Politics with James Reed: Republicans Weigh In on Obama Town Halls and O’Donnell

Disclaimer: Opinions stated herein belong to the individuals, and do not reflect the opinions of WRGW News or WRGW.

On Thursday, I had the pleasure of interviewing Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) at the Fourth Estate Dinner, hosted by the National Press Club. On Saturday morning, I briefly interviewed Ken Buck, the Republican Senatorial nominee for Colorado at a luncheon hosted by the GW College Republicans.

Regarding President Obama's recent town hall held at GW and its effect on the November general election:

“Obviously, it is an effort by the President to energize the youth vote,” Graham said. Graham attributed the youth vote to Obama’s victory in 2008. He also said that the youth have become “disillusioned” by the agenda of the Democratic Party, the “Obama spending machine,” and the expansion of government. As a result, Graham said, the youth are having “second thoughts” on the Democratic agenda pushed by the President.

On the other hand, Buck spoke positively on Obama’s town halls, saying, “Anytime President Obama opens his mouth, Republicans gain votes.” Buck welcomed Obama to Colorado in hopes of lowering his credibility and approval rating.

Fallon Amuses College Students and Parents Alike

Students and parents alike laughed and enjoyed Jimmy Fallon as he headlined the GW Colonials Weekend presentation Saturday night. The comedian and host of “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon,” entertained the audience with an array of media, from stand-up to music.

“I am so excited to rock out,” he said before the show. “I’m just psyched, I want to get out there and do it up.”

Before his debut, Wayne Federman, comedian, songwriter and actor on HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” amused the crowd with a similar, multifaceted skit. While incorporating his piano skills, he sang songs that poked fun at artists from the modern day back to Beethoven.

When it was Fallon’s turn on stage, no topic was left unchecked: from warning parents about the dangers of Super Soaker water guns; to remixing MC Hammer songs; to convincing Wolf Blitzer, who was in the audience at the time, to sing “balls” on stage.

“I just said balls,” the CNN reporter joked afterward. “They have footballs, basketballs and many kind of balls.”

Along with his GW-tailored content, Fallon also entertained the GW community with some of his famous songs such as Idiot Boyfriend, Cougar Huntin', and Car Wash for Peace. Also on his musical agenda was a list of songs he remixed to “go green” such as Bring Your Bottles Back - a satire of Justin Timberlake’s song Sexy Back.

President Knapp, who helped sign Fallon for the event, was very impressed with the performer. “He was a talented guy and I think he really connected with the audience,” he said.

Schieffer Honored at National Press Club

The National Press Club honored Bob Schieffer at the 38th Annual Forth Estate Award Dinner Friday. Schieffer, host of Face the Nation and former host of the CBS Evening News, has won seven Emmy Awards and has been inducted into the Broadcasting/Cable Hall of Fame. The event featured a reception, dinner, and a roast featuring Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC), former Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA), and CBS News President Sean McManus.

Alan Bjerga, President of the North American Agricultural Journalists and President of the National Press Club, emceed the event. Although the event was a black-tie optional, many guests dressed in western attire at the request of Schieffer, given that he was born and raised in Texas. Past Forth Estate Award winners were in attendance, including Helen Thomas, former member of the White House Press Corps, and Christiane Amanpour, anchor of ABC News’s This Week.

Senator Graham spoke highly of Schieffer and his style of reporting. Graham was surprised that out of all the Republican senators, he was chosen. “He could have chosen out of a group of talented individuals but he chose me,” Graham said. He also took a jab at his colleague, former Senator Nunn, saying that since Schieffer chose him “shows the current state of the Democratic Party”. Graham praised Scheffer for his years of broadcasting by reporting the news in a personal perspective.

In a personal interview with Schieffer after the event, he gave a word of advice to aspiring journalists. “[Journalism] is the best way to spend your life. It is fun. It’s good work and you can really make a difference.”

Chairman Gray Talks to Ward 2, Emphasizes Education Reform, Praises Chancellor Rhee

Democratic Party nominee for Mayor, and current Chairman of the City Council, Vincent Gray, spoke at a Ward 2 town hall at the Foundry United Methodist Church Thursday night as part of a series of public meetings his campaign is conducting across the district.

