Biography

Dan Smith hasn't had the chance to write his bio yet.

2009-2010 Candidacy Statement

Hey everyone, my name is Dan Smith and I’m running for vice president of the Cornell Democrats. I unfortunately can’t be there in person because I’m currently studying abroad in South Africa, but I have been an active member of the Dems for the past three years. I first got involved with the club early my freshman year when I went to Pennsylvania to campaign for Senator Bob Casey and congressional candidate Lois Murphy. I got more involved sophomore year by helping to organize the club’s trip to New Hampshire to campaign during the primaries.

This past semester I had the opportunity to serve on the executive board as the local campaign director. In this capacity I organized weekly campaign trips to canvass for Congressman Eric Massa and phone-banking for state senate candidate Don Barber. I also worked to bring both these candidates to campus as speakers. I had an amazing time campaigning locally as well as going to Pennsylvania twice to campaign for Obama; our efforts definitely paid off as Congressman Massa won a narrow victory and Obama won Pennsylvania decisively. In addition to my activities with the Dems, my political experience includes interning in Hillary Clinton’s Senate office and campaigning last summer for Obama in Virginia.

For next year, I think the club should continue its campaign efforts – local Ithaca elections are coming up in November and we can definitely play an important role in getting progressive candidates elected. Local politics affects all Cornell students and we must make sure that our voice is heard. We can also step up our role as the main liberal voice on campus by hosting issue-centered debates, rallies, and forums of discussion. As issues like universal health care reach the national stage, we can help educate the campus about the merits of progressive policies. Lobbying trips, either to Albany or Washington, should also be planned. Such trips are a lot of fun, help grow the club’s membership, and are a way in which we can make a difference.

One of the biggest challenges next year will be to grow our membership during a year when there are no national elections. We need to hit the ground running during orientation week and the first few weeks of school by hosting parties and other events to show prospective members that we have a major presence on campus. We need to then make sure that new members stay interested in the club by having stimulating meetings with dynamic speakers and more interactive activities. I definitely want to work on bringing a big-name speaker to campus – we should make this a priority. We also need to plan a lot of social events – definitely plenty of drinking liberally’s but also some more potlucks, movie nights, etc. The more fun, club-bonding events we have, the more members will want to participate in other activities like campaigning.

Having been an active, devoted member of the Dems for the past three years, it would be a privilege for me to serve as vice president. From campaigning and registering voters to debating the campus republicans and having that out-of-control election night party last semester, I’ve had a blast with the CU Dems and am looking forward to another great semester.