The Election Issue

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Inside: concerts, concessions, andcounts.

11.08.12 vol. xliv, no. 10 The Indy is not going back.

Cover Design by

ANNA PAPP & MIRANDA SHUGARS

FORUM 3 Blue Blood 4 Political Cherry-Pop 4 P olitically C ockblocked 5 S wingers SPECIAL 6-7 S tate

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SPORTS 11 F ederal F isticuffs As Harvard College's weekly undergraduate newsmagazine, the Harvard Independent provides in-depth, critical coverage of issues and events of interest to the Harvard College community. The Independent has no political affiliation, instead offering diverse commentary on news, arts, sports, and student life.

For publication information and general inquiries, contact President Angela Song (president@harvardindependent.com) or Managing Editor Sayantan Deb (managingeditor@harvardindependent.com). Letters to the Editor and comments regarding the content of the publication should be addressed to Editor-in-Chief Christine Wolfe (editorinchief@ harvardindependent.com).

For email subscriptions please email president@harvardindependent.com.

The Harvard Independent is published weekly during the academic year, except during vacations, by The Harvard Independent, Inc., Student Organization Center at Hilles, Box 201, 59 Shepard Street, Cambridge, MA 02138.

Copyright © 2012 by The Harvard Independent. All rights reserved.

President Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Director of Production

Angela Song '14 Christine Wolfe '14 Sayantan Deb '14 Miranda Shugars '14

News and Forum Editor Arts Editor Sports Editor Design Editor Associate News Editor Associate Forum Editor Associate Arts Editor Associate Design Editors

Whitney Gao '16 Curtis Lahaie '15 Sean Frazzette '16 Alex Chen '16 Milly Wang '16 Kalyn Saulsberry '14 Sarah Rosenthal '15 Travis Hallett '14 Orlea Miller '16

Illustrator Cartoonist Director of Advertising Associate Business Manager

Anna Papp '16 John McCallum '16 Yuqi Hou '15 Albert Murzakhanov '16

Senior Staff Writers Michael Altman '14 Meghan Brooks '14 Whitney Lee '14 Staff Writers Clare Duncan '14 Gary Gerbrandt '14 Travis Hallett '14 Yuqi Hou '15 Cindy Hsu '14 Albert Murzhakanov '16 Carlos Schmidt '15 Frank Tamberino '16 Graphics, Photography, and Design Staff Maria Barragan-Santana '14 Nina Kosaric '14 Tarik Moon '15

Picks of the Week Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street When: Friday, November 9, 7:30 pm; Saturday, November 10, 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm; Sunday, November 11, 2:30 Where: Farkas Hall (formerly the New College Theatre) What: Murder! Vengeance! Love! Cannibalism! Mischief! Go see the Sondheim musical recounting the tale of Benjamin Barker, the best barber in London, and his revenge-filled return to Fleet Street under the name of Sweeney Todd, presented by the Office for the Arts.

Playing this weekend and next, tickets $8, 2-for-1 pricing HarvardYale weekend.

Cabaret When: Friday, November 9, 7:30 pm; Saturday, November 10, 2:30 pm and 7:30 pm; Sunday, November 11, 7:30 pm Where: Loeb Drama Center Experimental Theatre (Loeb Ex) What: The Harvard-Radcliffe Dramatic Club presents Joe Masteroff and John Kander’s musical tale of 1930s Germany. It follows the story of American novelist Clifford Bradshaw and his affair with cabaret singer Sally Bowles. As Hitler and the Nazi party gain power, the two reflect on the state of Berlin from their supposed haven at the Kit Kat Klub. See HRDC’s website for information on reserving free tickets by emailing CabaretTickets2012@gmail.com.

El Misterio de Irma Vap When: Thursday, November 8, 8:00 pm; Friday, November 9, 8:00 pm; Saturday, November 10, 8:00 pm Where: Adams House Pool Theatre What: Performed by two actors morphing into dark creatures of all types, this humorous, suspenseful play presented by the HarvardRadcliffe Dramatic Club will keep you intrigued and entertained. The show features humans, werewolves, monsters, and all sorts of witty revelations and transformations.

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11.08.12 • The Harvard Independent

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Progressive Steps

Voting, Hoping, and Celebrating. | By ALBERT MURZAKHANOV

“W

e’re all in this together. That’s how we campaigned, and that’s who we are. Thank you,” tweeted President Barack Obama, thanking the American people for reelecting him for a second term.

As the Institute of Politics Election Party filled up with hundreds of excited and anxious Harvard students, America remained on edge as the electoral votes of each state were declared. Each announcement sent a flurry of clapping or booing through the anxious crowd.

Feverishly wiping my sweaty palms, I, along with my friends, couldn’t keep hopeful thoughts from darting about on their own accord. At approximately 11:10 p.m., CNN declared its final prediction of Obama’s win, and the entire auditorium – or at least the overwhelming majority of attendants – erupted into cheerful and joyful chanting. President Obama not only won the electoral vote, but he also took the popular vote (although the margin was sufficiently small). Even though most major polls predicted the President would win, a degree of uncertainty inevitably remained deeply intact. For me, anticipating and hoping for the news was completely different from actually hearing it. The announcement was instantaneous, but the impact was enormous.

