Choose Your Own Adventure: Voting Can Make You Less Douchey (If You Do It Right)
START >> You wake up on the floor of your apartment, coming off a Peeps-induced sugar high from the night before, and realize that BHSA elections are upon us…
CHAPTER 1: Deciding Whether to Vote
A) Vote?! Haha. You are a jaded law student. Do you really think BHSA does anything? Do you really think if you voted, your vote would count? Do you even believe that we co-exist in anything but a purely solipsistic universe of one mind and infinite illusion?? Of course not. You eat a bowl of Cap’n Crunch and decide to zone out from all this BHSA crap for the rest of the week. [JUMP TO CH. 4A!]
B) Can voting count as my exercise for the week? In any case, sure – I’ll vote. [MOVE TO CH. 2!]
CHAPTER 2: Due Diligence
A) Thank goodness your student group told you who to vote for. Now all you have to do is show up, cast a ballot for your cause, and all will be well. [JUMP TO CH. 4B!]
B) You go to the candidate speeches event today at 12:45 in room 105. [MOVE TO CH. 3!]
C) You do independent research by talking to the candidates, visiting their facebook groups, and reading their candidate statements before voting. [JUMP TO CH. 4C!]
D) You have heard rumors. Dark, scary rumors of collusion, fascism, and porn… lots of porn. You will not vote for Porninators. [JUMP TO CH. 4D!]
CHAPTER 3: Critical Analysis
A) You eat some free pizza and play USA Today’s crossword puzzle. What is a 5-letter word for “Where pies are feet”?? Oops – meeting is over. [JUMP TO CH. 4A!]
B) You listen intently as the candidates babble about LRAP. Are you scared about LRAP? We will make sure LRAP is okay. Under my watch, LRAP is like baby Jesus in his manger, surrounded by incense and fluffy barn animals. You absorb this information and feel prepared to vote. [JUMP TO CH. 4E!]
C) You listen to the speeches, and then get your cross-examination on! “Oh, you want to protect the LRAP, do you?? I dare you to DESCRIBE the current state of our LRAP.” I’m like a CEO hiring you to be my spokesperson next year – so you better be friggin amazing. [JUMP TO CH. 4F!]
CHAPTER 4: Conclusion
A) Congratulations! You’ve earned unlimited free rides on the Waaaaahmbulance next year any time you express dissatisfaction with LRAP / student fees / construction / etc. You are part of the student body – as such, you are represented by the BHSA. If you renounce any part in helping to shape that body of leaders, or do so in a half-assed manner, then you have lost your right to complain. You are: HYPOCRITE DOUCHE!
B) All of a sudden, it gets very cold. You have one brain cell, and look for another so you can rub them together and create a spark. ALAS! You do not have two brain cells to rub together. You do as you’re told without inquiring further: Would other candidates serve my cause just as well, or better? Just because they haven’t been hand-selected by my student group, does that mean they’re against my student group? Or does it just mean that sometimes politics at Boalt are not unlike a cartel? So many questions – so difficult to answer without doing some original thinking. You are: AUTOMATON DOUCHE!
C) You have no appetite for rhetoric, but are responsible nonetheless. Congratulations!! Your doucheyness has substantially decreased. You are: PARAGON OF CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY!
D) Oh no! You’re an idiot. Don’t you know by now that rumors at Boalt are 40% lies, 40% exaggeration, 15% lack of sex, and 5% caffeine high?? You’d be better off not voting than voting based on misinformation. You are: SUPER DOUCHE!!
E) Nice try, but you have only marginally decreased your douchyness with this attempt. There are lots of reasons why a law student might want to be on BHSA – among them, prestige, power, resume-building… but also a desire to lead, to change the status quo, to fairly represent their peers. You can’t fairly determine which motives are driving a candidate until you ask the tough questions – that means not letting them get away with the same stupid babble. You are: EARNEST DOUCHE!
F) Surprisingly, despite your apparent red hotness, you are less douchey than most! Elections are one example of a time when aggressive inquisitiveness is appropriate. Congratulations, you are: INTELLIGENT CONSTITUENT!
