The Cornell Republicans will host Herman Cain, S.E. Cupp ’00 and Former Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.) on campus in April.
The three prominent conservative figures will speak to Cornellians as part of the Republicans’ spring speaker series, American Voices, according to Jessica Reif ’13, Chair of the Cornell Republicans.
Cupp, author and co-host of MSNBC’s The Cycle and former Arts and Entertainment Editor for The Sun, will speak on April 8 about the American media.
A week later, Tancredo will speak about the American identity. In 2008, Tancredo was a candidate for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination and in 2010, ran for the Governor of Colorado.
Cain, best known for being a former candidate for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, will speak on April 22 about free enterprise and the American Dream.
In the past, the Cornell Republicans have hosted Senator Rick Santorum (R-Penn.), former Vermont governor Howard Dean, Paul Wolfowitz ’65 and former Texas congressman Ron Paul.
Reif said the goal of hosting Republican speakers is to add another perspective to Cornell’s often liberal-leaning tendencies.
“Every semester we try to bring speakers to campus that represent different facets of conservatism and have different points of views surrounding current events,” Reif said. “There tends not to be a lot of conservative speakers on campus, so by bringing a conservative voice, we hope to add balance to the dialogue.”
Democrat Gena Topper ’16 said she would like to hear Cain speak, but said she is not sure whether his ideologies reflect the views of most Republicans.
“I think that it’s really good that they got someone that is a well-known figure in the Republican political party,” Topper said. “However, I’m doubtful as to how well his views represent the majority of mainstream Republican viewpoints due to his involvement with the Tea Party.”
Conservative Phil Andriole ’14 said that the larger Cornell community would benefit by attending these talks.
“It was great to hear Ron Paul speak on campus [last year], though I don’t identify with many of his ideologies,” Andriole said. “I think that there is always something you can gain from listening to another point of view.”
Reif said the Cornell Republicans are “proud to announce the series and excited for the speakers to come on campus.”
“There are a lot of different groups that are co-sponsoring, so there are a lot of people who are excited to come. We hope to see a lot of people from the Cornell community attending.”
Original Author: Emma Jesch