Riding on this beautifully blue wave of excitement and incredible energy was one of the best experiences of my life. I was once again humbled and inspired by my wonderful peers who spent hours upon hours canvassing —instead of hoping for a difference, they made one. They canvassed and worked nonstop to ensure people voted and did so in an informed fashion. President Obama’s victory has put to a halt the most expensive and one of the most difficult political campaigns in history, which paid off in a huge voter turnout.

To me, the election meant more than just reelecting the current president; it restored my faith in my country.

Massachusetts elected its first female senator, Elizabeth Warren. Hawaii will send the first Asian-American woman in American history to the senate – Mazie Hirono. Wisconsin was the first state in history to elect an openly lesbian senator, Tammy Baldwin. Washington State, Maryland, and Wisconsin approved samesex marriage. Minnesota rejected a ban on same-sex marriage. History was made on vast array of fronts. Last night was not a victory for Democrats or for Republicans – it was a victory for our nation.

President Obama has yet to fulfill all his promises, but I have faith that he will fulfill his responsibilities and serve with dignity

The Harvard Independent • 11.08.12

and honesty. The balance of power remains unchanged in Washington — the votes returned President Obama to the White House for four more years, reaffirmed Republican control of the House, and kept the Senate in the hands of the Democrats.

Our nation is still divided on many crucial issues. Obama will have to work alongside Republicans to make informed decisions that will impact the course of American events. That is exactly what President Obama has vowed to do, promising to compromise with Republicans on these key issues. Mitt Romney’s concession speech underscored the difficulties that lie ahead and expressed his “unchanged” faith in America and its citizens, and both agreed to work together for progress. Romney conceded in a brief speech and did so with dignity.

Although I’m ecstatic that the “bridge” toward true equality has been built, it is still far too wobbly to be crossed, and I hope that after four more years, every American will be able to act upon his or her inalienable constitutional rights and cross that bridge with ease. As President Obama stated in his victory speech, “We know in our hearts that for the United States of America, the best has yet to come.”

“Tonight, you voted for action, not politics,

as usual,” stated President Obama in his speech. This was without a doubt a tense and even bitter election that involved each candidate digging deep into the other’s shortcomings. Normally identifying as a person who – especially when thinking of politics, policy, and politicians – not only views the cup as half-empty but also explains why it can never be half-full, my pessimistic prospect was shattered as I was leaving the JFK Jr. Forum. I was thrilled and honored to have been a part of this generation, and I am excited to witness America’s future. The American people not only voted for action but they also acted in the fight of moving America forward.

As newly elected politicians plan their next steps, I hope that the American people continue – as they have done on election night – to fight for the equality that each and every person is entitled to. I want to thank the IOP, Harvard students, and people of America for allowing me to partake in this extraordinary course of events. The face of America is changing, and I could not be prouder to be a part of that change.

Albert Murzakhanov ’16 (albertmurzakhanov@ college) is still humming the Star Spangled Banner beneath his breath.

Nobody at the Harvard Election Results Watch Party wanted to acknowledge the elephant in the room. harvardindependent.com

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My First Time Exercising my right to vote.

By KALYN SAULSBERRY

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I always imagined it happening somewhere else, my college dorm room sufficed over a voting booth as I cast my vote for the first time in a presidential election.

Many Harvard students were too young in 2008 to vote, so the campus can share in this exhilarating first.

A few weeks ago, I received a thick, but otherwise unassuming envelope in my college mailbox that held none other than my absentee ballot. I handled it with care, set it on my desk in my dorm room, and considered this little piece of paper that was supposed to mean so much. Even though I was sincerely looking forward to experiencing my first presidential election in the solitude of a voting booth on November 6 for the authenticity, filling out my Missouri absentee ballot at my desk in Massachusetts did not seem to detract from the gravity of the voting experience.

I slowly opened the envelope so as not to rip its precious contents, and I was surprised at the stoicism of what was my ballot. I think a part of me expected to have red and blue confetti pop out of this envelope, congratulating me on experiencing my first vote; I was certainly expecting something more aesthetically pleasing than simple black-and-white directions that bore striking similarity to the stark instructions on a standardized test, describing exactly how to fill in the oval so that my answer would be counted.

However, this was not a test. This was my first vote, and unlike standardized tests — which, as some of us are acutely aware, can be taken an infinite amount of times — this ballot was a one-time deal.

Perhaps it is the History concentrator in me, but as I filled in the ovals next to my choice candidates and propositions, I could not help but think of the fact that thousands of people fought for me to sit thoughtfully at my Harvard desk and fill out a ballot. As an African-American woman, what I consider a right today was not even an option nationwide until the passage of the fifteenth and nineteenth amendments.

My voting process seemed quite dull and routine: fill in the ovals, get a notary signature, drop the ballot off in the mailbox.

However, just one hundred years ago, this routine process would not have been a reality for me.

Even though this week I heard many people of a variety of races and genders express nonchalance at the idea of voting in the election and sigh with exasperation that his or her vote would not count, I take pride in my right to vote and the fact that I and the thousands who fought for me to vote are confident that my vote does indeed hold significance.

