Kampen’s Lies (Paydon’s Response)
Paydon Miller
Undergraduate/Political Science and Journalism
To my dearest Senator Kampen:
Because the Flip Side editorial policy only allows me a few hundred words to respond to your comments, I will not have enough time to address all your points. I will instead touch on the logical and factual inaccuracies that plague your entire piece.
First, let me congratulate you on your uncanny ability to talk out of both sides of your mouth. In your above article, you say that "Brewster IS the status quo," yet in your negative literature regarding Senator Brewster, you say that not a single Senator supported him. Obviously, both cannot be true, but you have irrefutably said both.
Second, I am sad to say you seemed to have missed the point of my article all together. I do, in fact, understand that negative campaigning is part of politics…in major elections. The point I made in the first few paragraphs of my piece is that personal attacks have no place in an election on a college campus. That negativity only drove the small voter base we do have away and made the Senate seem like a group of petty children who put personal issues over representing the students. The point I was making with the negative campaigning was that President Lauer has no place engaging in negative campaigning against another candidate. In a Student Senate election, the president carrying himself in that manner is embarassing.
Third, I can say with complete certainty that I was not wearing the shirt you mentioned on Election Day. I have over 200 photos that say I was wearing a "Jeff Smith for 93rd Assembly" T-shirt. While this may seem like a small correction, it shows how little research you really did put into your points.
On a related note, the College Democrats, of which I am president, has never distributed any negative campaign literature as long as I have been president. This is because (this is where you calling me a hypocrite gets exciting), I wouldn’t allow it. I have consulted with my entire executive board, and none of them recall distributing that piece. On the other hand, I do remember "Mr. Yuck says Jeff Smith is dangerous!" finding its way to campus. Intriguing.
Fifth, in all your incoherent rambling on student fees and financial aid, never once did you address why Senator Brewster’s credit count affects his actual ability to govern. The fact he’s been here longer than you or I affects nothing as it pertains to Senate besides his being older than us.
Though these all seem like small bits of mistruth, it should make the readers call everything you said into question.
In closing, I’d like to thank Senator Kampen for editing out the word "fuck" from all of my quotes. Without you, our students may have been exposed to vulgarity the likes of which they have never seen before.