Nancy Pelosi to be Convocation speaker

[cornelldailysun.com]

What an embarrassment. Not as bad as Martin Luther King III, but close.

I have to agree. The Speaker of the House is definitely an embarrassing choice for a convocation speaker. I can't believe that she was even considered!

ugarte
I have to agree. The Speaker of the House is definitely an embarrassing choice for a convocation speaker. I can't believe that she was even considered!

It's not that that they're inviting the Speaker of the House. It's that they're inviting this Speaker of the House. Ewwwww.

Of course, Keith Olbermann gave the convocation speech when I finished grad school and he gave a great speech. Then again, in '98 he hadn't yet gone insane.

KeithK

ugarte
I have to agree. The Speaker of the House is definitely an embarrassing choice for a convocation speaker. I can't believe that she was even considered!

It's not that that they're inviting the Speaker of the House. It's that they're inviting this Speaker of the House. Ewwwww.

Yeah. They could have invited that asshole, John Boehner, instead.

Al DeFlorio

KeithK

ugarte
I have to agree. The Speaker of the House is definitely an embarrassing choice for a convocation speaker. I can't believe that she was even considered!

It's not that that they're inviting the Speaker of the House. It's that they're inviting this Speaker of the House. Ewwwww.

Yeah. They could have invited that asshole, John Boehner, instead.

Nah. That guy's skin is so orange, Syracuse is the only place for him.

Yeah what a joke of a pick for convocation speaker. I am glad I am not graduating this year.

phillysportsfan
Yeah what a joke of a pick for convocation speaker. I am glad I am not graduating this year.

Would it be that painful for you to actually hear what she has to say before coming to a conclusion? Convocation addresses tend to be pretty apolitical... except for the one I heard Dick Cheney give in 2006.

It's a bad choice, not because Pelosi is a bad choice (she's not) but because any politician is a bad choice. It adds a political tinge to what should be a unifying, forward-looking event, and politics, as this thread demonstrates, reduces otherwise intelligent people to crying 4-year olds.

Go with a scientist, a doctor, a philosopher, a humanitarian. Leave politics out of it.

Trotsky
It's a bad choice, not because Pelosi is a bad choice (she's not) but because any politician is a bad choice. It adds a political tinge to what should be a unifying, forward-looking event, and politics, as this thread demonstrates, reduces otherwise intelligent people to crying 4-year olds. Go with a scientist, a doctor, a philosopher, a humanitarian. Leave politics out of it.

Good point. More than add a political tinge, most any politician is going to generate noisy protests. A pro-choice senator will set off the campus conservative coalition. Invite an Arab peacemaker politician, you'll perhaps annoy the Israelis on campus who say he isn't a peaceful person. Invite most any male member of the Congress and there'll be protests that Cornell supports sex offenders. (Elaine Boosler: "How come there's no word for 'male bimbo'? Wait: 'Congressman.'" ) If there was ever an era when a college community listened politely to someone with an opposing viewpoint then asked pointed questions afterward in Q&A, that's past.

mnagowski

phillysportsfan
Yeah what a joke of a pick for convocation speaker. I am glad I am not graduating this year.

Would it be that painful for you to actually hear what she has to say before coming to a conclusion? Convocation addresses tend to be pretty apolitical... except for the one I heard Dick Cheney give in 2006.

Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

In that sense, Greg's point is well-taken: the speech should not be used to advance a partisan political agenda. At the same time, I think the pejorative use of "politician" to describe everyone who has to run for office is an unfortunate reflection of how polarized our country has become. Politician has become a euphemism for "liar/spinmeister" when, in addition to being a politician, she is a legislator. A pretty important one, too.

I understand that a lot of people at the convocation wouldn't have voted for her but that makes her no less a significant person, and a worthy candidate to give the address. I'll make you a deal: I won't complain when the University invites Paul Wolfowitz next year.

mnagowski

phillysportsfan
Yeah what a joke of a pick for convocation speaker. I am glad I am not graduating this year.

Would it be that painful for you to actually hear what she has to say before coming to a conclusion? Convocation addresses tend to be pretty apolitical... except for the one I heard Dick Cheney give in 2006.

Yeah it would be painful because no active politician should be giving graduation speeches whether they are Democrat or Republican. I'll admit that at least she is more relevant than some of the past speakers they had but still graduation is not the place she should be speaking at. If Cornell really wants her to come speak here then invite her up here for some other time.

Trotsky
It's a bad choice, not because Pelosi is a bad choice (she's not) but because any politician is a bad choice. It adds a political tinge to what should be a unifying, forward-looking event, and politics, as this thread demonstrates, reduces otherwise intelligent people to crying 4-year olds.

