DNC is boon to students

Tufts students living and working in the Boston metropolitan area this summer will experience three days of excitement and annoyance during the Democratic National Convention. From July 26 to 29, the city will be mobbed with politicians, delegates, and political activists. It will be a potent brew for anyone interested in politics.

This convention promises to be an exciting one. President Bush provokes so much antipathy in liberals that opposition groups unprecedented in size have come into existence, such as moveon.org. It has the potential to rival the infamous 1968 Chicago Democratic National Convention, though hopefully unmarred by violence.

Locals trying to continue their everyday routine during the convention will have to deal with extraordinary and irritating security measures. Commuters will have the biggest headaches. The U.S. Secret Service has ordered that I-93 through the city and North Station be closed during the convention. A Boston Globe survey shows that 57 percent of Bostonians think that the convention will provide benefits for the city of Boston that will far outweigh these irritations. Not surprisingly, the percentage of Democrats who are willing to make sacrifices is far greater than the number of Republicans who think it is worth the sacrifice.

These closures will bring traffic into Somerville. Mayor Joe Curtatone has voiced legitimate concerns that Somerville will become the "entry point" to Boston, and the traffic will stop circulation. Tufts students will have to deal with this traffic, especially if they plan on using I-93 or head towards the city. They will benefit from the event because in many ways it will be an intensive three-day class in electoral politics; going to stand outside of the Fleet Center will be a field trip from which they will come back loaded with pamphlets and flyers.

It will be an exciting time for Boston. An urban renewal has already commenced in Boston. The Big Dig has provided the city with a recognizable landmark in the Zakim Bridge and will reconnect downtown with the North End. National media attention will focus on the city and reveal its newfound dynamism. Three days of disrupted transportation and crowded sidewalks is a small price to pay for the thrill of politics and the promotion of Boston.