Introduced by Ward 2 Councilman, and chairperson pro tempore of the council, Jack Evans, Mr. Gray focused his remarks on education, emphasizing the progress made by outgoing school’s chancellor Michelle Rhee, and laying out his plan for success in other areas.

“I am as fervently committed to education reform as anyone in the city,” Gray declared, adding that he thought Ms. Rhee would always “do the best things we could.”

He praised the completion of universal pre-kindergarten services four years ahead of schedule, and stated that he believes it’s important to start education at an earlier age, even as young as six months.

Mr. Gray also signaled his support for the charter school program in the city.

“We have the most robust charter school movement in the nation,” he said, explaining that the 57 schools “make the public schools better.”

There are vast problems, however, that Mr. Gray declared he would work toward solving.

Board of Trustees Approves Science and Engineering Complex Construction

The GW Board of Trustees voted unanimously today to construct a new $275 million Science and Engineering complex on the Foggy Bottom campus.  The decision to build the controversial 8-story, 400,000 sq. ft. building brings to a close a 4-year planning process that often raised questions about the identity of the University, which has traditionally been know for its International Relations, Political Science, and International Business programs.

W. Russell Ramsey, Chairman of the Board of trustees, recognized that the construction of the complex is part of a transformation for the university into a primary hub of research in the nation's capital.  University President Steven Knapp also applauded the decision, describing the expansion of the University's science and engineering programs as a "milestone in the step to becoming a world-class research university."

Guide to Colonials Weekend 2010

It's that time of year again: the leaves are changing, midterms are in full swing and parents are coming to campus to visit for the annual GW Colonials Weekend. This year the university has planned more events than ever before, here are just a few of the highlights you don't want to miss:

• Colonials Invasion: On Friday night, the Smith Center will be filled with live music, giveaways, and performances to celebrate the start of the basketball season.
• Acapellapalooza: Come see all of GW's acappella groups perform in this annual charity concert on Friday night at 20th and G.
• Lectures from GW's 'Best' Faculty: Interesting and relevant lectures will be hosted through out the weekend in various locations. A few of the topics for the weekend include "Impending Global Energy Crisis: Fact or Fiction?", "Post Obama America," and President Emeritus Stephen Joel Trachtenberg will be lecturing on his opinion of Higher Education's future.
• Dean Breakfasts: On Saturday morning, every school will be hosting a Dean's breakfast for students' families to meet the Dean and invited faculty.
• Octoberfest: The Mount Vernon Campus will be hosting students, families, and friends for entertainment, games, arts, crafts and tasty fall desserts on Saturday afternoon at the annual Octoberfest event.
• Jimmy Fallon: Comedian Jimmy Fallon will headline the Colonials Weekend with two performances on Saturday evening (7 p.m. and 10 p.m.), tickets are still available through ticketmaster!
• Foggy Bottom/West End Neighborhood Block Party: On Sunday afternoon, FRIENDS, (a local community group to promote positive dialogue between GW and its neighbors) will host its eighth annual free event that includes over 100 booths from local businesses, restaurants, groups and institutions.

For more information and events, go to http://gwired.gwu.edu/parents/ColonialsWeekend/2010ScheduleofEvents/

Indian Ambassador Speaks at Elliott School

Ambassador Meera Shankar, India's Ambassador to the United States, came to GW Tuesday to speak at a presentation held by the Sigur Center for Asian Studies' India Initiative. The event was the first collaboration of the Sigur Center, the Elliott School's Ambassadors Forum and the Distinguished Women in International Affairs series.

The ambassador's talk focused mostly on Indo-U.S. relations, particularly the strategic partnership that the nations have. She discussed everything from cooperation on trade in the context of the recent economic depression to the sharing of higher education. She emphasized the presences of 100,000 Indian students in American universities and the opportunity presented by additional programs opening up in India for Americans to study there.

Much attention was focused on stabilizing Asia, and the ambassador spoke at length about efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. The ambassador noted that Afghanistan represents a major hot zone in the area, but she stated her belief that the nation can be a hub of economic prosperity in the region. She spoke of how India already has given $1.3 billion in the effort to stabilize Afghanistan. Later in the program she elaborated on this idea, expressing that Iran should be allowed to enter the dialogue about Afghanistan. However, Shankar made clear that this does not mean that India supports Iran's nuclear programs.