Go with a scientist, a doctor, a philosopher, a humanitarian. Leave politics out of it.

QFT.

ugarte

mnagowski

phillysportsfan
Yeah what a joke of a pick for convocation speaker. I am glad I am not graduating this year.

Would it be that painful for you to actually hear what she has to say before coming to a conclusion? Convocation addresses tend to be pretty apolitical... except for the one I heard Dick Cheney give in 2006.

Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

In that sense, Greg's point is well-taken: the speech should not be used to advance a partisan political agenda. At the same time, I think the pejorative use of "politician" to describe everyone who has to run for office is an unfortunate reflection of how polarized our country has become. Politician has become a euphemism for "liar/spinmeister" when, in addition to being a politician, she is a legislator. A pretty important one, too.

I understand that a lot of people at the convocation wouldn't have voted for her but that makes her no less a significant person, and a worthy candidate to give the address. I'll make you a deal: I won't complain when the University invites Paul Wolfowitz next year.

I think Greg has it right. Convocation/graduation speeches should be about celebrating the graduates, sharing a little bit of life experience while being pleasant and somewhat entertaining. An active politican is likely to give in to the temptation to make things political, which misses the point of the event and will certain annoy some portion of the audience. A stump speech by an opposing politican would be painful to listen to.

Natrually it's easy to lose sight of this if it's a politican you approve of. Did Cheneyreally give the convocation in '06? If so it didn't register in my memory since it wouldn't have raised my political hackles. Then again, I didn't remember Hillary had given one either and I was even on campus at the time.

Regardless, the great thing about Cornell's convocation setup is that you don't have to attend if you don't want to. Nancy Pelosi shows up and gives a stump speech encouraging graduates to spend their lives pursuing progressive causes? Don't show up. It's not like other schools where the comparable speech is given during the actuAl graduation ceremony where everyone is a captive audience.

ugarte
Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

Was Hillary Clinton ever the convocation speaker? I remember her coming to campus during the 1993-1994 academic year (probably fall '93) to talk about health care reform so in a sense that was a stump speech. The line for free tickets at the Straight went most of the way down the Slope.

I found this list of convocation speakers covering 1984 to 2004: [ezra.cornell.edu]
It doesn't mention Hillary Clinton but then it is Dear Uncle Ezra so it might not be correct.

nyc94

ugarte
Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

Was Hillary Clinton ever the convocation speaker? I remember her coming to campus during the 1993-1994 academic year (probably fall '93) to talk about health care reform so in a sense that was a stump speech. The line for free tickets at the Straight went most of the way down the Slope.

I found this list of convocation speakers covering 1984 to 2004: [ezra.cornell.edu]
It doesn't mention Hillary Clinton but then it is Dear Uncle Ezra so it might not be correct.

That sounds sort of familiar to me. Certainly it makes sense for her to give a stump speech if she was invited to give a political speech. Totally different forum.

nyc94

ugarte
Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

Was Hillary Clinton ever the convocation speaker? I remember her coming to campus during the 1993-1994 academic year (probably fall '93) to talk about health care reform so in a sense that was a stump speech. The line for free tickets at the Straight went most of the way down the Slope.

I found this list of convocation speakers covering 1984 to 2004: [ezra.cornell.edu]
It doesn't mention Hillary Clinton but then it is Dear Uncle Ezra so it might not be correct.

I am an old, old man and my memory is shot. It was Geraldine Ferraro in 1992, when she was running for Senate. And yet her stump speech wasn't nearly as bad as Matt Ruff reading an extended passage from his second novel in 1993.

nyc94

ugarte
Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

Was Hillary Clinton ever the convocation speaker? I remember her coming to campus during the 1993-1994 academic year (probably fall '93) to talk about health care reform so in a sense that was a stump speech. The line for free tickets at the Straight went most of the way down the Slope.

I found this list of convocation speakers covering 1984 to 2004: [ezra.cornell.edu]
It doesn't mention Hillary Clinton but then it is Dear Uncle Ezra so it might not be correct.

Hillary was here when she was campaigning for Senate. She was over on the Ag Quad with Chelsea and Ben Affleck. I'd say this was around 2000.

judy

nyc94

ugarte
Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

Was Hillary Clinton ever the convocation speaker? I remember her coming to campus during the 1993-1994 academic year (probably fall '93) to talk about health care reform so in a sense that was a stump speech. The line for free tickets at the Straight went most of the way down the Slope.

I found this list of convocation speakers covering 1984 to 2004: [ezra.cornell.edu]
It doesn't mention Hillary Clinton but then it is Dear Uncle Ezra so it might not be correct.

