The Red and Blue of politics at USU
Abortion, affirmative action, social security, big government or small and even the war in Iraq.
These are just a few issues argued by Democrats and Republicans throughout the country.
The issues debated in the country also come close to home at Utah State.
“We want our people to discuss the issues,” said Spencer Taylor, president of the College Republicans and a junior double majoring in economics and political science.
The College Democrats are involved when it comes to the issues.
“We want to have civil debates and that requires our people to really understand the issues. There’s nothing better than really understanding why you believe something,” said Erin Cottle, President of the College Democrats and a junior double majoring in political science and economics.
Spencer Taylor and Erin Cottle each answered a series of questions determined to clear up some of the confusion surrounding the two political parties.
Utah Statesman: What are the main goals or objectives of your political organization?
Spencer Taylor: We really encourage people to think for themselves. Ignorance is not a benefit to the party. We are also just trying to get people involved in the political process.
Erin Cottle: We really try to get people informed. It is so important to help people clearly understand the real issues. If people knew what was really going on, they could make a better choice.
US: How large is your organization?
Taylor: We have a lot of people on our mailing list. Currently though, we have between eight and 10 very active members who participate.
Cottle: There are quite a lot of us at the university. Many of them come every so often, but our mainstay group is around a dozen or so.
US: On what do you base you political views?
Taylor: As members of the College Republicans of America, we align ourselves with the National Republican Party. We believe in the aspects that make this country great. We respect free enterprise, capitalism and having ethical practices as our ideal.
Cottle: We basically stick to the National Democratic Party. We allow for many different kinds of ideas in our organization. For some issues, we may disagree, but that is the best part of democracy.
US: What are some of the ways that you try to get your members involved in the community?
Taylor: We actually go out to the community and support our local representatives. We volunteer with the Cache County Republicans and help them with their needs. We also hold special events to get people to notice the issues.
Cottle: We participate with the local parties. We marched in the parade with the Cache County Democrats in support of them. We also organize activities to try and bring about change, such as letter writing.
US: (To Taylor) Many people feel your political organization leans to the extreme, as in the cookie sale or the scholarship fund. How far ‘right’ do you feel you go?
Taylor: I don’t think we go as far ‘right’ as some people think. For events like the scholarship, our purpose wasn’t to make us look like extremists.
Our main goal was to get people to start thinking about the issues more. We want people to see the discrepancies when it comes to issues like affirmative action.
US: (To Cottle) Compared to the notice that the Republicans receive for their stance on issues, how do you get people to search out the issues?
Cottle: That’s a good question. We don’t want to offend people. We’re Democrats. That’s just our goal.
We try to hold discussions and get people to move to action. We helped push a letter writing campaign to maintain and increase funding to college students.
US: In regard to the issues, how do you feel about the war in Iraq?
Taylor: We view those who serve as heroes. We support our troops and their efforts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Cottle: We stand behind our soldiers. There are so many feelings about this, that there isn’t a real strong consensus. Many of us feel we shouldn’t have gone, but now that we’re there, it wouldn’t be right to just pull out.
US: What is the biggest struggle your organization faces today at Utah State?
Taylor: Our biggest concern is that people are voting for issues just because of the party. There is a danger in voting for a certain issue or person just because they have the backing of a particular organization.
The issues must be studied out and decisions made on informed thought.
Cottle: On a college campus, there should be more Democrats. We aren’t under-represented; we just need to be more active. There is so much diversity at Utah State and we need to get others to see beyond themselves and view the whole picture.
US: Final thought?
Taylor: I love it. I believe in the political process and want to participate in it. Other people love hiking or skiing and I have my politics.
Cottle: I want to continue in politics. There is so much that it has to offer and I get to have my voice heard. There are many struggles, but I have feelings about certain issues and they need to be heard.
-nebutler@cc.usu.edu