The Badger Herald: Opinion: “Raise the Roots” Sunday

Updated Tuesday, November 24, 2009, at 1:03 p.m.

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Opinion

“Raise the Roots” Sunday

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Also by Mike Tate:

Friday, October 3, 2003 12:00 a.m.

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Many of you have probably seen or heard something about Gov. Dean coming to campus this Sunday at 4 p.m. on the Kohl Center lawn. Ideally, you have decided to come and see what Gov. Dean has to say about beating George Bush and taking our country back from the neo-conservatives who are currently running the show in Washington.

Some of you might stop by, if you remember or if you are in the area. Maybe you will come if your roommate makes you go, or if that cute boy or girl from class wears a Dean button and you think you might run into them there.

Some of you won’t come; you don’t think politics are worth your time. All politicians are the same — greedy, corrupt, and self-centered. It’s the same old story we always hear.

Whatever category you fall into, I ask you to give two hours of your time Sunday afternoon to come see Gov. Dean. Come listen to the great local band The Northern Pines and hear what former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean has to say about his campaign for president.

My hope is that you will be impressed by Gov. Dean and the type of campaign he is running. We are going after college students and giving them a reason to participate in our democracy again.

Besides, what do you lose? It will be after the Packer game, and any lingering effects of Saturday-night parties should have worn off by then. Show up, hear what Governor Dean has to say and decide for yourself.

It is critical that young people are involved in politics. In 2000, only 32 percent of Americans between 18 and 24 exercised their right to vote. If we hope to increase youth voter participation, we must give young people a reason to vote again. So many young Americans today feel disengaged from the political process, and yet so many issues have a tremendous effect on our lives.

I think President Bush is taking America in the wrong direction. The costs of higher education are soaring, health-care costs are spiraling out of control, and more students are having trouble finding jobs after college.

President Bush’s failed presidency has made me so angry that I have decided to take a year off of college to pursue full-time kicking George Bush out of the White House in November 2004. I hope this same desire will cause you to come to the Kohl Center this Sunday to hear from the Democrat who has the best chance of beating George Bush next November.

Gov. Howard Dean is bringing his “Raise the Roots” college campus tour to Madison this Sunday, and you should attend. You should attend because Gov. Dean’s campaign is built around re-energizing students and motivating them to participate in politics.

Gov. Dean’s campaign has already energized thousands of young people all across the United States. Many UW students are already active with the Dean campaign, chances are that you have seen them handing out flyers, chalking sidewalks, and posting flyers in preparation for Sunday.

Gov. Dean is a true visionary and a strong voice for students. Dean has made students a critical part of his campaign and truly believes that young people are the key to the future and a driving force behind his grassroots movement.

In this time of rising college tuition, and funding being taken away from our public schools, we need and deserve a president who will stand up and fight for public education and for the rights of students.

Under the Bush administration, we have seen students sent to war rather than to affordable colleges. Under the Bush administration, we have seen students sent to unemployment lines rather than to new higher paying jobs. The Bush administration has eroded civil rights and civil liberties and assaulted our environment and natural resources. The current administration has done all this while not paying attention to the needs and concerns of our generation.

Gov. Dean is reaching out to college students in a way that no Democrat has ever done before. Have you seen any other Democrats running for president on campus? Chances are you won’t. They pay lip service to students and the importance of the student vote, but do they devote time and energy in reaching out to you? Can you even name all the other candidates?

Dean is taking it so seriously that he has hired a college student to be the head of his primary campaign in Wisconsin — one of the most highly contested states in the last presidential election.

Gov. Dean wants your help in taking our country back from the lobbyists, fat cats, and special interests that have a stranglehold on the White House.

So please come see Gov. Dean this Sunday at 4 p.m. on the lawn of the Kohl Center. For more information, visit www.deanforamerica.com/raisetheroots

Mike Tate (deanforwi@yahoo.com) is a senior majoring in political science. He is the Wisconsin Statewide Coordinator of the Dean for America campaign.