Campus Progress Blog

Want Progress? Be Progressive!

Tommaso — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 17:39:15 EDT

Want strengthen the progressive movement on your campus, bring engaging speakers and films to jumpstart dialogue, and engage in activism on local and national issues?

Then join the Campus Progress Student Network for 2008-2009! We’re currently still accepting applications to join the team of Student Representatives from the across the country who work with the staff of Campus Progress to advance progressive causes at the local level and make their voices heard on the issues they care most about.

*** New deadline! Applications are now due by Wednesday September 3rd, so click here to learn more and to apply. ***

Yay! Campus Progress Got an Apocalyptic Postcard!

Tanya Paperny — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 14:18:10 EDT

We got mail:

I am surprised that "Acceptance of Homosexuality" and "Liberal Activist Judges" aren't on there.

I like how not -all- the boxes are checked, implying that this is a warning to be heeded and it's not too late. If there's a deadly gamma ray burst, I'll be sure to get in touch with this dude...Oh wait, he didn't leave a return address.

DC Political Elites Out of Touch?

Liberaltarian — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 11:54:05 EDT

..And in other shocking news, the sky is blue! The Pope is Catholic! Economists are myopic!

The Washington Post has a great article today about how many national political figures who live in DC, and are "representing" DC at the DNC next week, are clueless about DC itself:

Harold Ickes is the prototypical insider, a career political operative who knows as much about how Washington works as anyone. Just don't ask the former Clinton White House official and Democratic superdelegate what ward he lives in.
"Oh boy," Ickes said recently by phone. "It's either 2 or 7. I live in Georgetown."
Or who represents him on the D.C. Council.
"Don't know."
Or the name of the public schools chancellor.
"I don't know the name, an Asian woman."
If Ickes isn't plugged into the local political scene -- correct answers: Ward 2, Jack Evans and Michelle A. Rhee -- that's because there have long been two separate and distinct Washingtons. One is federal, the other local, and rarely do those in these two worlds think of one another.

Though that last sentence isn't really correct. I know the writer was going for a semblance of "balance," but the fact is that local-DC politicians are acutely aware of what's happening on Capitol Hill. Congress has veto power over DC, and not vice-versa.

Perhaps it's best described by stealing a line from Stephen Colbert's epic win of a Correspondents Dinner performance: "DC is a chocolate city too, with a marshmallow center."

Covering Politics: Media and Election 08

Thomas Coen — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 14:51:37 EDT

In case you missed Campus Progress and The Nation's National Youth Journalism Conference this past July, fear not. One of the morning plenary panels on media and politics was featured in a recent episode of RadioNation with Laura Flanders. You can check out the podcast here featuring Michael Tomasky of The Guardian, Chris Hayes, Betsy Reed, and Amy Alexander of The Nation, and moderated by Daniella Leger of the Center for American Progress.

Workers take over factories, resume operations

Liberaltarian — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:12:27 EDT

Kantipur is reporting that manufacturing workers of three of the largest tea estates in Nepal have taken over the factories and have started to run them again without management.

DHANKUTA, Aug 3 - Workers of three big tea estates, which remained closed for the last three weeks due to disputes between the management and workers, have forcefully took control of the processing factories and resumed operations.

The factories of Gurash Tea Estate, Kuwabashi Tea Plantation and Joon Tea Garden were taken into control by the workers on Friday and started tea production from Saturday.

Gopal Tamang, president of All Nepal Trade Unions Federation, a trade union closely affiliated with the Maoists, said the workers have resumed tea production and also started collecting tea leaves from the garden. He said the workers were forced to ‘capture’ the factories after the managements refused to initiate dialogues to end the deadlock and added that the takeover will continue until the managements agree to talk.

The tea estates were closed three weeks back after tea workers started protest programs demanding wage hikes, permanent appointments, and medical insurance, among others. The managements of the tea estates have been refusing to sit for negotiations citing insecurity.

This scenario is hardly a new one on the world stage. Less then a decade ago workers across Argentina did the same, taking possession of factories that their owners refused to run. This will be the first real test of the newly-elected Maoist government in Nepal - how will they respond?

