Will her visits help Barack Obama’s chances of gaining the Democratic nomination?
On January 27, 2008 with an opinion piece in the New York Times entitled “A President Like My Father,” Caroline Kennedy, daughter of former President and the late John F. Kennedy, proudly exposed her support of presidential candidate Barack Obama to the world. Click here for more on Caroline Kennedy.
Kennedy, who hasn’t openly endorsed a presidential candidate since her uncle Senator Edward Kennedy ran for office in 1980, strongly believes that Sen. Obama is the right man for the job. In the New York Times article she wrote; “Senator Obama is running a dignified and honest campaign… [He] made the right call on the most important issue of our time by opposing the war in Iraq from the beginning” (nytimes.com). Her passion for Sen. Obama and his campaign has led this famous daughter to travel across state lines vocalizing her support of Obama, especially among college students.
Recently, with the overwhelming importance of a particular date and a particular state’s impact on the Presidential campaign, Caroline Kennedy has made her way to the lovely state of Pennsylvania. She has made stops along the way at different places around the area, and most important to us, she made a stop in Collegeville, Pa at Ursinus College.
On April 11, 2008, students, professors, and local residents filed into Bomberger Auditorium, eagerly awaiting the arrival of this esteemed figure. As audience members greeted each other, many with pen and paper in hand, and a few with video cameras, the stage remained empty except for a podium, a cushioned chair, and three posters with Sen. Obama’s face and the heading “Hope” hanging in the background. Finally, a member of the Ursinus College Democrats ran in the room and “whispered” to her friend in the front row, “She’s here!” Each member in the audience shifted in his or her sears and sat silently and eloquently.
Before Caroline Kennedy came out however, Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (Democrat- Connecticut) took to the stage. She too, believes strongly in Obama’s message, and feels that he is the right person to lead our country at such trying times; “With [him] we can renew the idealism that made America special in the world.” Congresswoman DeLauro also made it clear that we, the young voters of Pennsylvania, will have a major impact in the primaries, perhaps ultimately deciding who the Democratic nominee will be.
Once Congresswoman DeLauro’s speech ended, Caroline Kennedy walked into the room, greeted with a standing ovation. Wearing a blue suit, accented with a blue and white scarf, Caroline Kennedy stepped up to the podium, thanking the audience for their support. She then went on to explain why she chose to endorse Obama and why she feels that he is the right man to lead our nation, and our future. In all of her years involved in politics, she has never found a candidate that inspired the country in such a way that her father did; never such a candidate that believed in America’s youth as much as her father did. Never, until now.
Kennedy then went on to explain her work over the past five years in the New York public school system. She feels that adolescents, more than ever, are ready to blaze their own trails. With this statement, she urged the young voters to go out and vote in the April 22 primaries. Every vote counts, she said. With her final push to urge young voters to vote, and vote for Obama, Caroline Kennedy ended her speech, and walked off of the stage.
Click here for information on the Pennsylvania Primaries.
After the forum, I interviewed a couple of my peers in order to get their reactions. Senior and supporter of Caroline Kennedy and every member of her family, Stephanie Kaysen appreciated her remarks, but she didn’t think she was much of a speaker; “She’s a great woman and very
intelligent. But she isn’t the motivational type at all. She was very quiet and reserved. But that doesn’t mean she wasn’t heard.” Others seemed to mimic Kaysen’s opinion. They believe that Congresswoman DeLauro was much more of an entertaining and energetic speaker. Sophomore Elizabeth Cannon thinks that Kennedy’s presentation was not an issue; “I think that even though she was very meek, everyone in attendance listened to every word that came out of her mouth, simply because she is a Kennedy.”Whoever wins the Democratic nomination is yet to be seen, but Kennedy’s impact on the campaign trail is obvious, especially among college voters.
Oh, Sweet Caroline!
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