Heinz pours on the charm for Pitt

Students flooded in as the rain poured down outside Friday, when Chris Heinz spoke in the… Students flooded in as the rain poured down outside Friday, when Chris Heinz spoke in the ballroom of the William Pitt Union.

The College Democrats hosted a voting drive Friday evening, touting Heinz as the guest of honor. Though there were distractions like Oakland’s finest Friday parties and monsoon-like weather, students came out in droves to see him speak.

They were greeted not only by soft drinks, popcorn and cotton candy, but also by Heinz, as he made himself accessible to the crowd for handshakes and pictures.

Heinz looked confident and relaxed in jeans and a black polo shirt, laughing and joking with the students who introduced themselves to him. Opening the night for Heinz was State Rep. Jake Wheatley, D-Allegheny County. Wheatly’s speech roused the crowd for Heinz, as he told the students to get motivated for this year’s election.

“You’re the generation that’s going to make a difference,” Wheatly said.

Then, introduced as one of People Magazine’s 50 hottest bachelors, Chris Heinz took to the podium with a big smile.

“This probably isn’t the first place you want to be on a Friday night,” Heinz said, thanking everyone for attending. He spoke to the packed ballroom about the importance of the election and the positive points of the Democratic Party.

“This really is the most important election of our lifetime,” said Heinz, who is the stepson of presidential candidate John Kerry, D-Mass.

He went on to suggest why the Democrats would be good for the country.

“We have two things on our side,” Heinz said. “One is the power of ideas. Two is idealism and integrity in our politics.”

The first part of his speech underscored the lower points of Bush’s administration, as he cited poor decisions dealing with the economy, health care and the environment.

“Right now, you can’t eat the fish you catch in 28 states of this country,” he said.

He then hit closer to home by bringing up the topic of college tuition.

“College tuition, right now, is up 35 percent nationally, with no plan to bring it back down,” he said.

Heinz mentioned the idea of a program in which the government would pay for all four years of a student’s tuition in exchange for two years of volunteer work in a community.

Heinz went on to talk about the war in Iraq.

“June was the bloodiest month in Iraq until July. Then August was the bloodiest month. And now September will be the bloodiest month in Iraq,” he said.

Heinz also made a point of letting the audience know his personal feelings about the current president of the United States.

“I’m not ashamed to say it: I don’t like George W. Bush. I think he’s an idiot,” Heinz said, bringing on a round of applause from crowd.

He then opened up the floor to questions from the crowd, fielding queries about the homecoming of soldiers, the future role of the United Nations, and the benefits to the Jewish community that would come from Kerry’s administration.

The voting rally didn’t bring out only Pitt students. Duquesne students Elizabeth Hessle, 21, and Christie Berger, 17, also came to the Union to hear Heinz speak.

The two Duquesne students agreed that education and foreign policy were both important factors in their decisions to register as democrats. Hessle also mentioned economic issues as a concern.

“I don’t like how Bush taxes so much against people making so little, and not enough against people making so much,” she said.

Berger conveyed her excitement about the whole process.

“I’m just so happy I’ll be 18 before the election. This will be the first time I get to vote,” she said, mentioning that her birthday is just a few days before the Nov. 2 election.

As Heinz closed the evening, he let the crowd know how much he appreciated being there, and the students sent him off with a large round of applause in thanks for his time.