So Wrong, and Yet, So Right
by Emily Cadik on March 11, 2009 in Opinion
Early spring is the best. The snow is starting to melt, the trees look like they might someday sprout leaves, and inspired conservatives from around the country descend on Washington, DC for the best televised event of the year: CPAC. The Conservative Political Action Conference always promises hours of truly inspiring entertainment, and this year was no exception.
I was fortunate enough to attend CPAC as a wee undergraduate interning in DC. My mission: collect egregious literature for the progressive advocacy group I was working for. So I threw on some pearls and a George Bush button and set on my way. Several hours later, I walked out in a Reagan-induced haze, my bag brimming with exciting loot, like a fetus bookmark and a pamphlet on the woman’s role as homemaker. I also had new friends, like the two old white women manning the Black Republicans table. Read more
Intellectualism is the New Communism
by Emily Cadik on December 10, 2008 in Opinion
Every time I return to Texas, I encounter a slew of reminders that I’m not in Cambridge anymore. One time, I found out my hometown had a river that wasn’t there before (because you can’t build a riverwalk without a river, am I right?). This time, I passed a billboard next to a church boasting “150 foot cross - COMING SOON!!!” And just when I thought I couldn’t be more saturated with the spirit of Texas, I read my local paper’s letters to the editor.
A Neysa Thorell of Montgomery, Texas was sounding the alarm about the socialist storm headed to Washington. She grabbed my attention with the following: “Calling Obama a socialist is not pejorative; it’s a statement, an observation if you will.” I began to lose interest as she got into an assortment of the standard complaints that we’ve heard from the right for months - he associates with terrorists, anarchists, etc. But then, the kicker: “He’s done drugs with who knows who and indulged in existential musings with Harvard-educated intellectuals.” Read more
Obama Kicks Puppy, HKS Goes Wild?
by Emily Cadik on October 15, 2008 in Opinion
Of course Obama won the first two debates. Not only was he right on all the issues, but he seemed more presidential, more intelligent, and generally more lovable.
I’ll admit it. I think Obama can hardly do wrong. On a very limited number of occasions, I’ve been disappointed in him. I wasn’t happy about his vote on FISA, nor his reaction to the Supreme Court decision on capital punishment. Most Obama supporters remember that month over the summer when we started wondering if his attempt to shift to the center was really a turn to the dark side. But on the whole, I’ve defended most everything he’s ever said or done.
Lately, though, a question has been nagging at me: if he wins this election, will I actually be able to critically evaluate his administration? Or will I give him the sort of intellectually lazy support that I have attributed only to Republicans for the past eight years? Read more