Two weeks ago, as I clutched my sealed ballot between my hands and stood before the mailbox in front of the Harvard Bookstore, I took a moment to remember the history that created this moment and the history that could be shaped by what I held in my hands. Finally, I dropped my envelope into the dark mailbox, merging back into the crowd to make it to my morning class. ven though

Kalyn Saulsberry ’14 (ksaulsberry@college) finally got to rock the vote!

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A Patriotic Expatriate

Red, white, and blue with envy.

By MAI NGUYEN

“D

in a nation of 300 million can be noisy and messy and complicated. We have our own opinions. Each of us has deeply held beliefs. And when we go through tough times, when we make big decisions as a country, it necessarily stirs passions, stirs up controversy.

That won’t change after tonight, and it shouldn’t. These arguments we have are a mark of our liberty. We can never forget that, as we speak, people in distant nations are risking their lives right now just for a chance to argue about the issues that matter, the chance to cast their ballots like we did today.”

When President Barack Obama delivered these words early Wednesday morning during his victory speech, I almost choked up. Though I have spent more than three years studying in the United States, Tuesday was my first time ever fully and actively experiencing democracy in action.

In the words of President Obama himself, “it’s not small, it’s big. It’s important.” It was costly, tiring, and controversial. It was fraught with negative mudslinging and divisive attacks. But at the same time, it was exciting, fervid, crazy. It is still something I, a Vietnamese citizen, can only wish for.

I have never voted for any government official in my country, not because I am apathetic or lazy, but because I can’t — which is why I decided to engage in as many political activities at Harvard as I can, if not to compensate for the lack of politics in my life growing up, then to learn something new. In the final weeks prior to election night, I took a trip to New Hampshire and attended a rally for President Obama in Nashua. A crowd of four or five thousand people clustered for hours in the yard of a middle school where James Taylor came to perform, Senator Jeanne Shaheen gave a rousing opening speech, and President Obama got everybody fired up with his usual flair for oration. “Now that you’ve escaped from the Ivory Tower that is Harvard, you’re standing among the real America,” a friend joked. In the crowd were people of all ages and backgrounds — college students passionately discussing abstract topics, middle-aged couples whispering into each other’s ears, families with kids crawling around and poking at iPads, and stronglyaccented immigrants with Obama stickers on their coats. Thrilling excitement was in the air before the President appeared, and with it a subtle blend of anxiety. The rally emocracy

reminded everyone of the central message the Democrats tried to instill in voters: the stakes are too high not to vote.

A week later, I joined the Harvard Democrats in New Hampshire again for their Get Out The Vote canvassing trip. Partnered up with a wonderfully passionate and informed Democrat, I went knocking on doors and talked to a number of people, all of whom had already decided to go to the polls on Tuesday. By this time, voters in swing states were especially tired of being harassed by campaign volunteers, but one cannot avoid talking about the election. It is something that pulls the entire nation together, even if their views and opinions are starkly opposed. Even as a non-partisan non-voter, I still heartily canvassed for the politician I supported ideologically; it was the only way I could take part in and contribute to a political system that rewards its citizen participants for their efforts, as well as their belief in the system.

As I stood on the top floor of the Littauer building of the Kennedy School Tuesday night, the IOP watch party turned into an actual party. When President Obama’s reelection was announced, people danced, cheered, and grabbed others in tears of joy. But I felt a darker shade of happiness.

Participating in the campaign had been an incredible field experience and sharing the building excitement toward election night pulled me in closer to a lot of people.

But part of me got dragged back to my own reality — I am still an outsider in the American land. Whenever people shouted “USA!,” I drew back into my own invisible corner and observed. I am both a patriot and an expatriot, someone who cannot yet enjoy the pride and privilege of partaking in my own country’s political system.

No matter which side my friends — and all other Americans — supported, they were still winners that historic Tuesday night. Their voices were heard, their votes mattered, and no matter how much people criticized the flaws in American democracy and the bitter ideological cleavages, it is the sweet taste of democracy that we tasted that night. To share this novel and unique election experience with legions of others at Harvard, American or not, fills me with gratitude.

Mai Nguyen ‘16 (mainguyen@college) still hopes she doesn’t get deported for illegally (and unknowingly) donating to the Obama campaign.

11.08.12 • The Harvard Independent

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OHIO

Buckeye Bullseye

Ohio knows its POTUS.

By XANNI BROWN

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n the haZe oF partisanship and ideologiCal

disputes that inevitably mark the final portion of a presidential campaign, there’s one thing on which candidates, voters, and pundits alike could agree — the importance of Ohio. Somewhere in this extended election season, the place I call home went from a bellwether state — a useful microcosm for predicting broader electoral trends — to the sole arbiter of the fate of the nation.

If that’s an overstatement, the candidates certainly did not treat it as one, lavishing their attentions on the oftoverlooked Buckeye state and spending unprecedented amounts of money there.

The Harvard Independent • 11.08.12

Both President Obama and Governor Romney made beautiful Ohio a priority over the last two months, racking up a combined total of thirty-five visits since the beginning of September.