END >> Vote on Weds/Thurs in the Donor Lobby from 10am-2pm.
CHAPTER 1: Deciding Whether to Vote
A) Vote?! Haha. You are a jaded law student. Do you really think BHSA does anything? Do you really think if you voted, your vote would count? Do you even believe that we co-exist in anything but a purely solipsistic universe of one mind and infinite illusion?? Of course not. You eat a bowl of Cap’n Crunch and decide to zone out from all this BHSA crap for the rest of the week. [JUMP TO CH. 4A!]
B) Can voting count as my exercise for the week? In any case, sure – I’ll vote. [MOVE TO CH. 2!]
CHAPTER 2: Due Diligence
A) Thank goodness your student group told you who to vote for. Now all you have to do is show up, cast a ballot for your cause, and all will be well. [JUMP TO CH. 4B!]
B) You go to the candidate speeches event today at 12:45 in room 105. [MOVE TO CH. 3!]
C) You do independent research by talking to the candidates, visiting their facebook groups, and reading their candidate statements before voting. [JUMP TO CH. 4C!]
D) You have heard rumors. Dark, scary rumors of collusion, fascism, and porn… lots of porn. You will not vote for Porninators. [JUMP TO CH. 4D!]
CHAPTER 3: Critical Analysis
A) You eat some free pizza and play USA Today’s crossword puzzle. What is a 5-letter word for “Where pies are feet”?? Oops – meeting is over. [JUMP TO CH. 4A!]
B) You listen intently as the candidates babble about LRAP. Are you scared about LRAP? We will make sure LRAP is okay. Under my watch, LRAP is like baby Jesus in his manger, surrounded by incense and fluffy barn animals. You absorb this information and feel prepared to vote. [JUMP TO CH. 4E!]
C) You listen to the speeches, and then get your cross-examination on! “Oh, you want to protect the LRAP, do you?? I dare you to DESCRIBE the current state of our LRAP.” I’m like a CEO hiring you to be my spokesperson next year – so you better be friggin amazing. [JUMP TO CH. 4F!]
CHAPTER 4: Conclusion
A) Congratulations! You’ve earned unlimited free rides on the Waaaaahmbulance next year any time you express dissatisfaction with LRAP / student fees / construction / etc. You are part of the student body – as such, you are represented by the BHSA. If you renounce any part in helping to shape that body of leaders, or do so in a half-assed manner, then you have lost your right to complain. You are: HYPOCRITE DOUCHE!
B) All of a sudden, it gets very cold. You have one brain cell, and look for another so you can rub them together and create a spark. ALAS! You do not have two brain cells to rub together. You do as you’re told without inquiring further: Would other candidates serve my cause just as well, or better? Just because they haven’t been hand-selected by my student group, does that mean they’re against my student group? Or does it just mean that sometimes politics at Boalt are not unlike a cartel? So many questions – so difficult to answer without doing some original thinking. You are: AUTOMATON DOUCHE!
C) You have no appetite for rhetoric, but are responsible nonetheless. Congratulations!! Your doucheyness has substantially decreased. You are: PARAGON OF CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY!
D) Oh no! You’re an idiot. Don’t you know by now that rumors at Boalt are 40% lies, 40% exaggeration, 15% lack of sex, and 5% caffeine high?? You’d be better off not voting than voting based on misinformation. You are: SUPER DOUCHE!!
E) Nice try, but you have only marginally decreased your douchyness with this attempt. There are lots of reasons why a law student might want to be on BHSA – among them, prestige, power, resume-building… but also a desire to lead, to change the status quo, to fairly represent their peers. You can’t fairly determine which motives are driving a candidate until you ask the tough questions – that means not letting them get away with the same stupid babble. You are: EARNEST DOUCHE!
F) Surprisingly, despite your apparent red hotness, you are less douchey than most! Elections are one example of a time when aggressive inquisitiveness is appropriate. Congratulations, you are: INTELLIGENT CONSTITUENT!
END >> Vote on Weds/Thurs in the Donor Lobby from 10am-2pm.