Hillary was here when she was campaigning for Senate. She was over on the Ag Quad with Chelsea and Ben Affleck. I'd say this was around 2000.

I think she was on campus twice in a short period. Once in spring '00 during hockey playoffs and again in the fall of '00.

Trotsky
It's a bad choice, not because Pelosi is a bad choice (she's not) but because any politician is a bad choice. It adds a political tinge to what should be a unifying, forward-looking event, and politics, as this thread demonstrates, reduces otherwise intelligent people to crying 4-year olds.

Go with a scientist, a doctor, a philosopher, a humanitarian. Leave politics out of it.

Thank you.

I have to sit through graduation this year with people who enjoy watching Fox News. Even if Pelosi doesn't say anything political and limits her words to "Congratulations Class of 2010", I am willing to bet that the "parents", especially "mom" will be bitching about the evilness of Nancy Pelosi and the Dems. I really hope that I'm wrong but you can bet I'm already trying to figure out how to bring booze into graduation.

judy

nyc94

ugarte
Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

Was Hillary Clinton ever the convocation speaker? I remember her coming to campus during the 1993-1994 academic year (probably fall '93) to talk about health care reform so in a sense that was a stump speech. The line for free tickets at the Straight went most of the way down the Slope.

I found this list of convocation speakers covering 1984 to 2004: [ezra.cornell.edu]
It doesn't mention Hillary Clinton but then it is Dear Uncle Ezra so it might not be correct.

Hillary was here when she was campaigning for Senate. She was over on the Ag Quad with Chelsea and Ben Affleck. I'd say this was around 2000.

Hey hey, don't forget Nine Days playing their hit song "Absolutely (Story of a Girl".

KeithK
Regardless, the great thing about Cornell's convocation setup is that you don't have to attend if you don't want to. Nancy Pelosi shows up and gives a stump speech encouraging graduates to spend their lives pursuing progressive causes? Don't show up. It's not like other schools where the comparable speech is given during the actuAl graduation ceremony where everyone is a captive audience.

Tell that to the kid whose parents just paid $200k for that degree. I think that in many ways Convocation and Graduation are for the parents. They're going come hell or high water, and they're going to be pissed off if their politics don't align with the speaker's. It's supposed to be a happy moment, so trotting someone out there who is going to piss off a large portion of the audience isn't a good idea. It's going to sour the day for a lot of people, and it's probably going to have a negative effect on the attendees' future giving.

There's a reason that Cornell often ends up with political figures giving convocation speeches. The University doesn't pay speakers, nor do they give out honorary doctorates to the speakers. Politicians don't have a problem with this for obvious reasons. I'm not sure that Cornell should change its policy on this, but there has to be a way to attract a higher caliber of non-political figures as speakers.

ugarte

nyc94

ugarte
Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

Was Hillary Clinton ever the convocation speaker? I remember her coming to campus during the 1993-1994 academic year (probably fall '93) to talk about health care reform so in a sense that was a stump speech. The line for free tickets at the Straight went most of the way down the Slope.

I found this list of convocation speakers covering 1984 to 2004: [ezra.cornell.edu]
It doesn't mention Hillary Clinton but then it is Dear Uncle Ezra so it might not be correct.

I am an old, old man and my memory is shot. It was Geraldine Ferraro in 1992, when she was running for Senate. And yet her stump speech wasn't nearly as bad as Matt Ruff reading an extended passage from his second novel in 1993.

Hillary definitely came to campus while I was a student (90-94) as a special event - I'm pretty sure she spoke in Barton. It had to be after 92, because she was the first lady at the time and working on health care reform.

I wonder what she makes of the current health care reform mess?

This is an old joke, but ROTC people know that "high-caliber" speaker is a synonym for big bore. Where's the rimshot emoticon when you need one?

French Rage

judy

nyc94

ugarte
Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

Was Hillary Clinton ever the convocation speaker? I remember her coming to campus during the 1993-1994 academic year (probably fall '93) to talk about health care reform so in a sense that was a stump speech. The line for free tickets at the Straight went most of the way down the Slope.

I found this list of convocation speakers covering 1984 to 2004: [ezra.cornell.edu]
It doesn't mention Hillary Clinton but then it is Dear Uncle Ezra so it might not be correct.

Hillary was here when she was campaigning for Senate. She was over on the Ag Quad with Chelsea and Ben Affleck. I'd say this was around 2000.

Hey hey, don't forget Nine Days playing their hit song "Absolutely (Story of a Girl".

That's what that band was called!

KeithK
I think Greg has it right. Convocation/graduation speeches should be about celebrating the graduates, sharing a little bit of life experience while being pleasant and somewhat entertaining.

