By Anais LaVoie While Cal Berkeley Democrats is just about over the hump of its mid-life crisis, the Smart Ass is still in its adolescence, complete with the rebellious spirit of its conception and the occasional glaring pimple. At the time of its birth, our magazine responded to rally cries by Berkeley’s Democratic liberals, which [...]
By Nik Dixit To Californians, these sights are becoming alarmingly familiar. However, while few would disagree that our state is broken, giving up on it would be a mistake. So much hangs in the balance—on the environment, marriage equality, and the future of public education, California is at a crossroads. It’s more important than ever [...]
By Ian Magruder Some students love voting by mail. They receive their ballot in the mail a month before every election, spend a few hours filling it out, and send it in immediately. They enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that their vote is in the bank early. If you are one of those people, this [...]
By Robbie Bruens Most pundits believe that, on November 2nd, the American people will hand at least 39 seats in the House of Representatives to the Republicans—ending the four-year-old Democratic majority. This will mean the cruel ascension of the hilariously named John Boehner of Ohio to the Speakership. Boehner is largely unknown to the American [...]
By Tom Hughes “All political power is inherent in the people. Government is instituted for their protection, security, and benefit, and they have the right to alter or reform it when the public good may require.” – California Constitution, Article 2, Section 1 Two aspects of California’s state flag are wildly misrepresentative of our state. [...]
By Jeremy Bishow Proposition 25 needs to pass this November. As is stands, California is a financial nightmare. The current political atmosphere of our state legislature is a microcosm of the current dilemma in the US senate. The minority party (the Republican party) currently holds just enough votes to successfully filibuster anything the Democratic Party [...]
Ariel Boone: How did you first get involved in Cal Dems? Jason Overman: I was coming out from DC and I remember seeking Cal Dems out before I even got to Berkeley. I went online to look for organizations and did my research. I was still in Washington and I just knew before I even [...]
by Jeremy Pilaar At a time when the American economy looks poised to stagnate for years to come and unemployment has soared to its highest level in decades, one cannot help but think back to the recovery path President Obama stressed in last January’s State of the Union: “…providing incentives for energy-efficiency and clean energy are the right thing [...]
By Daniel Osborn 2008 was a watershed election year. For the first time ever, Americans elected as President a black man, who, in historic fashion, contended with the most competitive and qualified female Presidential candidate ever. In 2008, Hillary Clinton spoke openly and often about her gender, and Barack Obama spoke eloquently and candidly about [...]
An Interview with Paul Hogarth, Co-Founder of The Smart Ass By Anaïs LaVoie and Zoe Kornberg Paul Hogarth is the Managing Editor of the Bay Area political blog, Beyond Chron. In addition to being a founding member of this magazine and an active member of Cal Berkeley Democrats during his time here at Cal, he [...]
