For the duration of my undergraduate career at UW-Madison, one conspicuous student organization has stood on the sidelines during crucial social justice battles and even occasionally joined the other team in limiting the score of righteous, progressive endeavors. What's worse, this group has concerned itself more with the résumés of its leadership than its espoused agenda. Despite the instinctual sympathy that most students have for its nationally recognized name, its do-nothing approach has precluded the formation of a large active membership; the group invariably withers into conservatism, futility and phoniness as each year progresses.
I'm not talking of the College Republicans, an
organization so enveloped in bigotry and stupidity that even
mainstream conservatives abstain from association. The group offers
little to the campus other than hilarity. For those of us who enjoy
a good laugh, we are heavily indebted to the campus crazies who
wear the official conservative label.
The group of which I speak, the College Democrats, acts
in a way almost completely at odds with its stated ideals. While
claiming to be a progressive organization, one would never know it
from its recent behavior.
Last November, a group of progressive activists and
county supervisors attempted to pass an amendment to the budget to
cut the sheriff's request for six new deputies. Sheriff Mahoney, is
a notorious xenophobe who has voluntarily reported the names of
hundreds of undocumented immigrants to federal immigration
authorities, leading to many deportations and long-term prison
holds, causing immeasurable fear in the immigrant community. Why
should taxpayers continue funding the department responsible for
such human misery? When a representative of Student Progressive
Dane, the campus group leading the efforts in opposition to
Mahoney's policies, attempted to garner the support of the College
Democrats for the amendment, he was unequivocally rebuffed. That's
quite a statement on the group's willingness to make common cause
with marginalized people.
Later, campus activists attempted to solicit the
group's support in the Vote No effort, the campaign to defeat the
reactionary, undemocratic and anti-grassroots revised student
government Constitution. Almost every major activist and student of
color organization banded together to defeat the new document in
referendum. Not only did the CDs reject this progressive outreach,
they ended up actively endorsing the new Constitution. In what was
probably the most important campus political battle of the last
academic year, they sided with the campus establishment—including
the College Republicans, ASM leadership and centrist media outlets.
Regarding electoral endorsements, the CDs robotically
support the most right-wing of the electable candidates. In no case
was this more insidiously apparent than the group's endorsement of
Bridget Maniaci in last spring's alder race. Though Maniaci's
opponent, Brenda Konkel, is not a registered Democrat, she is an
unbridled champion of all the right causes. This is precisely why
the Dane County Democrats issued a nonendorsement for the race.
Though Maniaci allowed herself to be used by powerful local
interests in the most repugnant way, the CDs gave her plenty of
logistical support in an unsavory win.
The above should demonstrate why the CDs have
degenerated into a résumé-padding social club, a group that is
almost constitutionally incapable of taking a courageous stand on
behalf of anything. It's no wonder the group
is so incapable of attracting social justice activists, people of
color or students who just want to do some type of meaningful
political work.
Nonetheless, there is no reason why atrophy must
continue. There is no reason why the CDs cannot transform
themselves into an activist-based group, one that takes a leading
role in campaigns for social and economic justice. I find it funny
that the Dane County Democrats lend much more support to
issue-based advocacy than their student counterparts. Regardless,
this year's new leadership has a clear choice to make as to what
the group's new role is going to be, and let's hope—both for the
sake of the CDs and the progressive movement in general—that it
involves a decisive break with its past behavior.
Kyle Szarzynski is a senior majoring in history and philosophy. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