Labels: BHSA
posted by L'Alex at 10:57 AM
75 Comments:
I don't understand how not voting in BHSA elections means that it's hypocritical if I complain about things like student fees or construction. Yes, I understand if not voting means I can't complain that BHSA didn't do enough, but presumably the reason I didn't vote is because I already think that BHSA doesn't make a difference. I think things like student fees and construction are influenced much more by other factors than by who is on BHSA. So I will continue to complain as much as I damn well please!
Also, I think your story is missing a final option: People who call other people a douche because they didn't vote for BHSA representatives = SELF-RIGHTEOUS DOUCHE!
That notwithstanding, I thought this post was funny and entertaining, even if a bit douchey.
11:59, shoot me an email please.
You might also consider that the 3L reps will give a commencement address.
3L Class Presidents. Not 3L Reps. Otherwise, I ought to start working on my speech.
I would agree that if the BHSA has no power, voting is pointless.
However - I'd question the premise that BHSA leaders are powerless because we are all victims to an "uncaring huge public school system." Couldn't an alternative explanation be that BHSA is ineffective because they've been elected - largely, through abstention - by a student population of jaded turtle-lovers?
In other words, which came first: the bad leaders, or the bad constituents?
I would say one of the worst things about Cal as a whole is the way the elections/politics are run by the undergrads. CalServe? Student Action? Cui Bono? Cui gives-a-shit. They constantly file charge sheets and attempt to penalize each other in an attempt to gain leverage over the other.
The fact that I'm seeing "parties" and slates for BHSA elections is disheartening. Maybe I'm overreacting. Maybe I just hate strivers more than I hate the cast of The Hills.
Look, you can butt heads with me, or you can contact me so I can tell you what I have a problem with. If that's too much trouble, it's actually a reference in your last sentence. You can figure it out.
Let me help you all out. Anonymous (at 11:59 and 12:36), would like you to hear:
Is this a joke? Spare me. When people who have actually served on BHSA constantly complain that they actually DON'T have any influence/control over anyone or anything, then what difference does it make? Seriously, do you think your choice in rep is going to make any meaningful difference in the goddamn construction plans? This isn't turtles-all-the-way-down solipsism, it's a reasonable suspicion confirmed by firsthand experience.
You left out another option: Don't vote because studying the differences between candidates, none of whom will make any difference, is a waste of time, and then don't bitch at the machinations of an uncaring huge public school system, because that's also a waste of time. Not hypocritical, and significantly less douchey than feeling superior because you play at government.
To paraphrase the problem part of what Anon. is trying to tell us: the correct voting strategy would be to pick people you think would do a good job planning one special event that BHSA (sometimes) helps to put on, because that's the only thing BHSA has an effect on.
Is BHSA actually contested this year? (This coming from a 3L that's not invested anymore - so don't be too angry) I feel like the last two years the elections weren't really elections, since nothing was actually contested, which is why I never voted. No vote actually mattered. Before anyone jumps down my throat - my lack of voting makes no implications as to what I think of BHSA.
Holy crap you overthink this. I'm voting for whoever promises to put Coke/Chocolate Milk in the water fountains.
Thanks, Matt.
p.s. Armen - wasn't trying to butt heads, just wanted to remain anonymous. You of course had a valid concern and I would have revised the post to address it had Matt not gotten to it first.
Varty, to answer your question - yes, several of the positions are contested this year. There's the "Boalt Party" slate and several independents.
Somebody please, please tell me that Coke in the drinking fountains is part of the Boalt Party platform.
Oh my God, is the word "douche" not over yet? This post was straining so hard that it was painful to read.
The word "douche" accounts for only 0.92% of this post.
Then that's about 0.92% too much, wouldn't you say?
It is disheartening based on this year's choices. Neither one is particularly funny. One is super crazy and the other is sort of ho hum. Either way, if they don't open it up to others beyond their limited circles of friends to help them out, next year is not going to be very entertaining.
