NEWS
Podesta bashes conservative philosophy
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by Heather Quitos
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
John Podesta, former chief of staff to President Clinton, spoke to students about "what it means to be progressive" at the Humanities building Monday.
Podestra is currently the chief executive officer and president of the Center for American Progress, a progressive think tank in Washington D.C.
Co-sponsored by Pi Sigma Alpha — the University of Wisconsin political science honors society — Podesta spoke on behalf of Campus Progress, a new project developed by the Center for American Progress aimed to "strengthen progressive voices on college and university campuses nationwide."
Podesta said he was happy to visit the campus, but joked "coming to Wisconsin talking about what it means to be progressive feels a little bit like going to the Vatican to talk about what it means to be a Catholic."
He said Wisconsin was where "the progressive revolution put down its roots."
During his speech, Podesta criticized President George W. Bush administration's actions.
He explained his dissent with the current government's actions in dealing with events such as the World Trade Center attacks, the war in Iraq and Hurricane Katrina response, describing the response as a display of "the moral bankruptcy of conservative ideology."
Podesta discussed his views on Hurricane Katrina's aftermath and said the government should not put all the responsibility on non-governmental organizations during national crises.
"Katrina revealed when things go terribly wrong, there is no real substitute for the government," he said.
He said progressives should not just criticize but also take action "beyond direct assistance to people on the Gulf Coast."
Podesta said he believes being progressive means showing support to progressive legislation, local grassroots organizations and a reworking of global policy. Being progressive also means supporting ideas such as health care reform, rebuilding of the public education system, a new workable exit strategy for Iraq and tax reform, he added.
"Being progressive means creating an America where every hard-working citizen can get an education and decent working wages," Podesta said. "It means having leaders that understand holding public office is an opportunity to help the public, not an opportunity to help yourself."
Podesta said his experience in the White House helped him discover that "only a handful" of students understand politics and encouraged students to get involved and learn more about the political world.
"Conservatism has had its chance," he said. "I urge you to join together, because together we can do better."
Sheri Linzell, president of Pi Sigma Alpha, said she was pleased with the student turnout.
"It was great to have him come here," she said. "I think it's wonderful to hear the insider's perspective on issues."
UW students in attendance also enjoyed listening to the former chief of staff talk in a smaller setting.
"It was really interesting to hear somebody talk about a future for the progressive," UW sophomore Cathy Collentine said. "I feel like after the election, there was a lot of talk of no future for the progressive … what he has been saying makes you think there is definitely a movement still there."