The speech ended with a discussion about the need for reforming global governance, especially the United Nations Security Council. She expressed her deep hope that President Barack Obama's upcoming visit to India, the first since he came to office, will lay a course for further strategic partnership between the world's two largest democracies.

The Gorillaz come to Washington, D.C.

Gorillaz, everyone's favorite animated band, took the stage at the Patriot Center in Fairfax on Monday night, October 11th. This was the band's first show in the D.C. area ever and it was a huge success.

The show was part of The Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour, named after the band's March 2010 album "Plastic Beach." Songs from all three albums were performed, the crowd favorites were "Dirty Harry," "19-2000," "Superfast Jellyfish," and "Feel-Good Inc."

In addition to a diverse setlist, many special guests collaborated on various songs throughout the show. Mos Def, Bobby Womack, De La Soul, the Syrian National Orchestra for Oriental Arab Music, and Little Drangon were just a few of the collaborators.

Frontman Damon Albarn, originally of Blur, engaged the crowd with his highly energetic stage presence and his intense musical talent. Over the course of the show he performed backing vocals, lead vocals, church bells, guitar, piano, and the melodica.

The band is just starting their world tour after a summer of touring festivals like the UK's Glastonbury, the USA's Coachella, and Denmark's Roskilde Festival. The tour is sweeping North America for the rest of October, Europe in November, and Australia in December.

Obama Stumps for Maryland Candidates

On Thursday, October 7^th, Organizing for America held a rally for Democratic congressional and state candidates at Bowie State University in Bowie, Maryland. Organizing for America, a community organizing project of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and founded by after President Obama’s inauguration, had announced the rally one week prior to the event which hundreds attended. The schedule consisted of speeches by several candidates and an appearance by President Barack Obama.

Obama specifically addressed the needs of college students during his speech. Obama stated he was in favor of a permanent $10,000 college tax credit as well as an increase in student aid. The president left room in his speech to attack Republicans, saying they would give more power to insurance companies, credit card companies, and wall street banks while leaving students in the dust if Republicans took back Congress. Obama characterized the Democrats in Congress as hard-working individuals who dug our economy out of a ditch, while Republicans stood around not wanting to help and instead were “sipping on a slurpee”.

Among the attendees were Governor Martin O’Malley, Senator Barbara Mikulski, Lieutenant Governor Anthony Brown, Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Congresswoman Donna Edwards, and Congressman Chris Van Hollen. Mixing hot weather and a standing-only audience led three dozen individuals to faint during the duration of the event, with several being transported to local hospitals.

"The Last 5 Years" Opens in Lisner Downstage

Generic Theater Company's The Last 5 Years, written by Jason Robert Brown and directed by Ava Taylor, is a modern day love story told by two individuals who find themselves wrapped up together for a brief moment in time. The story, more bitter than sweet, is told from both in the relationship. Jamie Wellerstein, played by Michael Noel, tells the story from beginning to end while Cathy Hyatt, Played by Rachel Johnson, tells the story from ending to beginning. Their stories meet only once in the middle at their wedding day.

In short, this musical fits its marital plot within the timeline of a contemporary marriage cycle. Cathy, who is first seen on stage crying at the end of her marriage, is troubled with balancing her difficult and unsuccessful acting career with her bumpy relationship. Jamie, a Jewish man who begins his story as he is about to meet his “shiksa Goddess,” tries to balance the recent success of his new book with keeping his feet on the ground. It is clear from the beginning that this love story ends unhappily-ever-after as Cathy tries to hold on to her self esteem while her husband’s career takes off.

Ava Taylor and her assistant director Kristy Skarulis have interpreted the beautiful story about an ambitious yet innocent couple who find themselves drifting apart. Half of the story imparts smiles and the other half tears as the jumbled timeline unfolds into the unique circle of their perspectives. The Music, a six-piece orchestra of students directed by Shawn Kelly, is both bold and inspiring as it compliments the sweet and bitter interactions on stage. Overall, this play is a must see for anyone who has felt the warmth or heartbreak of a relationship.

The Last 5 Years is in the Lisner Downstage on Friday and Saturday at 7:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.