They appealed to our musical sensibilities with guests like Stevie Wonder, Jason Mraz, and the Oak Ridge Boys. They related to us as sports fans and as lovers of strange combinations of chili and other foods. They used campaign stops as a chance to show off their nuanced understanding of football and their impressive cornhole skills. (If you are unfamiliar with cornhole, you are definitely from a blue state, and no number of perfect swishes would have persuaded

If you are unfamiliar with cornhole, you are definitely from a blue state.

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you to vote for Paul Ryan.) They all used the word “folks” a lot, and they each developed a passionate love for the taste of corn.

The intense focus on Ohio has not gone unnoticed, though political commenters are divided on whether or not the heartland can be trusted to make this important decision.

Gail Collins seemed glad to be handing the reins over to Ohioans, calling us “hardworking, unassuming, and inclined to take [our] civic responsibilities seriously.” But even within the same bullpen of New York Times editorial writers, Adam Liptak warns that our current national preoccupation with the electoral college and its appointed battleground states is “depressing turnout, distorting policy, weakening accountability and effectively disenfranchising the vast majority of Americans.”

Whether they are for or against Ohio’s political ascendance, people in the media have been treating this as a new phenomenon. Ohio will decide the election this year, they say, ignoring the fact that Ohio’s electoral votes have gone to the winner of the presidential election every year since 1964. That makes for a dozen straight presidential contests in which beautiful Ohio has picked the winner. As an Ohioan, I am mostly surprised that this seems to be news to the non-flat portions of the country.

Whether or not you know it, we Buckeyes have been the arbiters of the taste of the nation for decades now — and not just politically. Just ask any of the numerous major fast food chains which chose Columbus, Ohio, and its perfectly representative population as their ideal test market. Even national chains that weren’t founded in Ohio tend to test products here first to see how they will play nationwide.

Candidates are no different than Smuckers Jelly in that way — if Ohio likes them, so will America.

So for those of you who are worried that Ohio would misuse our eighteen electoral votes, don’t worry. We have been doing this a long time, and we know what you want.

We brought you Wendy’s, White Castle, and Arby’s. We tried the McRib first.

We tested out the swanky new two-floor Panera layouts (“too fancy for our humble, salt-of-the-earth tastes,” we said, “but those boat-shoes-wearing city-slickers up in Cambridge might enjoy them.”) We’re the birthplace of aviation. We’ve deep fried things that should never be discussed. We shake our pitchforks at the losers, and give the winners the support they need to venture out of their corn-lined nest and into the rest of the country.

And if we can be trusted with the really big decisions — like whether the vanilla Frosty will catch on or how many patties you can put on a burger — I think we can handle one presidential election.

Xanni Brown ’14 (afsbrown@college) has always had a cornhole inadequacy complex. harvardindependent.com

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SPECIAL

A Contemporar Beyond the presidential election, Tuesday night also saw important decisions on issues that matter to the electorate. From the death penalty to assisted suicide states voted on some momentous issues. Among them, three states legalized same-sex marriage, and closer to home, Massachusetts legalized medical marijuana (don't get too excited).

The next four years will be important, and Tuesday night gave us a glimpse of where we are headed.

KEY Legalization of marijuana with regulations, including medical uses

Corporations are not humans

Legalization of gay marriage or rejection of bans on gay marriage

Upheld the right to hunt and fish and trap

First instance of state-level legislation in the same vein as the DREAM Act

Didn't reject death penalty

MASS. BALLOT QUESTIONS

Question 1: Summary: Should auto makers be required to give owners access to the same diagnostic and repair information that dealers and authorized repair facilities have?

Yes- 85% (2,314,736) No- 15% (393,625)

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Question 2: Summary: Should a doctor be legally allowed to prescribe medication, at a terminally ill patient's request, to end that patient's life?

Yes- 49% (1,453,742) No- 51% (1,516,584)

Question 3: Summary: Should the state eliminate criminal and civil penalties for the use of marijuana by qualifying patients who have been diagnosed with a debilitating medical condition?

Yes- 63% (1,895,340) No- 37% (1,097,797) 11.08.12 • The Harvard Independent

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ry Cartography

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News

Canvassing to

VICTORY

What you can do for your country.

By MEGHAN BROOKS

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B arack O bama was re-elected Tuesday night, and almost immediately afterwards pundits and the media have jumped to analyze what, exactly, Obama’s team did correctly and what Republican challenger Mitt Romney’s team did wrong. Whether pundits are blaming the identity politics of race or gender, backlash against voter suppression efforts, Romney’s undefined platform, or a boost in support for the President in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, Fox News and MSNBC alike are pointing to Obama for America’s superior ground game as the key to the President’s success, especially in battleground states. While both candidates relied on volunteers to stand on street corners with signs, make phone calls, and canvass votes door to door across America, Romney turned to huge campaign contributors in the wake of the Citizens United decision whereas Obama put his faith in grassroots organization.

With Obama for America field offices outnumbering Romney’s by two to one — three to one in battleground states — the president was able to rally more volunteers to make direct contact with more voters, especially in the crucial GOTV (Get Out the Vote) stage of the election. Although the Romney campaign was certainly engaged in heavy canvassing as well, it was the shear amount of direct contact — an army of volunteers working to speak with every likely Obama support by phone or at their front door — that gave Obama the voter turnout he needed to win re-election.

