selection of Senator Biden as his running mate. This choice was not nearly as surprising as McCain’s choice of Alaska Governor Sarah Palin almost a week later. I knew very little about Governor Palin at the time of the announcement, and can honestly say the more I learn, the more convinced I am that she is unqualified for the position and holds dangerous views on a broad range of issues that can only harm our nation should they become policy.

I was first upset at what I saw to be pandering to disaffected Hillary Clinton supporters. Her stances on issues stand in stark contrasts to those advocacted by Senator Clinton. Her references to the “cracks in the glass ceiling” in her first appearance with Senator McCain as the presumptive vice-presidential nominee felt disingenuous, mostly because her views would generally represent a step (or more) backward for females. Her speech at the Republican National Convention demonstrated that she is a skilled politician, but a number of the comments she made also showcased her disregard for the American people. Palin made a number of comments, including some outright lies, that were highly disturbing, among them mocking Senator Obama’s work as a community organizer. The same sentiment was also voiced by Former Mayor Guiliani earlier in the evening, and is a strong indicator of the Republican’s complete lack of concern for the American people. Community organizing has historically been, and continues to be, an important way for ordinary citizens to become involved in the political process, and has been instrumental in ushering in important changes in politics and society.

I will be watching attentively as the campaigns continue to unfold over the coming weeks and months, and will be doing everything I can to work for democratic victory in this historic election.