Vote for Campus Progress at SxSW!

Tanya Paperny — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 09:42:42 EDT

South by Southwest (known as SXSW) is an annual interactive festival of film, music, art, and culture held in Austin, TX. For the third year in a row, they are giving the public a chance to weigh in on what panels they would like to see at the festival.

Campus Progress submitted a panel idea entitled "A New Wave? Iraq and Dissent in Cinema," which talks about the impact of Iraq War documentaries (event based on this panel held at NYU). While the online voting only counts for about 40% of the final decision, your vote could help bring us to the huge audiences at Austin next March!

Alex Cornell du Houx, Iraq War Vet in Newsweek Magazine

Tanya Paperny — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 16:25:30 EDT

Alex Cornell du Houx, a friend of Campus Progress, an Iraq War veteran, a graduate of Bowdoin College in Maine, and an outspoken leader for progressive causes, has just been featured in Newsweek Magazine.

He has spoken at the last two Iraq Action Camps sponsored by Campus Progress, and the students in attendance loved his passion and frankness when speaking about his experiences serving as a Marine in Iraq.

Read his story and watch a video here. We're thrilled that he's continuing his activism and getting recognized for it.

Get involved in our Iraq Campaign to bring a safe end to this war by clicking here.

End Genocide with Ryan Gosling and John Prendergast NEW VIDEO

Saxon Baird — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 11:28:53 EDT

A new video from the Enough project with Ryan Gosling and John Prendergast discussing genocide in Darfur and what you can do to help stop this crime against humanity.

Check it out right now HERE on Youtube.

150 Washington Progressives Couldn't Get Enough!

Paula O. — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 15:10:09 EDT

On August 13, 2008, Washington progressives were mesmerized by the Campus Progress, Reel Progress and HBO premiere screening of The Black List, Vol.I in Washington, DC. The overflowing theater cheered as director/producer Timothy Greenfield Sanders and interviewer/producer Elvis Mitchell introduced the project, and continued to cheer, laugh, and nod in agreement throughout the screening. The film features compelling interviews with actor Chris Rock, former Secretary of State General Colin Powell, media mogul Sean Combs, and other prominent African Americans.

In the Q&A after the film, attendees challenged Sanders and Mitchell on everything from their choice of talent, to the effectiveness of an all African-American cast. There was unanimous praise for the film's exceptional visual quality. The scheduled 30-minute Q&A did not satisfy the eager audience--they demanded the director and producer's attention for an additional 45 minutes. Mitchell and Sanders finally escaped after the building’s security insisted that the building had to be vacated.

See for yourself what all the fuss is about when HBO airs The Black List, Vol.I on August 25 at 9:00 pm (EST).

Don’t have HBO? No fear. Request a screening of this amazing documentary on your campus by emailing Campus Progress events at speakers@campusprogress.org.

Campus Progress on the Tavis Smiley Show

pdelatorre — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:33:28 EDT

Erica Williams, Policy and Advocacy Manager for Campus Progress, and Mark Savage, who was a Student Advisory Board member for the 2007-2008 school year, were featured on the Tavis Smiley Show on a segment about college affordability on August 8th. Check it out!

Click here if you want to get involved in Campus Progress’s efforts around College Affordability, or become a Student Representative for the 2008-2009 school year.

Join the Campus Progress Student Network Today!

Tanya Paperny — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 15:44:06 EDT

Want strengthen the progressive movement on your campus, bring engaging speakers and films to jumpstart dialogue, and engage in activism on local and national issues?

Then join the Campus Progress Student Network for 2008-2009! We’re currently still accepting applications to join the 100-student team of Student Representatives from the across the country who work with the staff and resources of Campus Progress to advance progressive causes at the local level and make their voices heard on the issues they care most about.

DC Citizens, THIS IS YOUR LAST DAY!!...

Paula O. — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 15:56:17 EDT

...to register to vote in the September 9, 2008 Congressional and Council Primary Elections. You can register at www.dcboee.org. Remember, if you do not vote then you also lose the right to complain.

