The long campaign

Though recent televised debates and Sarah Palin impersonators may pull some otherwise inactive voters into the political fray, college students citywide have been relinquishing their sleep, school work and social lives for months to be active participants in this historical election.
‘When you are passionate about something, it’s hard to understand why people aren’t,’ Boston College political science major Josh Darr said. Inspired by Sen. Barack Obama’s 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention and 2005 speech at the BC convocation, Darr founded BC for Barack Obama last February before the senator had officially announced his candidacy.
‘ ‘The campaign has exceeded all of my wildest expectations,’ the BC senior said. ‘It’s paid off and changed the direction of my life.’
Since founding BC for Barack Obama, Darr has helped in the Iowa caucuses, spent 10 days working at the New Hampshire primary, attended the Democratic National Convention in Denver and even had the opportunity to meet Obama.
‘This whole thing just feels like a two-year journey,’ he said. It’s been ups and downs, surprises – I am excited to see how it turns out.’
Darr, who said that he has become known as ‘The Obama Kid’ around campus, was taking coats at a New England fundraiser when Sen. Obama passed him in the hallway.
‘He walked right by, glanced at me and kept going, and then he stopped, took two or three steps toward me, extended his hand and said, ‘thank you,” Darr recalled. ‘That just spoke volumes to me.’
Boston University College of Arts and Sciences sophomore Craig Strauss said he worked as an intern for the Campaign Finance Director of the Massachusetts GOP this semester. Strauss said he has worked hard to make sure students see both political sides of the campaign.
Strauss said he spends six hours on Monday, Wednesday and Friday polling, creating mailing lists and recording incoming campaign donations, sacrificing his time and money for a monumental cause.
‘It takes away from your social life, your monetary funds,’ he said.’ ‘But you are part of a historical election, and that chance comes around very, very rarely.’
BU College Democrats and BU for Obama spokeswoman Alexis Steinberg said people age 18 to 25 make up close to a quarter of the electorate.
‘When people say students don’t make a difference, they are disenfranchising a quarter of the people who are voting for the president,’ the College of Communication sophomore said.’ ‘You have to be able to see long-term goals because sometimes you are calling people and canvassing and knocking on doors, and you feel like you are getting nowhere, but you are actually making a difference.’
With a collapsing economy and our nation at war, many view the upcoming election as an unprecedented event.
‘ ‘I think this election could be the defining election of our lifetime,’ Harvard University junior Audrey White said. As the Harvard College Democrats campaign director, White said she spends about 30 hours a week working on the Obama campaign.
White said she organizes weekend bus trips to swing states like New Hampshire and Pennsylvania where students knock on doors of undecided voters to educate and sway voters.
‘ ‘Most of the people coming on the bus have never gone before,’ she said. ‘I’m always impressed that we have floods of people show up.’
‘ As a member of the Suffolk University College Republicans and an intern at the Massachusetts GOP, Suffolk senior Katie Regensburger said she has found Massachusetts’ liberal lean disconcerting.’
‘It’s a little frustrating in Massachusetts that people are so liberal that they don’t even take what we have to say seriously,’ she said.
Regensburger said she has been politically active since she was a freshman, but she can’t say her peers share her enthusiasm for politics.
‘A lot of young people just don’t care enough to vote and don’t care enough to even learn about the issues,’ Regensburger said. ‘It’s easy to complain about the economic crisis and the state that America is in, but if you don’t vote, then you aren’t doing anything to change anything.’