Hey all, this is 11:59 (I only made that one post so far, the other person/people are a different Anon.):
I don't think that BHSA has no power or that they do no good. That's overly cynical and kind of insulting because they are smart, well-meaning (probably) people who I'm sure do at least something. That said, there's a difference between having a BHSA vs. having the "right" people on BHSA. I think the difference between people (which is the only effect my voting could possibly have) is essentially nothing, especially given that I don't think BHSA has any meaningful effect on anything "important" (like student fees). Giving funding to student orgs, being involved with committees, etc. are also important, but I don't care enough about that stuff to cast a vote. I think anyone who is running is sufficiently qualified and will be elected regardless. So that's why I'm not voting for BHSA, and still reserve my right to complain about those things I think my vote wouldn't have affected anyway.
Anonymous 1:52,
No problem. This is precisely the type of representation you get from me, your 3L Rep. (Wait, you're probably not a 3L. Crap.) And who says BHSA never does anything?
Now that we have parties in BHSA we must also have campaign donations. Which means we need campaign finance reform.
To help me decide who to vote for, I'd like to ask the candidates: 1) Why hasn't BHSA done more to promote campaign finance reform? and 2) How has Citizens United effected BHSA political parties?
Well it sounds like the soft drink lobby has been pouring (bad pun intended) its resources already.
2L rep controls the party. Vote Phil Tassin. He made the brownies.
Heard there was some drama today at the candidate forum - something about the "slate" taking minority votes for granted? One guy running for treasurer withdrew his candidacy in protest. (I had to take off after that to go to class.) Anyone care to recap? Thanks.
BHSA has real power. If you think it doesn't you are not informed.
Here's just two ways it matters:
1) They select the students that are on the admissions committee. Those students get to read the admissions essays of certain "borderline" candidates and provide input on which of them Boalt should allow in.
2) The BHSA treasurer gets to decide how much money student groups get. In practice she does so based on "last years figures". But if you believe some groups get too much, and others too little, you would want to be the treasurer no?
If I had an agenda I would totally try to get on BHSA.
Yeah "the slate" pretty much said they had a primary and that Flairty, the "non-slate" guy running for President "went back on his agreement" not to run when the "slate" didn't select him. They then tried to pass this off as democratic. It is fucked up.
Does anybody without a potential conflict of interest (ahem, L'Alex) care to elaborate on what 8:05 and 8:44 say? What is this about primaries and behind-closed-door agreements?
I don't really have a problem with the Slate ("boalt party" or whatever). It's a couple like-minded student groups who decided to choose some people to run for office. They've clearly put more time into this campaign and they'll probably win, so if you'd like to align on some other issue, form your own party and make cute little T-shirts. And if you're part of one of the "solidarity" groups and don't agree with the idea of a slate, talk to your group about getting out of it. But it seems well within their rights to form a group of people to run with. The only reason their organization is frustrating to some is because others haven't organized. Instead of complaining, organize a group! I like most of the boalt party slate, but I'm gonna look at each candidate individually. So should you.
I'm a 3L so I'm not really invested in this, but it would be pretty funny if we had a real turnout for the BHSA elections this year because of the "slate" controversy.
People really underestimate how much work BHSA really is. My roommate Jesse James was the 1L rep back in 2007-08. My girlfriend is the co-president. They actually took their jobs seriously, and I saw firsthand how much time they spent on doing their jobs. I wouldn't run for a BHSA position if you paid me. You do all this work for the community, and then on top of it, instead of thanking you, people write you emails saying what a terrible job you are doing.
Well thats' if you take the job seriously. Plenty of people take the job and then don't actually do anything. Maybe a contested election will be a good thing in terms of getting people who will actually work elected. Nothing ruins a representative so much as a feeling of entitlement :D
It should be noted that neither Peter Halpern nor Camille Pannu will be returning to BHSA next year, so I hope there are some 2Ls out there to pick up the slack :) Those two did a lot of work for the student body so there is a big void to fill.
Cheers. My writing requirement is done. To quote the movie Aliens: "I'm getting the fuck outta here."
if you want to have democracy run for something other then whine and complain that you cannot run for something because a group of people decided to run together...blah blah blah blah blah....
if we actually had people that care maybe we would have democracy.