While the nation’s eyes were turned to the very close, electoral-vote heavy races in Ohio, Virginia, and Florida in particular, the Harvard College Democrats spent Get Out the Vote Weekend rallying support for the president in New Hampshire. With their state motto reading “Live Free or Die”, New Hampshire voters are resident

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notoriously independent, unafraid to split their tickets in a single election or change party affiliations from year to year. As such, the state’s four electoral votes went to Obama in 2008 and on Tuesday night, but these same votes had gone to Bush in 2000 and to Kerry by the slimmest of margins in 2004.

The state elected highly conservative Kelly Ayotte to the Senate in the 2010 congressional elections. And, although recent polls had shown Obama with a three-point lead over Romney in the state, earlier polls had given Romney the advantage. As the state’s largest population centers are no more than an hour and a half away from Cambridge, for the Democrat looking to give his president a boost, New Hampshire was the place to be. On the Saturday and Sunday before Election Day and on Tuesday itself, the Harvard Dems sent buses filled with Harvard students up to field offices and staging sites across southeastern New Hampshire where they became part of the small army that helped take the state for the President.

Knowing how important face-toface voter interaction really is — research from the Yale Institution for Social and Policy Studies and others shows that door-to-door canvassing is the “most consistently effective and efficient method of voter mobilization”— Harvard students headed to Manchester on Saturday and then to Milford on Sunday as part of a huge number of Massachusetts volunteers heading to New Hampshire for the President. Although the Dems had been up several weekends prior, GOTV weekend had a different, more vigorous energy to it. The Teamsters building in Manchester served as Saturday’s staging location. A line of volunteers ready to pick up canvassing packets spilled out of one door and onto the sidewalk as a steady stream of people dropping off completed

packets exited the other. Drivers waited, engines running, in the parking lot to whisk canvassers off to their turfs across Manchester, and a photographer from Reuters hung out in the background, snapping action shots the whole time.

It was there in the Teamsters parking lot, and the next day in a smaller office in Milford (happily stuffed with home-baked cookies and zucchini breads) that the immense grassroots energy powering the Obama campaign was palpable. The volunteers moving in and out of the staging location were people of all ages, genders, and races — average New Hampshire voters — and they had given their limited free time to be out in the fierce November wind, moving door to door and knowing that out of the thirty or so doors they could expect to knock in two or three hours, only about five to ten percent would result in a real interaction, the remaining percent left with only a leaf of campaign literature. That is why Obama for America and its volunteers were committed to canvassing each turf two or even three times, so that

by Tuesday afternoon each address in each manila-folder canvassing packet would be covered in notations, some official, some not: “Not Home”, “Likely Supporter”, “Romney sign”, “scary dog”, and finally and hopefully, “VOTED”.

It was this “voted” designation — indicated by crosses through address after address in canvassing packets — that Obama for America volunteers were looking for across the country on Tuesday. Although canvassing efforts before GOTV weekend had been focused on assessing or winning voter support, from Saturday until the last polls closed on Tuesday evening the campaign was pouring its resources into ensuring that supporters actually made it to the polls. Over the weekend canvassers asked likely Obama

supporters what their voting plans were, but on Election Day itself the question became a simple, “Have you voted yet?” And if not, “Do you need a ride?” Phone bankers would pick up the slack as the sun set over America and the window of opportunity closed.

In New Hampshire, it was exhausting, freezing work, but Obama canvassers worked for the rare moments when a door would open and a little old lady in a bedazzled American flag sweatshirt would be thrilled to find out New Hampshire doesn’t require voter I.D., or when a seven year old with the day off from school came to the door and answered for his parents, “We voted already — for Obama!”

These moments played out across the country because Obama for America spent the past year building perhaps the most effective — and certainly the most innovative — grassroots campaign organizing movement American politics has ever seen. Barack Obama has proven to be the kind of leader who can inspire hundreds of thousands of people to real action for him, and tens of millions more to actually vote for him; in the 2008 election, his supporters shattered voter turnout records in many states. The question, however, will be whether or not the Democratic Party can recreate this energy and improve upon this strategy in 2016 with entirely new candidates. In the meantime, the Republican strategists have learned a valuable lesson. Mitt Romney may have outraised and outspent the Democrats thanks in part to the Citizens United decision, but this election proved that people, not money, elect a President, and it is time for the Republican Party to invest in human capital.

Meghan Brooks ’14 (meghanbrooks@college) dropped lit and canvassed from 5:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. She is very, very tired.

11.08.12• The Harvard Independent

People That Listen to Andrew Jackson Jihad Are the Luckiest People in the World

By MAI NGUYEN

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uring the lengthy months

of political campaigns, the media almost overwhelmingly focuses our attention on a limited number of topics, happenings, or groups of people. But those that are “hot” are not necessarily those that are most important. Nor do they reflect the reality of the society. While it’s not the media’s fault for trying to maintain their paycheck, I do sometimes wish that, in an era with instantaneous and abundant information, we could avoid spending all energy on only a few issues, politicizing them, discussing them nonchalantly and superficially from a third-person perspective without genuinely employing our sense of empathy. Disillusioned by the lack thereof in political rhetoric and media prior to election night, I found my faith in humanity largely restored attending the Andrew Jackson Jihad concert in T.T. the Bear’s Place in Central Square on the night of Oct. 31 st . You read it right—Andrew Jackson Jihad is the name. One as distinctly odd and unique as is their music. A folk punk duo from Phoenix, Arizona, AJJ has garnered quite a string of fans throughout the years and performed as a five-piece band when I saw them.

