BY MARA REVKIN

In print | Published February 21, 2008

On Tuesday night, Congressman Joe Sestak (D-Pa.) drew a crowd of students to Bond Hall, where the incumbent congressman took questions concerning his legislative agenda as well as his plans for the district. Sestak, who was elected last year in a landslide victory against 10-term Republican incumbent Curt Weldon, expects to have his re-election campaign in full-swing by early summer. The College Democrats, some of whom campaigned and canvassed for Sestak in the last election, have cultivated strong ties with the congressman since his bid for office in 2006.

President of the College Democrats Molly Weston ‘10 said that the group had been aggressively advertising Sestak’s visit in an effort to draw a diverse audience.

“We invited a lot of different campus groups, people who might not be tapped into the Dems’ network. It was important to us that different people on campus have the opportunity to participate in the dialogue,” Weston said.

Sestak spoke briefly on his commitment to healthcare as well as psychological support for returning veterans of the Iraq War, but devoted most of his time to answering student questions. Listening has been a priority for the congressman, who has organized a series of summits on healthcare and economic issues in order to engage a diverse group of constituents and experts in the discussion of potential solutions. “My job is to bring people together, because I don’t know all the answers,” Sestak said. “I need to think about what I hear, and then make the right decision. People elected me not just to represent their opinions, but to use my judgment,” he said.

Doug Gilchrist-Scott ‘09, executive director of the College Democrats, is currently interning in Sestak’s district congressional office.Separate from campaign operations, the congressional office focuses primarily on addressing constituents’ concerns. Gilchrist-Scott is being trained as a caseworker whose role is to “help constituents to navigate different federal programs, whether they have questions about visas, social security payments or any other procedure … If someone has a problem, then they are assigned a caseworker who works one-on-one with them to help solve that problem, sometimes by contacting different state and federal offices on the constituent’s behalf,” Gilchrist-Scott said.

At Tuesday’s session, several students questioned Sestak on his commitment to human rights Sestak said that national security and human rights are not mutually exclusive priorities.

“I honestly do believe that the number one responsibility of the President and Congress is the security of America, but human rights are not an insignificant part of achieving our security goals. President Bush hurt our ideals and our security when he entered Iraq,” Sestak said.

Sestak affirmed his commitment to environmental sustainability, suggesting a number of local and federal initiatives that would “incentivize the move toward alternative energy.” Sestak also said he supports investment in research and development to improve the affordability and accessibility of energy efficient technologies such as “geothermal heating, solar power, hybrid vehicles and efficient appliances.”

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