BTW the US is not a democracy its a republic.
9:04 - I'll summarize what I know to the best of my ability below. However, I leave it up to the community to correct me if I'm mistaken on any of these points:
The Boalt Party was formed in an effort to represent the solidarity groups at the law school. The slating meeting was open to anyone interested - although the meeting was not well publicized to the members of said diversity groups and hence, not as "open" as the candidates make it seem. In any case, in this meeting, the would-be candidates were asked to agree (before even discussing what positions they were interested in, their goals, etc.) to either accept whatever position they were slated for by the group, or NOT RUN AT ALL.
As one candidate in the forum explained today - this slating process is meant to ensure that there isn't a situation where "Hilary" is running against "Obama".
The most interesting example of this process backfiring was the speech given today by a would-be treasurer who was apparently discouraged by the Boalt Party from running against the slate - he stated it perfectly when he said something to the effect of "As a person of color, I don't think my vote should be pre-ordained."
In short: many of the Boalt Party candidates are great leaders and would do a fabulous job. But the controversy lies in the contradiction between their purported "transparency" and "diversity" and the fact that their process has had the effect of LIMITING the options the Boalt population at large gets to vote for. Why not let multiple social-justice folks run for the same position? Why not let the student body decide?
L'Alex is on to something people. Dividing your own base would be a GREAT way to win an election. I wonder why anyone hasn't tried this before? Hillary totally should've ran against Obama in '08. Such a pity that L'Alex wasn't her campaign strategist.
The Boalt Party requirement that those not chosen for the slate in the "primary" not run in the election only makes sense if there is a John McCain-like figure in the race. As far as I can tell, there is no McCain. If there was, you'd of course have a legitimate argument that the two or more social justice candidates would split votes and the non-social justice candidate would win. So here, why can't multiple candidates with similar positions run against each other? (A Hillary versus Obama general election, if you will.)
Being on the solidarity slate -- barring the entry of a candidate totally contrary -- should just function as an endorsement. Indiscriminately guilting candidates who do not receive slate positions to drop out is useless (except to those on the slate) and unfair.
At the BHSA thing were there planted questions from the independent candidate's girlfriend's friends?
10:04 - let's be precise. Boalt is currently a one-party system with a few scattered independents (the presence of whom, per Varty's comment earlier, is a new development.) I agree with 10:50 that dividing one's base only becomes relevant when there are multiple parties. That said, I would have loved to be Hillary's strategist.
Which reminds me of a different issue I forgot to mention earlier: what kind of platform is "social justice" anyway? Is there anyone at Boalt who DOESN'T believe in social justice or diversity of opinions/experiences?? I'm half tempted to poke fun at this obvious appeal to our shared beliefs by starting the "Un-Boalt Party" next year... un-Boalting Boalt since 2011.
Echoing Alex's comment, what IS "solidarity"? Solid against what? Straight, white male boalties? What did I do?
L'Alex, I think it's a bit disingenous to be posting on here, advocating so strongly on behalf of the "independents" as you've so coyly termed them, without also identifying your bias when it comes to coverage of this election. 9:04 asked specifically for information from people who didn't have a conflict of interest. You do.
Further, might it be a little unfair of you to label the Boalt Party the social justice ticket, while at the same time criticizing them for being labeled the social justice ticket?
To 12:04, I would disagree that the boalt party is "solid against straight white males" because at least 1 of their candidates, Brett, is a straight white male.
Best comment from today's forum:
The candidate for co-president said she was disappointed with the turnout at the forum; another student then asked, "Were you present at the forum for 1L reps?"
The candidate then replied, "No, but only because I didn't feel welcome as a minority student at Boalt. My financial aid didn't come in till later, and I couldn't buy my books. Some of us are burdened by hardships like that."
Half the people were probably thinking, damn, I didn't get my aid either, and I showed up. Not to mention, if that kind of thing is going to stop you, how are you going to get things done as President?