To many, AJJ’s music can be impossible to stomach, mostly for the simplicity of the melodies, the crudeness of the instruments, and the dreadfully imperfect voices of Sean Bonnette (guitar, vocal) and Ben Gallaty (upright bass, vocal). I can write for pages on what people would consider bad and wrong with this band at first listen, but depending on your viewpoint, flaws can also be merits — just as weirdness can be rarity.

Once you get past the messy, chunky, upbeat acoustic instrumentation and vocals that are everything short of refined, you find beauty in the lyrics.

As verbatim from their biography on allmusic.com, AJJ pens “humorously explicit music with macabre themes:” drug addiction, rape, homicide, and messed-up lifestyles (you get the idea).

The tones range from witty, cynical, and ironic to simply silly. For instance, The Harvard Independent • 11.01.12

The Indy goes folk punk. the opener for their latest album, Knife Man, is called “The Michael Jordan of Drunk Driving,” a 22-second bit of melodious Americana that includes a metaphor, similes, vocabulary rarely sung, and a dramatic plot twist, all in four lines. This succinct piece is as poetic and poignant as music can get.

Frivolity aside, the main reason I got attracted to the band is for its gamut of socio-political and philosophical commentaries. As students, we tend to think and talk about things in the abstract, jamming –isms and multisyllabic jargon on ordinary thoughts and ideas. AJJ tackles the same issues differently, with a kind of lyricism so personal, subtle, and authentic that one just has to sit back and nod. The issue of homelessness, for example, is covered in one of my personal favorites, the meta-titled “Zombie by the Cranberries by Andrew Jackson Jihad.” The song is graceful in melody and poignant in lyrics. “Cause I think you deserve much more than a smoke and 50 cents. You deserve to be self-sufficient and buy your own cigarettes.” Homelessness is not a problem with an easy solution, that by giving money to homeless people, one can help them get by for an hour but not a lifetime. The band shows a frustrated and cynical sense of hopelessness — no matter how much goodness there is in the world, big social problems, such as homelessness, still exist. And no matter how much an individual tries, the efforts fade in comparison to the suffering.

Politics in AJJ’s lyrics tilt liberal, and after this presidential election, their music has become ever more relevant. Tuesday night can be seen as a victory of liberalism over conservatism — with a drastic increase in the number of minority voters dragging each other to the polls to have their voices be heard; with marijuana, abortion, and gay marriage being legalized in many states; and, of course, with the more liberal presidential candidate and party winning big. Yet, resonating with President Obama’s powerful victory speech is the fact that there is

still a lot of work to be done, with many social illnesses to be cured, and that for the country to move forward, unity is urgent and necessary. Thankfully, human bond and kindness can prevail adversity, just as AJJ portrays in “Skipping Stone”: “I’ll be your lake if you are my skipping stone. I will be your company if you find yourself alone. I will be your money if you can’t afford a home. I’ll be your lake if you are my skipping stone.”

A sizeable chunk of their songs also concerns the demographic group that makes up the bulk of the Republican party and that which has recently come under a barrage of attacks: middle-aged, straight white men.

“American Tune” is a perfect example.

A ballad describing the perks of being a straight white male American, the song tackles issues that rise to the front in this year’s elections — race, gender, and class inequality. In a tone that seems almost lackadaisical and matter-of-fact while veiling deep bitter irony, Ben Gallaty croons, “I am white and I’ve got everything I need. No one clutches their purse when they’re in a room alone with me, and I can drive through any neighborhood I please at any hour and the police don’t do a thing. I’ve got a pile of broken mirrors and I’m walking under ladders, and I’ll spill a ton of salt because to me that doesn’t matter, ‘cos my skin and my gender and my orientation are the best things to have when you live in this nation – I recommend it highly.” There is no pretension; no self-righteousness; just shambling drums enmeshed with a musical miasma that is utterly devoid of the kind of nauseating political correctness people sometimes employ when discussing the kind of misfortunes they don’t have to face.

Inequality is just one of them. “I’m a straight white male in America. I’ve got all the luck I need. Shit’s gonna work out for me. “ If AJJ’s lyrics are good, their musicianship and execution are also quite sublime if their style can grow on you. In record, Andrew Jackson Jihad sounds folksy and heavily acoustic. In concert, they bristle with

energy, flaunting their blatantly punk attitude and style. The one I attended last week, for instance, far surpassed my expectations: loud, exciting, and uniting, it was definitely worthwhile of my homework time. There was something familiar and warm about the band, one that only has more than 13,000 Facebook fans, than those that are more popular. Most attendants of the concert knew the lyrics by heart.