I'm Voting For at Virgin Fest '08

pdelatorre — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:55:34 EDT

Campus Progress Action, our sister organization, went to the Virgin Music Festival this weekend to get people involved in the I’m Voting For campaign, and in the progressive movement in general.

They collected over 100 video testimonials, let hundreds of people know about Campus Progress and Campus Progress Action, had dozens of people paint what they were voting for on the graffiti wall, and had Foo Fighters guitar player Chris Shiflett visit the booth to sign autographs and take pictures with fans.

Check it out:

If you are having trouble loading the slideshow, click here.

The Spy Who Loved Me: Women and resistance in film

ashwini — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:18:36 EDT

SPOILER ALERT: The endings to 3 films are revealed in this blog.

I just finished watching Lust, Caution and I have to say—I am utterly sick of stories of underground resistance crumbling as a result of a woman’s actions. It’s really a tired formula: A female protagonist is involved in a subversive political movement, is depended on for a key element of some act being carried out, and at the last minute reveals the plan because her emotions get the better of her. I am tired of women being portrayed as the ultimate betrayers. And I am also angry that these consistent portrayals seem to reinforce the idea that women cannot help but develop emotional attachments and are therefore unreliable and unfit for work that demands clear-headedness.

McCain Hearts Usher: No Surprise

Josh Eidelson — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 10:40:08 EDT

Reviewing Entertainment Weekly interviews with the candidates, Marc Ambinder expresses surprise that

In some ways, Obama has the tastes of a 72 year old man; McCain has the tastes of a 47 year old whippersnapper. Who knew?

At risk of sounding cynical, why should we be surprised when Obama associates himself with Dick Van Dyke and McCain associates himself with Usher? Isn't this what candidates often do in interviews - try to address potential vulnerabilities and convince more people that they're more like them than they realized (that is, when they're not focused on doubling-down on their perceived strengths)? That the guy smeared as a secretly foreign terrorist fist jabber touts an old white guy and the really old white guy who can't use a computer touts a rapper seems to make a lot of sense. Same reason around election time we often hear more from Democrats about their love of guns and Jesus and from Republicans about their love of Black people and the environment.

Hey YAF: Who is confident, and who is threatened?

halperindavid — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 11:08:46 EDT

A C-SPAN clip from this week’s Young America’s Foundation conference came to my attention. YAF VP Patrick Coyle gave a speech claiming, astonishingly, that progressives are intent on stifling the speech of conservatives, and he specifically mentioned Campus Progress. If progressives, Coyle asked, are “so truly confident of their domination of the college campus, they would not try to stop speakers. They would say that we should go ahead and bring in their one conservative speaker… but they are so threatened.” Coyle continued by noting that Campus Progress is seeking “to train a new generation of so-called progressive leaders. Each year they hold a conference much like this one, and they have also started a campus lecture program to bring in even more liberal speakers to college campuses.” Coyle said that conservative students should go to progressive events and speak out.

Patrick, get real. Who is confident, and who is threatened?

Campus Progress invites conservative speakers to speak at our events -- like TownHall’s Amanda Carpenter, who appeared at our annual conference this summer, and Trent Lott, who spoke at one of our campus events this year with Tom Daschle. We invite conservatives to be interviewed on our website, like David Horowitz. Our interns cornered Ben Stein and convinced him to make a promo video for us. All these conservatives were gracious and interested in genuine debate on important issues. We admit young conservatives to our national conference as attendees, and we admit reporters from conservative publications like National Review to cover our conference. We have repeatedly denounced actions by people on the progressive side to shout down conservative campus speakers, throw pies in their faces, or otherwise interfere with honest, open debate.

Meanwhile, what has YAF done? The very YAF conference at which Patrick Coyle was speaking has repeatedly shut out Campus Progress-affiliated young people as attendees and journalists. This year they refused to admit our intern Chenwei Zhang, even after Amanda Carpenter herself called YAF, cited her positive experience at the Campus Progress conference, and urged YAF to be open minded. In 2006, when pressed after excluding a CampusProgress.org reporter, Julie Siegel, YAF said it would not admit a reporter from The Nation, whose contributors since 1865 have included Albert Einstein, Martin Luther King, John Steinbeck, and Franklin Roosevelt. YAF also ejected a reporter from the venerable Washington Monthly for the crime of also posting on the CampusProgress.org blog.