I'm a minority student at Boalt, and it seems pretty lame to bring up the race card for the failings of our financial aid system. It fails everyone, not just the minority students. Luckily we are at Boalt where the minute you mention race, everyone backs off. Having come from an East Coast school, I can tell you a lot of America isn't like this. You have to pick and choose when you drop your race card, or else it just loses force with every unjustified use, until people just ignore you. Face it, everything at Boalt isn't about race.
Actually, the Boalt Party slate described themselves as the "social justice slate" in the candidate hearing - without any help from L'Alex. I distinctly remember one Boalt Party candidate saying that "it's like democrats versus republicans"...hm
I would also like to point out that just because someone isn't on the "social justice slate," doesn't mean they don't care for social justice causes. Why is the Boalt party making this a "for us or against us" type of thing?
For a slate that is trying to run on the idea of inclusion, their tactics and campaign make members of the student body feel very marginalized and alienated.
to 12:18:
An all white male slate who touts that they represent minorities simply because they have one "token" minority candidate is just as offensive an argument as an all minority slate saying that they represent non-minority students because they have one non-minority candidate in their slate.
12:09 - thank you for your comment, but please note that I have not personally endorsed the Boalt Party nor the independents running. For your information, I plan on voting for a combination of the two based on their speeches today and personal candidate statements.
For you to assume that my reporting of facts is biased based on what you presume to know about my personal relationships is both offensive and irrelevant. Anybody can post on here refuting the facts I've presented. Anybody can argue to the contrary.
I dare you to find a so-called "neutral" party on Nuts & Boalts who can give you a perfectly sterilized version of the facts. What I've done here is try to report what I heard today to the best of my ability, and I'm open to being corrected (as I've said.)
I'd say almost all my significant concerns about a solidarity group slate running the student government involve their unfortunate predilection for having events at the goddamn Shattuck Down Low.
One other thing to consider:
The BHSA president represents each and every student to the faculty, administration and the almuni. Anyone in mods 1, 2 and 3 can testify that one of the candidates is batshit crazy, won't stop talking about herself and cannot get off the topic of herself when commenting in class. Not only that, she seems entitled to it.
Wow. That last comment is disgusting. I don't think we need to be making personal attacks against ANYONE at this school, candidate or not. Especially not under the cover of anonymity. We aren't in high school, and this isn't a presidential campaign. Let's act like it.
Newsflash: It's the BHSA elections.
This doesn't mean you shouldn't vote.
It does mean that you shouldn't get too worked up about it.
It also means candidates probably shouldn't be comparing each other and themselves to Obama and Hillary.
Also, can the people who use rows 90 and 100 in 105 before my 10am class please clean up after themselves? I mean, come on people.
10:11, at least when she talks in class it isn't anonymous. Grow up.
12:18,
Word on the street is that the lone white, straight male on the Boalt Party slate was only allowed in because he belonged to the gender journal.
this is funny to me.
Whoops, that last comment was directed at 10:02.
10:02: I came to Boalt specifically to hear other people talk about their experiences (which of course differ from my own). Especially when those experiences are relevant to the discussion, and her comments always are. Why the hell are YOU here -- to hear your own insular worldview reinforced? Go to Duke or something, then.
Annnnd I officially feel like I've already graduated. Look at you kids, taking over the school with your giant political controversies and raging debates over diversity issues. You've arrived! And you fit right in, unfortunately.
It doesn't feel right to involve myself in a fight that isn't mine, so I won't, except to say that I do hope students inform themselves vote for whoever they think is the best candidate for each position, rather than voting exclusively for one "party" without thinking it through. I say the same thing to my Grandma when she punches the "all democrat" option every election year. In fact, I don't think there should be such a button.
I also wanted to say to L'Alex that this was a fantastic post.
Guess that'll do it for me. Good luck to the candidates and good luck to you plucky rising 1Ls. You've got a long road ahead, and there's shit all over it.
The candidates are sitting right outside of the library willing to talk to anybody that has questions and wants to talk to them face to face instead of through a forum.
Correction to 11:17 - The Boalt Party candidates are sitting outside of the library. Per their multiple messages to the Boalt 2012list serv, there should be free coffee as well.