Many people at the concert can be recognized as hilariously angst-y teenagers, reflections of some of our younger, troubled selves, when there was still sufficient free time for us to entertain frivolous ideas, inconsequential what-ifs. Others are much older; they seemed calm but were also big AJJ fans. Frantically jumping up and down to the music, we hustled and jostled through the crowd, yelling out lyrics as the band members strummed their guitars in Halloween wigs. For that precious one hour, the crowd was unified by the beauty of band that is vastly imperfect and human.

I think there is something beautiful about imperfections. There is something genuine about not computerizing the process of making music, whether one performs or plays. It seems more honest and human. Perhaps the reason I really enjoy Andrew Jackson Jihad’s music is because they pull me back to the reality that exists outside of my dream-like daily life on campus, where we can go to bed feeling safe every night under the guard of HUPD and where the hardest chore to do is to drag laundry from across the yard once every week or two. Their music can be cynical and outright depressing, but the issues they raise are pertinent to reality; they just get lost in the popular literature we’re exposed to daily.

Mai Nguyen ‘16 (mainguyen@college) definitely looks too mellow to push another human being through a crowd of angst-y white males.

harvardindependent.com

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It's How They Play

THE GAME

The Indy gears up for the election with Game Change.

O

N TUESDAY, AMERICA’S most important game came to an end. Because that’s what the presidential campaign is — a game. It’s unsettling to think that strategy and power plays determine our government, but they certainly can, and it’s a sobering fact lucidly demonstrated in HBO’s original film Game Change. Jay Roach’s film, based on Mark Halperin and John Heilemann’s 2010 book of the same name, portrays the final months of John McCain’s 2008 campaign and the last-minute addition that helped to bring it crashing down. It is, like many political films — fictional or factual — extremely disturbing. It brings to the forefront the willingness of politicians and their strategists to risk anything to win, including the wellbeing of the American people. An average citizen can only hope that, in the midst of one of the fiercest competitions in the world, our interests don’t get traded out for 38 million YouTube views — or Sarah Palin.

Naturally, the most grotesque of events draws us in. We love to watch the accident unfold. A presidential campaign makes for as good a drama as any Shakespeare, but this Lady Macbeth is real. Julianne Moore (who won an Emmy for her portrayal of the almost-VP) is a perfect Sarah Palin, with mannerisms and an accent better crafted than even the infamously crimson-clad Tina Fey. Her episodes of catatonic depression cast Palin as an almost-sympathetic character, until the viewer is reminded of her manic bouts of crazed self-confidence and the fact that she would have had some significant role in government.

Ed Harris plays McCain, who comes across as a perfectly reasonable, foul-mouthed man of politics. We see the chaos unfold through the eyes of several campaign managers, most predominately Steve Schmidt, the primary strategist for McCain’s campaign (portrayed by Woody Harrelson). The movie plays out like 10 harvardindependent.com

By CHRISTINE WOLFE a thriller, shadowed meetings and bass-heavy theme music casting an eerie glow over the gleaming charm of the McCain and Palin the public sees. Game Change is a film about the watchers and the watched: it’s all a game, a show, and what we see is a carefully crafted menagerie of the best of the worst.

The deeply rooted fear instilled in the viewers of Game Change doesn’t come from its mood lighting or haunting themes. What’s truly scary is that the only thing that kept someone as ignorant as Sarah Palin out of the White House was the voters of America. We were the one thing that

presentation of how the campaign played out. Steve Schmidt and several other members of the campaign team disagree. Nicole Wallace, portrayed

by Sarah Paulson in the film, was one of Palin’s closest advisors. Her character’s last scene is spent crying in Schmidt’s arms, confessing that, after all they had done, she couldn’t bring herself to vote. Wallace told ABC News that Game Change was “true enough to make me squirm.”

It’s true that the film does not give a particularly positive portrayal of Palin, but from the looks of it, there doesn’t seem to have been much positive material to work with. Even

An average citizen can only hope that, in the midst of one of the fiercest competitions in the world, our interests don't get traded out for for 38 million YouTube viewers - or Sarah Palin. stopped her — politicians did nothing about it. By far the most chilling scene is one in which Palin explains to Schmidt that the reason the U.S. is at war in Iraq is that Saddam Hussein attacked us on 9/11. Another similarly horrifying scene is one in which two foreign policy advisors explain to Palin the primary events of World War II, during which she takes furious notes. This scene, at which anyone who has taken high school history would squeal, is preceded by the painful-to-watch Couric interview, from which stemmed the famous SNL skit with Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. The advisors of the campaign scurry around in absolute panic, furious that no one, including themselves, asked Palin any policy questions whatsoever during her vet. Could this possibly be what happened during the real campaign?

Sarah Palin and John McCain have refused to watch Game Change, claiming that the movie is a fallacious

if the movie is fictionalized in parts — and as it functions as a narrative rather than a documentary, parts of it are clearly imaginative — the message is clear. Campaigns are not run based on trust or even dignity, no matter how much any member of the campaign tries to make it so. In fact, Palin seems to have been chosen to contest the celebrity personality of Obama. In that contest lies another question: what does it take to be a politician in modern America?

At the end of the film, McCain’s advisors cede that it is a changed world.