Patrick, do you actually believe what you are saying? Have you checked in with your colleagues Mr. Custer, Mr. Mattera , and Mr. Robinson, who have repeatedly barred Campus Progress from the doors of your events?

Who is confident, and who is threatened? Mr. Coyle also repeated the same tired argument conservatives have trotted out since we launched, that Campus Progress is unnecessary, because colleges themselves are the progressive organizing institutions: “What I think the leaders of Campus Progress are forgetting is that if you think about it, there is no reason for them to exist…. Typically, the counterpart to Young America's Foundation is usually the college itself.”

We’ve addressed that argument before. If there was no need for Campus Progress to exist, why do thousands of young people attend our events, participate in our campaigns, contribute to or visit our websites, apply for our action grants and publication grants? We’re not necessary? Yes, Patrick, it is the market working – supply and demand.

Campus Progress and our partner organizations are growing and gaining influence because young people are smart, engaged, and progressive. Working together – progressive groups and young people – we are getting things done: like making college more affordable, preventing efforts by conservatives to regulate the free speech of students and professors, moving campuses and communities toward clean energy, keeping the pressure on to halt genocide in Sudan, working for a stable outcome in Iraq, seeking to end government interference with freedom to marry.

YAF’s budget is seven times that of Campus Progress, but heaven knows how you are spending all that money. My guess is big fees to your speakers and consultants. If I were a donor or board member of YAF, I would start to wonder what the staff was actually getting done to make a difference.

Who is confident and who is threatened? We invite conservative voices, your ideas, and your participation. We want debate and dialogue. You lock the doors and keep us out, all the while muttering about George Soros and announcing, against all evidence, that Campus Progress has no reason to exist. You aren’t fooling anyone. And your movement is in shambles.

How It Feels to be Rejected by Young America's Foundation

Chenwei — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:55:26 EDT

As we sit at our little cubicles, completely immersed in our sheltered progressive wonderland, something else magnificent and alien to us is taking place in the halls of the George Washington University. Yep, that’s right; the Young America’s Foundation is putting on their 30th Annual National Conservative Student Conference. I strongly believe that the best way to grow intellectually is to expose yourself to a wide variety of ideas, including those that you may not believe yourself. The National Conservative Student Conference would have been a fantastic opportunity for me to do this. So a couple weeks ago, I decided to register for the conference...

Seymour Hersh at Campus Progress Journalism Conference

Thomas Coen — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 11:05:32 EDT

Award-winning investigative journalist Seymour Hersh was kind enough to speak at Campus Progress and The Nation's National Youth Journalism Conference last month in front of a packed crowd of 200 young journalists from across the country. Impressive as always, Mr. Hersh artfully explained some of the keys to becoming a great reporter as well as some amazing national security anecdotes. Some of his comments have been getting press over at ThinkProgress.

Mr. Hersh has also spoken at other Campus Progress events. Check out this great clip of him at our 2007 National Conference or this provocative interview he did a few years ago.

The Best of the -I'm Voting For- Videos

Tanya Paperny — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 13:54:58 EDT

Campus Progress Action, the sister organization of Campus Progress, has been working hard on our I'm Voting For campaign. Many of you have already heard of it or even submitted your own video online or filmed a testimonial at our national conference. For those who haven't, check out our website here to learn more about I’m Voting For.

We launched our first "Best Of" press releases this week, emailing the best I’m Voting For videos in each issue category to a huge list of reporters, bloggers, and journalists. We'll update you with any press hits, but we thought you guys might like to see the videos that were selected as the best ones!

Congress Passed the Higher Education Opportunity Act

pdelatorre — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 09:58:31 EDT

Campus Progress congratulates Congress on the passage of the Higher Education Opportunity Act. This legislation takes another small step toward an affordable and accessible system of higher education, and will finally reauthorize the Higher Education Act of 1965.