Ann Lewis pushes to “turn country around,” elect Kerry

Upon being asked what she believed President George W. Bush’s greatest accomplishment in… Upon being asked what she believed President George W. Bush’s greatest accomplishment in office to be so far, Ann Lewis had a difficult time answering.

After rattling off a list of issues she disagrees with the president on, Lewis smiled and admitted she could not think of any wonderful accomplishments by the Bush administration off the top of her head.

“We can turn this country around [if everyone votes],” she said.

Pitt’s College Democrats hosted Lewis, the former Clinton administration communications director and current national chair for the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Vote Center, in the William Pitt Union Ballroom Tuesday evening.

Lewis stressed the fact that Pennsylvania is a target state in November’s presidential election.

“Connect with them; they have a stake in the election,” Lewis said, while explaining to the audience how to encourage more college students to vote. “The outcome of this election will affect their lives.”

She emphasized the importance of young people’s votes in the overall results of the election. Lewis told the audience to advise their peers to vote. According to her, their encouragement is more effective than that of anyone else.

Lewis said to pick three issues that a person is interested in and explain how those issues will be affected by the presidential election. She explained to the audience that people are more likely to vote when they believe the outcome will affect their lives.

Lewis spoke of many issues that the Democratic presidential campaign is focusing on.

She informed the audience that Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has a plan to keep more jobs in the United States. Lewis emphasized that she believes too many American jobs are moving overseas these days.

She also said that Democrats would like to raise the minimum wage. Lewis said she does not think it is fair that so many people are struggling to get by on the small salary earned at minimum wage-paying jobs.

Lewis said that the rise in health care costs is a problem for every American family. She said the Democrats plan to get this crisis under control.

Lewis said that although men and women are paying an equal amount in taxes, they are still not earning equal wages. She says if elected, Kerry would like to enforce the Equal Pay Act, passed in 1963.

“Women’s votes are the margin in which Democrats get elected,” she added.

Lewis believes that women will play an enormous role in the upcoming presidential election.

Lewis does not agree with the Republican approach to education. She described Bush’s plan to improve education as, “more tests, less resources,” something that she strongly disagrees with. She informed the audience of the Democratic belief that more teachers are needed in grades one through three. She said this is the most important age, because children are learning to read, and if they do not learn by third grade, they will start to get behind in their studies.

“Education is the key to the twenty-first century,” Lewis said.

When talking about the issue of national security, Lewis emphasized the fact that the Democrats believe the United States should be a safe and secure place to live. She stressed the importance to the country of a strong military and said the Democrats take both international and homeland security very seriously.

Lewis said she was very excited to see a group such as the College Democrats here at Pitt. She added that this is a great way for students to get involved in politics.

Lewis informed the audience that Kerry would be visiting Pitt next Friday. She encouraged everyone to attend his lecture.