Green candidate stumps on campus

Stephen Cheng Guest Writer

Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins, who is running for the New York Senate seat in November, addressed a small audience on Sunday, Oct. 1 about the war in Iraq, health care, and renewable energy. Hawkins, the first politician to campaign at Vassar since 1988, spoke critically of his opponent, incumbent Senator Hillary Clinton (D), and of the Democratic Party. The Vassar Green Party, a new organization on campus, hosted Hawkins, who co-founded the U.S. Green Party in 1984.

Hawkins made his anti-war stance clear at the beginning of his presentation by calling for the immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. He rejected Senator Clinton’s proposed strategy to stabilize the country before recalling troops, saying it would require 60,000 additional troops, tens of billions of dollars, and a period of 10-15 more years. Contradicting the government’s stated goal of democratic nation-building in Iraq, he said, “What [the war] is really about is military control of oil in the Persian Gulf.”

Hawkins addressed other issues as well. He said that his plan for a universal health care program would save $286 billion dollars a year, and claimed that private firms take “30 percent of every dollar spent for overhead.” He cited national healthcare as “a cornerstone of the Democratic Party since President Truman,” and blamed Senator Clinton for derailing national healthcare in 1993.

Hawkins recommended a global energy system of solar and geothermal resources. “I believe this program will do more for world peace than [any military expenditure],” he said. His campaign pamphlet proposed funding renewable energy development with a portion of the defense budget.

When asked why he chose to criticize only Senator Clinton, Hawkins responded, “Clinton is [leading with] 70 percent of the polls. She’s the establishment.” He denied that Republican candidate John Spencer posed a challenge.

Hawkins, a Teamster and former Marine, currently serves on the Green National Committee. In 1976, he co-founded the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance.

The Vassar Green Party, which operates as a branch of the New York State Green Party, intends to aid local, state, and national Green candidates. Reed Dunlea ’09, the contact person for the Green Party, said, “We want to provide an alternative and progressive voice on campus. I feel that there are plenty of people who are progressive and that the Green Party represents their interests and ideals.”

Tim McConnell ’10, a self-described conservative Democrat, said of Hawkins, “You can tell he’s not faking anything. I’d totally vote for him.”