*Bryan Woll (COL ’12), President of the Georgetown University College Democrats, hurried into Gervase Hall straight from his internship on Capitol Hill. Despite his party’s struggles in recent state elections, Woll remains confident in the Democratic party. Woll sat down with The Hoya for the second part of a series exploring the state of politics both nationally and on the Hilltop.*

**How does the mood of the College Democrats compare today with the mood at the beginning of the election season?**

The election in Massachusetts, and the governorships that we lost in the fall [Virginia and New Jersey, both won by Republicans], were very sobering for us. But I was also very surprised about the transition between the first semester and the second semester. A surprisingly large number of people signed up and volunteered at the beginning of the second semester. We now have 90 people on our leadership team, as opposed to 55 last year. In addition, most of it was pure growth; we barely lost anyone that semester. It seems like a good sign to me, that people are willing to go out, are motivated, and want to work for the Democratic Party’s causes.

**Would you say that many are still motivated by President Obama’s campaign in 2008?**

I would definitely say so. A lot of people in the College Democrats, both members of the leadership group and general members of the club, worked for the campaign in some aspect [and] gained a lot of experience [from it]. That was their introduction to politics. There’s that sense that we can play a big part in politics, and we did. We can get involved in decision-making. From the Obama campaign, we realized that we played a role in Obama’s rise to the presidency. Many people in the club still believe that. Of course, it is irrational to think that we could win every single election. That would be naive. However, I am encouraged that people are still motivated, are still working for the party – many are still joining, even though we’ve lost some elections.

**Many people have compared Senator-elect Scott Brown’s [R-Mass.] campaign to that of Obama’s, seeing him as more motivating and creating momentum for his side. Did you see the same thing from candidates in Virginia and New Jersey?**

It’s hard to build up that excitement, again, for another year, especially right after the [2008] election. Furthermore, I think many Democrats were exhausted, because the presidential election in 2008 was one of the most engaged elections, in terms of nontraditional voters, such as young people and African-Americans and the impoverished, turning out in large numbers, which we hadn’t had in the past, and we found it very hard to keep these people engaged in politics, and that’s something we’re going to have to work on in the future. We can’t let them go to the wayside. And second, [Brown] is conservative in many aspects, but he is not as socially conservative as the vast majority of his party; he cannot serve as the standard bearer, as he has been portrayed. It is widely unknown that he supports abortion, [which he showed] by stating his support for Roe v. Wade, showing that he is much more moderate than the core of his party, and the vast majority of the leaders of the Republicans.

**In our interview with the chairman of the College Republicans, Geoffrey Bible (SFS ’12), he spoke of a lack of discussion between the two parties. How would you address that concern?**

I can certainly see where he is coming from there. The thing about bipartisanship, though, is that it’s a two-way street. The president and the Democrats can offer an invitation, or offer a forum of dialogue, but if no one accepts the offer, and only one or two of the Republicans even bothers to listen to the invitation, and consider it, there’s no way to have an open conversation. We cannot force them to change their minds, we can’t force a dialogue. A lot of it, however, seems to have come from health care. That is unfortunate, because from my experience in the Obama campaign, the people of the United States indicated that health care was a huge concern for them – that the status quo is not acceptable – and that something needs to be done about it. It’s taken 70 years for the United States to take health care seriously, and to really put together a proposal to do it. Both the House and the Senate bills have flaws, but now is the time to act on health care. I think that’s what the Senate and House have been trying to push forward, and they are doing it for the people that elected them.

**What effect do you think the special election in Massachusetts will have on Obama’s agenda?**

It’s hard to say exactly. What happens in the health care bill will really show us what the rest of Obama’s administration is going to be like. It will certainly pose a challenge … Also, the midterm elections will have a large impact . with senators placing themselves into the position most likely to get them re-elected. I think we’ll have to see how the health care bill turns out to see how it will be. As we see from stimulus and financial reform, however, Obama has not shied away from conflict, which is something I respect about Obama. He promised great things, and he has attacked them. You think about how many people have promised to work on health care, and we see he’s actually really doing it. As someone who has worked hard for him, and for groups that strongly support him, that makes me proud.

**What was your reaction to last Wednesday’s State of the Union address?**

I think that President Obama said exactly what the country needed to hear last Wednesday night. He did an excellent job of speaking directly to hopes and dreams, fears and anxieties of the American people. I think that this is something that our political discourse has lost in the midst of the angry town hall meetings and tea parties: a concern for the people who are struggling with economic hardship. Everything that the president proposed in his speech – job creation, small business assistance, education, clean energy and health care reform – will work on behalf of these and all Americans. In both the content and delivery of his speech, President Obama drove home the point that the time for action on these issues is now. We can wait on them no longer.

I was also impressed that President Obama took some very bold positions in his address. First, he committed to repealing the military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” rule. This policy is a very contentious political issue, and he will certainly receive some push back from opponents. Nevertheless, in proposing to repeal this policy, President Obama took a firm stand on the side of equality and justice. Second, he directly addressed his opponents and naysayers, especially those who have arisen since Scott Brown’s election to the Senate. I think President Obama struck a nerve with the American people when he said that we become frustrated when, in `Washington, every day is election day,’ and the only uniting ideal of politics is `a belief that if you lose, I win.’ His tone, reminiscent of his campaign a year ago, reorients politics to its rightful place – in service of the common good. “