GOP Set To Drown Sorrows

In the wake of the midterm elections, some students are partying to celebrate victory while others are partying to drown their sorrows.

But the leaders of both the Harvard College Democrats and the Harvard Republican Club (HRC)—which is throwing a “Drown Your Sorrows” party this Friday—say they will now focus their resources on addressing policy issues rather than dwelling on victories or losses past.

“But today is a beginning, not an end. Now it is time to govern,” wrote Dems President Eric P. Lesser ’07 in an e-mail to his organization. The Dems saw victory for three of five campaigns the group supported, for which students made more than 10,000 phone calls and knocked on close to 20,000 doors, according to Lesser.

HRC Membership Director Jeffrey Kwong ’09 said the group views now as a time to “reenergize the base and regroup in time for 2008.”

“It’s only a hiatus in our opinion,” Kwong said.

“This is a time to relax and realize that we worked hard, but sometimes it just doesn’t go your way,” HRC President John M. Souther ’07 said.

The Dems said they will work on translating the newly gained control of the Senate and House into solutions for national issues such as the war in Iraq, health care, immigration, education, and the environment, rather than being complacent with the triumph.

“Our focus will now be on how to turn the electoral victories into concrete policies that will bring a new direction,” Lesser said.

Despite the GOP’s defeat, Kwong said voters had mostly agreed with the Republican platform on specific policy issues on the ballot. “If you look at the single issues...the voters were all in tune with the Republican Party,” he said, specifically citing anti-affirmative action initiatives and same-sex marriage bans. “They just weren’t satisfied with the leadership.”

“We had a big impact, but it was just a bad year for Republicans in general,” Souther said.

Looking towards the future, Souther added, “There’s definitely going to be a different set of issues now that the Democrats are in charge...We’re excited about informing students and winning them over to our side.”