The atmosphere in Barnum 008 felt more like 1968 than 2001 last Friday, as former Massachusetts Attorney General Scott Harshbarger advocated a return to a period of high political participation. Harshbargar was optimistic during his speech about the influence that ordinary people, particularly young citizens, will have in future decisions made by the US government.
To illustrate the importance of participation in politics and government, Harshbarger used the example of the recent presidential race. Until the Florida recounts, Harshbarger said, the majority of Americans did not believe that individual votes could affect a national election.
"Active civic participation has eroded dramatically," he said.
When he was in college, leaders like Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. were Harshbarger's heroes, but he said that today's college students do not feel that government stands for the common good or that politicians are heroic figures.
Many young Americans do not participate in politics because their parents do not vote or discuss politics at home, according to Harshbarger. He said that the power of college-aged voters is not realized, and that if a higher percentage of young people had registered and voted in the past presidential election, they could have potentially changed the outcome.
As president and CEO of Common Cause, a political watchdog and lobbying organization, Harshbarger carefully analyzes how donations and financial security affect campaigns. He said that both Bush and Gore ran "careful, tactical campaigns" because of the pressures funding concerns exerted on them, and that money also determined the candidate pool. Senator John McCain, for example, decided to leave the campaign mainly because he lacked the funds to continue.
Although he focused on many negative aspects of politics, Harshbarger's tone was optimistic, and he emphasized that students have the power to change the political climate through their participation. Those who attended the speech praised Harshbargar for his positive message.
"[He] had a lot of good things to say, especially about engaging young people in the political process," junior Jesse Levey said.
"I appreciate that he has realistic goals for making changes," added Erin Ross, a junior.
The speech kicked off the University College for Citizenship and Public Service's signature course, "Leadership for Active Citizenship," which is co-taught by President John DiBiaggio and UCCPS Dean Rob Hollister.
Tying his lecture to the citizenship theme of the course, Harshbarger also spoke about leaders and leadership in today's society. "Money can elect a person to office, but it can't produce leaders. Leadership is about values," he said.
Harshbarger worries that politicians like John Ashcroft will be unable to keep their own philosophies from biasing their decisions despite fervent promises to the contrary, he said at Tufts. He stressed that citizen participation is necessary to combat this, and he called for voters to look to themselves as part of both the problem and the solution.
"The enemy is us: Look around. We get what we deserve. Why should our leaders be any less cynical than we are?" he said.
Harshbarger is currently president of Common Cause. According to its website, the group "represents the unified voice of the people against corruption in government and big money special interests."
