The world is in revolution and U.S. citizens need to step up tomeet their responsibilities, including civic defense, potential2004 presidential candidate Gary Hart told about 250 people at theMcCormick Tribune Center Forum on Thursday.
The speech, sponsored by the Medill School of Journalism and theNorthwestern Journal of Student Affairs, was part of the Crainlecture series.
Hart focused primarily on returning to the core values of theU.S. republic — sovereignty, integrity, common good and civicduty, which, according to Hart, will become more important asAmericans try to defend themselves in the age of terrorism.
“Revolution came to this country Sept. 11, 2001,” Hart said.”This isn’t the kind of conflict we’re used to, and our vast armiesmay or may not be prepared to fight it.”
Hart said individual citizens should share the burden ofdefense.
“When the next terrorist attack occurs in this country, it willnot be the 2nd Airborne Division that responds,” he said.
“(The United States) is now increasingly dependent forsecurity,” Hart said. “Not on the military might of our regulararmed forces, but on citizen soldiers who may be teachers orbankers or clerks one day, but put on the uniform of the ColoradoNational Guard or the Illinois National Guard the next … This ispart of our civic duty.”
Hart’s views on defense have received increased attention sincethe Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The former Colorado senator waspart of a 14-person defense committee that published a reportpredicting terrorist violence a few months before Sept. 11. Beforethat day, Hart had received little public attention since droppingout of the 1988 presidential race following a sex scandal involvingmodel Donna Rice.
Hart confirmed audience speculation that he is considering areturn to the political arena when he told the crowd he’s thinkingabout running for the 2004 Democratic nomination for president.
Kat De Maria, a Medill junior who wrote a research paper on Hartfor a political journalism course last quarter, said she feels theaudience was supportive of the notion of a potential Hartcandidacy.
“The issues that Hart cares about are very salient right now,”De Maria said. “I think his candidacy would go over well with youngpeople more than older people because the older people remember theincidents of 1987. But today’s event suggested that some people maybe willing to look past that stuff.”
De Maria also commented on Hart’s speech, titled “Restoration ofthe Republic,” by saying that many of the issues he discussed arepart of his standard message.
“It’s all very cerebral because he’s so focused on thisidealized form of government,” she said. “He was trying to tellcollege students that although these ideas may sound arcane, theyare something we need to focus on.”
But Sumi Somaskanda, a Medill freshman, said she didn’t agreewith some of Hart’s ideas — especially those on personalself-defense.
“I feel like that’s one thing citizens shouldn’t get involvedwith,” Somaskanda said. “I agree that citizens should be moreinvolved, but not in defense. The idea of me having to protectmyself is a little scary and I think that’s the government’s job –that’s why we pay taxes.”
According to Hart, civil defense is not the only way Americansshould be involved in their country — Americans are underminingdemocracy by not voting.
“Sixty percent of the eligible voters of America didn’t votethis last election,” Hart said. “And yet we’re out sellingdemocracy around the world and promoting it in the Arab world todayat the point of a bayonet.”
Wilmette resident Sidney Zimbalist, 80, said he will look forways to support Hart’s potential candidacy after hearing himspeak.
“It was an unusual pleasure to hear a thoroughly organized andpenetrating analysis of our national dilemma of how to find thebest ideas and the best people to represent the United States,”Zimbalist said.
