Oct. 19, 2000

In Sen. Kerry's Defense

To the editors:

In response to a letter published in The Crimson (Op-Ed, Oct. 18), I did not see Sen. John Kerry's (D-Mass.) remarks at HYPE on Sunday as inappropriate. Rather, I saw a passionate senator who really believed in the causes he was advocating.

I think one of the reasons why youth are not engaged in the political process is that they see the politicians as apathetic. When a politician gives a sterile speech about the importance of voting, I tend to tune out. I can be assured that the politician is giving a well-rehearsed stump speech that he gives to every student group he meets. Furthermore, a politician simply telling youth to vote is not going to make it happen.

On the other hand, when a politician explains to me why my vote matters in particular--that is by addressing current issues--I start to listen. I see such a politician as treating me as an equal. I would much rather a politician speak to me as he speaks to every other voter, even if it is in a partisan way, than talk down to me because I am younger than his other constituents.

The bottom line is that I believe John Kerry did a better job of invigorating the students at HYPE than the other speakers. He put a whole slew of issues on the table, and asked for the students to decide if it was worth their time to vote. His actions were those of a senator who was not yet callous from so-called "Washington politics," but one who actually cares about the people he represents and the issues he deals with.