That reminded me that in light of the events this month, I wanted to dig this up and read it again:

[www.february-7.com]

Also, DID KYLE AND GREG JUST AGREE ON SOMETHING IN A POLITICAL THREAD??!1!

Robb

ugarte

nyc94

ugarte
Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

Was Hillary Clinton ever the convocation speaker? I remember her coming to campus during the 1993-1994 academic year (probably fall '93) to talk about health care reform so in a sense that was a stump speech. The line for free tickets at the Straight went most of the way down the Slope.

I found this list of convocation speakers covering 1984 to 2004: [ezra.cornell.edu]
It doesn't mention Hillary Clinton but then it is Dear Uncle Ezra so it might not be correct.

I am an old, old man and my memory is shot. It was Geraldine Ferraro in 1992, when she was running for Senate. And yet her stump speech wasn't nearly as bad as Matt Ruff reading an extended passage from his second novel in 1993.

Hillary definitely came to campus while I was a student (90-94) as a special event - I'm pretty sure she spoke in Barton. It had to be after 92, because she was the first lady at the time and working on health care reform.

I didn't mean to imply that Clinton never came to Cornell and I'm pretty sure that Greg didn't mean to suggest that politicians shouldn't be invited to speak on campus at all, just to graduation events. The only reason Clinton came up at all is because I forgot who my convocation speaker was.

ugarte

Robb

ugarte

nyc94

ugarte
Hillary Clinton in 1993 (1992? 1994? I don't remember now; I was at convocation three years in a row) pretty much gave a stump speech, and that was depressing, but before I heard her I thought it was a good choice.

Was Hillary Clinton ever the convocation speaker? I remember her coming to campus during the 1993-1994 academic year (probably fall '93) to talk about health care reform so in a sense that was a stump speech. The line for free tickets at the Straight went most of the way down the Slope.

I found this list of convocation speakers covering 1984 to 2004: [ezra.cornell.edu]
It doesn't mention Hillary Clinton but then it is Dear Uncle Ezra so it might not be correct.

I am an old, old man and my memory is shot. It was Geraldine Ferraro in 1992, when she was running for Senate. And yet her stump speech wasn't nearly as bad as Matt Ruff reading an extended passage from his second novel in 1993.

Hillary definitely came to campus while I was a student (90-94) as a special event - I'm pretty sure she spoke in Barton. It had to be after 92, because she was the first lady at the time and working on health care reform.

I didn't mean to imply that Clinton never came to Cornell and I'm pretty sure that Greg didn't mean to suggest that politicians shouldn't be invited to speak on campus at all, just to graduation events. The only reason Clinton came up at all is because I forgot who my convocation speaker was.

Mine was RFK Jr. and I don't remember a single word from it.

RichH

KeithK
I think Greg has it right. Convocation/graduation speeches should be about celebrating the graduates, sharing a little bit of life experience while being pleasant and somewhat entertaining.

That reminded me that in light of the events this month, I wanted to dig this up and read it again:

[www.february-7.com]

That was possibly one of the awesomest things I have ever read.

Trotsky
Go with a scientist, a doctor, a philosopher, a humanitarian. Leave politics out of it.

I understand this inclination, but what makes you think that the people who are stirred up by the mere presence of Nancy Pelosi won't find something to bitch about when confronted by some of the most prominent humanitarians out there?

With few exceptions, most people given the microphone at something like this will want to talk about Something Important. A Weighty Topic. Such subjects intersect with politics quite a bit. When Ben and Jerry spoke at IC's graduation, people found political reasons to complain.

Maybe a quick-and-dirty rule that nobody who's currently serving in or running for political office should be invited for convocation would be good. But short of instructing every speaker to stay far away from anything heavy while speaking, this seems futile.

Comedians are probably some of the better graduation speakers but they are probably too expensive or wouldnt want to come here.

Think what you will about politicians as convocation speakers, but I think everyone can agree that they certainly make for entertaining eLynah threads.

Jacob 03

Trotsky
Go with a scientist, a doctor, a philosopher, a humanitarian. Leave politics out of it.

I understand this inclination, but what makes you think that the people who are stirred up by the mere presence of Nancy Pelosi won't find something to bitch about when confronted by some of the most prominent humanitarians out there?

With few exceptions, most people given the microphone at something like this will want to talk about Something Important. A Weighty Topic. Such subjects intersect with politics quite a bit. When Ben and Jerry spoke at IC's graduation, people found political reasons to complain.

Maybe a quick-and-dirty rule that nobody who's currently serving in or running for political office should be invited for convocation would be good. But short of instructing every speaker to stay far away from anything heavy while speaking, this seems futile.