11:05, some of us came to law school to, you know, learn the law. We're not paying tens of thousands of dollars to sit in class and hear 1Ls personal opinions that detract from learning the doctrine. Knowing how the law works is a prerequisite to any meaningful discussion of the social issues surrounding it. There's plenty of other classes and forums for that outside the black letter classes.
Re. the comment I removed at 12:15 . . . it wasn't the content so much as the haranguing of another student by name. You may not agree with the "no student names on N&B, please" policy, but please humor us? BHSA elections really don't seem worth creating a google-able record of vitriol . . . even if it is well deserved!
Sorry Patrick, I didn't even think about the no-names thing since it's no secret who everyone is talking about. But I actually totally support the policy, so here's a slightly cooled-down version of what I said:
(1) L'Alex: Your correction seems petty, especially because by my count there have been two e-mails to the listserv, one from the Boalt Party and one from a so-called independent candidate. Hardly "multiple," and hardly worthy of a correction.
(2) I'd like to point out that said independent candidate is also the 1L representative who this year proposed a no-confidence vote againstt Dean Edley.[http://boaltalk.blogspot.com/2009/11/bhsa-rep-proposes-edley-no-confidence.html#comments] The fact it was proposed at all does not inspire confidence in me to re-elect that candidate.
@12:27:
I doubt you were at the forum where the vote of no confidence issue arose. If you were, you would know the context: people were brainstorming possible responses and actions that may be taken in response to the fee hikes. Many students were really upset (were you oblivious to the strike that went down?) Leadership involves creativity and being willing to throw ideas into the mix - and the intelligence to ignore the ideas that, after consideration, are impractical, inefficient, or just dumb. The "vote of no confidence" was not taken up. The matter should have just died there...but alas, too juicy of a comment for N&B to pass up.
That's true 12:46, but most of us prefer that the leaders NOT be the ones suggesting ideas that are "impractical, inefficient, or just dumb." I'm pretty sure that's 12:27's point.
At least he was at the forum.
We can have all the fight on here that we want, but what this boils down to is whether the independent candidate has more friends than everyone on the slate combined.
My prediction: about 200 people vote and the slate wins. BHSA continues to suck.
The notion that minority students need to band together against an oppressive majority at Boalt seems at the very least hyperbolic.
Also this whole situation is hilarious.
What happened to the OCIP thread?
The. Boalt. Party. Doesn't. Care. About. White. People.
7:48 = Dumbest. Comment. Ever. I can't believe WE'RE the ones playing the race card. How pathetic.
And for the record, the INDEPENDENT BHSA PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE doesn't care about white people--or any other group for the matter. He only cares about getting elected.
He's only whining because he doesn't have the wherewithal to convince enough people to run with him--white or non-white, gay or straight, rich or poor, male or female.
How is he going to influence change in the BHSA if he can't even inspire enough of his FRIENDS to run with him and back him up?
Politics are about organizing and coalition-building; the independent presidential candidate is obviously inept at these very important skills.
I for one will be glad if he loses. He's obviously NOT the lesser of two evils in this election.
The level of ignorance exhibited by 7:48 at one of America's most prestigious legal intisitutions is disheartening. Have you even read the Boalt Party's platform?
How can the following policy goals be perceived as anti-white or not beneficial to whites?
* Resolving class conflicts so that 1Ls can have more freedom to take the classes they want (e.g. contracts in the fall and corporations in the spring; if you were in certain mods this year you didn't have this option)
* Summer funding for judicial clerkships
* Strenghtening alumni relations by making it easier for students to get in contact with alumni
* Making it easier for organizations to raise funds
* Cleaner bathrooms? Seriously? This policy only benefits non-whites?
If you're going to vote based on rumors instead of getting informed on the issues, it's a shame you were extended admission to Boalt Hall or any law school for that matter.
Eh, the rhetoric of the heads of the so-called "Boalt" party is consistently inflammatory.
I love how its leadership is always talking about "social justice" background when at least one of them will be working at a firm this summer.
When someone at the forum asked a question they didn't like, they surrounded her afterward accusing her of not understanding what it meant to "have a social justice background." WTF does that even mean?