Schmidt points out the historical significance of the first AfricanAmerican president taking office in the most genuine manner. He and his staff moan over YouTube; though the Internet gives all Americans access to political materials, it also gives them access to videos of gaffes on repeat and SNL parodies. The media has become an entertainment industry, and if the candidate is boring, he or she is

likely to get a lot less press coverage.

However, it is also a more globalized and complex world. President Obama and Governor Palin are compared in their statuses as celebrities, a personality type that Senator McCain clearly does not fit. But the comparison ends there. A politician needs to be intelligent, much more so than the average American. It is hard to hear, but it is true: most of us are not cut out to be the President. It’s not catastrophic if you or your neighbor confuses Iraq with Afghanistan, but for the Vice-President to do so could cause the loss of American lives. Who would not want someone of the upmost capabilities and knowledge of both American and international policies to lead the entire country?

President Obama addressed this sense of dishonesty and blind strategy that campaigns can evoke in his concession speech on Tuesday night. He spoke about how political campaigns can seem at best insignificant and at worst absurd.

But the President reiterated how important a campaign can be when it is run from the ground up, when individual Americans take time out of their schedules to volunteer and make a difference. The Republicans know that the President’s team had a good game plan, and they underestimated it. When HBO makes a movie about the Obama campaigns, both in 2008 and 2012, they will undoubtedly paint a different picture of the way a campaign runs (though there have undoubtedly been moments in which the campaign has been frustrated with their Vice President). What we all seem to forget is that for many, volunteering, making calls, donating money, and standing up for one’s values is — to most Americans — much more than a game.

Christine Wolfe '14 (crwolfe@college) might not know how to pronounce the President of Georgia’s name either, but then again, she’s not running for office.

11.01.12 • The Harvard Independent

Sports

indy

Just a Game A sportswriter's take on the election and politics.

By SEAN FRAZZETTE

I

2008. There were two left in the Democratic semi-finals of the National Election. One was the favorite, a member of what was looking to affirm political dynasty. She had poise under pressure, strategic game planning, and a compassionate side for the fans. Hillary Clinton should have been the Democratic finalist, according to Vegas — but any true sports fan will tell you that Vegas means nothing.

The other finalist was a young gun, a sharpshooter who personified passion.

He entered the scene with a primetime performance in 2004, outshining Kerry and Edwards, and had spent the following years preparing for his moment. It had arrived. Speeches were given; guarantees were made. Barack Obama was here, and everyone in the arenas (voting booths, that is) was well aware.

The race came down to the wire, but the underdog candidate eventually passed the wily old veteran. He signed veteran Joe Biden to his own team and the championship contender began to materialize. The opponents were a Vet veteran and a pit-bull wearing lipstick. Early polls suggested a close race — the end result showed otherwise. Heavy blows struck like uppercuts from Ali, as states like Indiana and Missouri started to (or even did) sway blue. The powerhouse of Obama–Biden was affirmed and sworn in as champs.

Four years have come and gone, but the game goes on. That’s all it really is, isn’t it? Ads act like endorsements from Nike and Reebok and the candidates jab at each other like boxers in the heavyweight championship. One moment it’s a boxing match with heavy blows and strikes; the next, it’s a race as candidates sprint around the country to win the hearts of fans.

This year, we saw the defending champion faceoff against someone who boasted himself an outsider. He t was

The Harvard Independent • 11.08.12

was the Indy Car racer who switched to Nascar, from business to politics.

Mitt Romney was the new underdog candidate — only more of the Danica Patrick type. He switched professions, gaining a few fans and a lot of enemies.

The first game came. A debate in Denver arrived and all expected the Yankees to slaughter the Royals once again, as Obama would surely beat down on Romney. But Romney held his own, taking an early lead and striking Obama when he was least expected to. Game on.

Game two was a tie for a while, but Romney made mistakes and Obama capitalized, tying the series at a game apiece. Game three was an interesting one. Obama seemed to make all the right points, hitting Romney when he was down, while building his own plan. Republican fans called for instant replay after the game, citing Obama for being mistaken on a number of jabs, but the score remained the same. Obama took two out of three.

But the debates were really just the start, like a final series of the entire election preseason. The final days picked up fast. Outside effects had an impact, but how much could be argued. Many had already decided on their favorite. The final results suggested a blowout in some ways, as Obama continued his dominance as a political superstar, while Romney could not appeal to the country as a whole.

From elections, I see sports.

Passion from both sides, both of which think their team is the best.

There is love for the game from some and hatred from others. A desire to win, no matter what that means or what it takes. Some may see these as negative, hurting the political feelings of the country. Some may think that campaigns treat the election like a game, looking only to appeal to fans and not do what is right.

But I see something different. No matter the outcome, I see passion, drive, and a champion-like spirit from both sides. I see America, where sports illustrate emotions for the everyday person. Politics is just a game that directly impacts the country’s welfare, rather than the welfare of one’s chip

bowl and drinking habits. Politics are sports. Sports are politics. And that works.

Sean Frazzette ’16 (sfrazzette@college) says the odds are 1-4 that this should not be in the sports section.

harvardindependent.com

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captured & shot MIRANDA SHUGARS