Convocation speakers should be speaking ona Weighty Topic. But only a particular Weighty Topic - Graduation and life ahead.

Anyone who gives a graduation speech that is about her pet issue or his political goals is an ass. Unfortunately we have lots of those running around of all types.

Here's hoping that Speaker Pelosi gives an inspiring, apolitical (or at least only lightly political) speech that would appeal to all Cornellians. I think Conan has some free time coming up - maybe he can write her speech?

KeithK
I think Conan has some free time coming up - maybe he can write her speech?

That's an Onion article waiting to happen.

Jordan 04
Think what you will about politicians as convocation speakers, but I think everyone can agree that they certainly make for entertaining eLynah threads.

HOLY SHIT. Is there a word for when you should have had deja vu? Dementia?

And, of course, there's this and this.

Meh. I skipped my convocation speaker (2006), and I don't remember any of the others I've had to sit through. Actually, I don't remember much from my graduation -- and, somehow, that's not because I was still drunk from the night before. I've never been one for ceremony.

That said, if the University can get a guarantee that it won't turn into a political rally, I think a sitting legislator is an acceptable choice for a Convocation. A lot of the audience (I'd wager a very large majority) will go on to live in the USA or other democracies. It would definitely be appropriate to take the opportunity to remind them that as part of graduating and becoming leaders in their communities, they should take part in their civic duties -- even if it's only at the level of thinking intelligently and open-mindedly about the issues, and maybe even writing to their elected leaders now and then.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that in a democracy, people should not live their lives oblivious to their government. That's an important message for someone fresh out of college, and if a sitting legislator wants to get that message across in a non-partisan way, I'm all for that.

ugarte

Jordan 04
Think what you will about politicians as convocation speakers, but I think everyone can agree that they certainly make for entertaining eLynah threads.

HOLY SHIT. Is there a word for when you should have had deja vu? Dementia?

And, of course, there's this and this.

I wonder who "Greg Berge" and "Keith K '93" are? Contributors to this forum had some really weird ideas way back in Aught Four.

(A former president is a both a bigger coup and a better choice by the criteria some of us have set out here. By American tradition they are supposed to take on e role of statesmen and no longer dive into the fray of common politics.)

KeithK
(A former president is a both a bigger coup and a better choice by the criteria some of us have set out here. By American tradition they are supposed to take on e role of statesmen and no longer dive into the fray of common politics.)

Yes, I agree with, er, us. Former presidents are supposed to get a pass -- they become Ambassadors of the Nation. Although to be honest WJC was in retrospect problematic because he was an arm of the HRC Deathmobile.

Jordan 04
Think what you will about politicians as convocation speakers, but I think everyone can agree that they certainly make for entertaining eLynah threads.

A thread that was going smoothly until CAAB showed up? I'm shocked!

French Rage

RichH

KeithK
I think Greg has it right. Convocation/graduation speeches should be about celebrating the graduates, sharing a little bit of life experience while being pleasant and somewhat entertaining.

That reminded me that in light of the events this month, I wanted to dig this up and read it again:

[www.february-7.com]

That was possibly one of the awesomest things I have ever read.

Is there any irony in the fact that in his joke about correctly making predictions about the future, he talks about the freshman Face book so nonchalantly?

Roy 82
That reminded me that in light of the events this month, I wanted to dig this up and read it again:

Thank you. It is great:

Many of you are justifiably nervous about leaving the safe, comfortable world of Harvard Yard and hurling yourself headlong into the cold, harsh world of Harvard Grad School, a plum job at your father's firm, or a year abroad with a gold Amex card and then a plum job in your father's firm. But let me assure you that the knowledge you've gained here at Harvard is a precious gift that will never leave you. Take it from me, your education is yours to keep forever. Why, many of you have read the Merchant of Florence, and that will inspire you when you travel to the island of Spain. Your knowledge of that problem they had with those people in Russia, or that guy in South America-you know, that guy-will enrich you for the rest of your life.

Trotsky

Roy 82
That reminded me that in light of the events this month, I wanted to dig this up and read it again:

Thank you. It is great:

Why are you thanking Roy? For quoting my post you obviously skipped over?

RichH
Why are you thanking Roy? For quoting my post you obviously skipped over?

No. It's personal.

I heard that Madame Speaker is hosting after hours at one of the campus fraternities after the convocation.

She's supplying the booze.

[www.wnd.com]

Trotsky

RichH
Why are you thanking Roy? For quoting my post you obviously skipped over?

No. It's personal.

Gosh, Thanks. But I hardly know you.