Lurie, who compares his campaign style to that of dark-horse U.S. presidential candidate Al Sharpton, drew snickers during the debate for his proposal to retain current council President Rohit Chopra ’04 as a paid adviser next year.
Candidate Lurie frequently refers to this plan to keep Chopra, claiming him as a valuable asset to the council—a “mini-dean,” as he said on his website. “A vote for Jason is a vote for Rohit!” Lurie said during last week’s debate.
In an e-mail, Chopra said that he would be happy to volunteer as a council alum advisor but noted that he plans to take off next semester. “I think I need to go into detox to get the UC and Harvard out of me—I have definitely overdosed,” he wrote.
Chopra has since reversed himself and says he plans to stay at Harvard next semester.
Some critics dismiss coopting Chopra as a ploy. According to Gladden J. Pappin ’04, to whom Lurie pointed when asked to name an “enemy,” this is just a way to lure voters with Chopra’s popularity.
“Jason Lurie wants to ride the success of Rohit’s administration while turning back the clock to the days when ideology trumped service to students,” Pappin says.
Speaking Out
Student policies, not political ideologies, have dominated the presidential campaign so far, but Lurie thinks that left-right political ideology is important even to council politics.
“Why do conservative groups get such disproportional funding?” he asks. “Because I think the UC has a very large portion of its members from current and past boards of the [Harvard Republican Club].”
Lurie says that candidates Matthew W. Mahan ’05 and his running mate Mike R. Blickstead ’05 are “very religious,” and that Barro and Adams are “out there,” noting their conservative beliefs. Adams is an HRC officer, and Barro is secretary of the Massachusetts Alliance of College Republicans.
When it comes to evaluating the competition, Lurie doesn’t hold back. He doesn’t think that the council experience of Mahan and Barro makes them better-suited for the job of president.
“Their experience will bring us a bad experience,” he says.
Lurie admits that Mahan and Blickstead are the front-runners, but he criticizes the job the two have done since being elected to the council.
“They’re taking credit for things they didn’t do,” Lurie says. “Mike folded like a French deck of cards last year over the alcohol [at Springfest]. He has been saying things like he’s God. ‘I’ll get you free beer.’ He won’t. He’s just being dishonest.”
Opponents Aaron S. Byrd ’05 and Divya A. Mani ’05 are “popular,” but, according to Lurie “don’t know what’s going on.”
“You can’t dislike Aaron because he’s so friendly,” Lurie says. But he predicts that Mahan and Blickstead have the election “in the bag.”
For all his political guts and fury, Lurie concedes that council will be in good hands no matter who wins.
“All the presidential candidates would do an okay job,” he says.