Skadden NY - (By telegraph)
This election is not about who has the most friends, it's about people's reactions to feeling included or excluded in the process.
The independent candidate has not been "whining" about anything. Talk to him. He is very approachable. He listens to students' concerns. That's what being a political representative is about.
One of the slated presidential candidates is the opposite of approachable. She is not comfortable with receiving any form of criticism regarding the slating process and who her party claims to represent. As a member of the 1, 2 and 3 supermod, I'd like to clarify that it is not that we disagree with her views, it's that she fails to express any coherent view whatsoever. It is not her perspective that draws criticism. Every class comment is about herself and just herself. She condescends to the professor and the entire class in a very patronizing way. Politics are not about alienating the people you are supposed to represent. It's about bridging the gap between opposing views and working together, not widening it with inflammatory rhetoric. That is exactly what the co-president of the solidarity slate will do and has already done. I feel sorry for the other co-president, should they win he will be stuck with all the work while she will try to take all the credit.
As my friend, a minority student, said about this dispute being cast in racial tones: "this is bad for everyone, especially people who want to change these issues, because it makes it too easy to dismiss these ideas when they're genuine. Too many times, those of us who have worked hard on these issues to reach some type of genuine, reasonable, meaningful change get undermined by someone shooting their mouth off on a non-genuine issue of race or discrimination."
If anyone only cares about getting herself elected, it's the Boalt Party's co-president candidate.
First, as I understand it, the "Boalt Party" is just a group of candidates united around social justice, which seems pretty vague, so I think they really mean progressivism. That does not mean they're a Public Interest Law group. I'm glad they have private law firm candidates too so they can represent everyone.
On the other hand, it's certainly not fair to characterize the independent candidates as anti-social justice in any way. That inflammatory post about Matt was totally unfair.
I don't think it's about "minority students banding together against an oppressive majority", or not "caring about white people". It's just some people who got together to think out a platform and make "progressive" change. It's not about "fighting the man" because everyone knows most of Boalt is pretty liberal.
All of these racial undertones and "us vs. them" analysis seems pretty crazy and inappropriate. Is it possible that the independent candidates and members of the boalt party are far more innocent than some of these posts make it seem?
"Can't we all just get along?"
"Is it possible that the independent candidates and members of the boalt party are far more innocent than some of these posts make it seem?"
Yes. But shouldn't they affirmatively take that stance? The Boalt Party came from internal primaries from minority groups. It seems like a great way to set the tone as race, as is the apparent racial pandering by the co-presidential candidate.
To make sure the slate, if it wins, acts evenhandedly next year, someone should insist that BHSA publish how much funds they give student groups and make sure there is no clear, categorical bias towards identity groups and journals over other groups of comparable membership, # of activities, etc. I'm surprised it's never been reviewed before.
Results are in.
@9:02 First, it's never been reviewed before because most Boalties aren't ignorant enough to assume that "minorities" act exclusively in their self-interest. From your comment it sounds that you have the Obama back-lash syndrome--you don't think minorities candidates can be as objective and neutral as a "non-minority" candidate. This is evidenced in your suspicion that the "minorities" might categorically support identity journals/orgs at the expense of other orgs. Give me a break. Go enjoy some tea with your teaparty rhetoric. Whoever thinks we are in a post-racial society need to look no further than w/i the walls of Boalt Hall.
I think it's likely a reaction to the Boalt party making identity politics such an issue.
It's the Boalt party that is making race such a large issue and maybe it should be, but I think it's disingenuous to suggest a critique of that strategy is automatically "tea party" like.
Identity politics suck. Whether you're coming from a tea party "Americans for America" angle or a "only I can speak about x because I have x background" angle.
One good thing resulting from this week's political strife: the election commanded a record voter turnout. Word on the street is 60% of the 1L class voted on Weds alone.
This is good for several reasons: First, those who won (congrats) have a pretty broad mandate to represent the student body. Second, with so many people voting, there will be alot of eyes on BHSA next year to make sure they follow through on their promises (one of which, 9:42, was transparency about things like funding allocations, etc.)
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