Congressional candidate Steve Driehaus addresses students at College Democrats' first event of the season.
Miami University's College Democrats kicked off its fall season Wednesday on the Shriver Center Patio, headlining a speech from state representative and 1st District congressional hopeful Steve Driehaus.
After a short presentation from executive cabinet, the College Democrats welcomed Driehaus, who took no time to share his excitement for the approximate turnout of 250 at the event.
Driehaus, a Miami alumnus, joked that the kind of student enthusiasm for the Democratic party on Wednesday was not the norm when he was a student at Miami.
"You've got more people on the exec board than we had members 20 years ago," he said.
He recalled watching a television program once with his daughter on painter Norman Rockwell and his "Four Freedoms" painting series, which drew inspiration from the 1941 State of the Union Address from President Franklin D. Roosevelt.
In the four paintings, Rockwell individually depicts the freedom of speech and worship and freedoms from want and fear.
"When I saw (that program), it articulated perfectly why I'm a Democrat," he said. "I've grown up understanding what government should be about. Some blame government for getting in the way, but we got in the housing crisis, this recession, because government failed to do its job."
Driehaus explained his excitement running in one of the most highly Democrat-targeted Republican seats in the House of Representatives, touching on why he wants to be a part of what he thinks could be a innovative congress in 2009.
"This congress could be one of the most transformational congresses in my lifetime," he said.
After his speech, the self-described pro-life, fiscally conservative Democrat expanded on his platform issues in a quick question-and-answer session. He also had words of advice for young democrats at Miami.
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"Hang tough ... this is really an indication of tough work," he told the crowd. "When I went here, college students were just apathetic ... if anything else, senators Obama and Clinton taught young people the importance of being involved in the process. Be engaged and remain engaged."
Patrick Frank, a field organizer for Obama's campaign in Oxford, and Jeremy Bird, Obama's Ohio general election director, also spoke at the rally.
Miami's College Democrats Co-Chairman Aaron Turner was glad a lawmaker like Driehaus came to speak out-of-district for Democrats at his alma mater.
"He's a great candidate, has great family values and he's a young guy," Turner said. "We wanted him real bad."
Turner said via e-mail that the rally, which doubled as a voter registration drive, registered 200 people. In total, Turner said that the combined efforts of College Democrats, Students for Barack Obama and Campaign for Change in Oxford have registered more than 1,200 people in Oxford.
Upcoming College Democrats events include registering Miami's football team to vote at Yager Stadium Sept. 23, and a debate with the College Republicans at 5:30 Sept. 25 between Elliott and Stoddard Halls.
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