Obama Hearts Friendly CU Campus Setting, Issue

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by: Colorado Pols

UPDATE #3: CU student Madalyn Starkey meets the Prez at The Sink:

You really can’t fake that.

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UPDATE #2: Politico goes down the memory hole, and once again:

Mitt Romney generated quite few headlines Monday when he voiced support for keeping federal student loan interest rates from going up – a position that puts him at odds with Republicans in Congress, and maneuvers him closer to the political center for the general election.

It’s also a stance that appears to clash with some of Romney’s rhetoric on the campaign trail during the Republican primary…

“Now that the government’s taking over the student loan business, I think you’ll get less competition. I’d rather have more competition, with private lenders as well as government lenders,” Romney said. “The right course for America is for businesses and universities and colleges to compete, and for us to make sure that we provide loans to the extent we possibly can at an interest rate that doesn’t have the taxpayers having to subsidize people who want to go to school.” [Pols emphasis]

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UPDATE: a reader’s photo from today’s protest by the Boulder County Republicans at the CU-Boulder campus, where an estimated 30 or so people demonstrated:

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The Colorado Independent’s John Tomasic on tonight’s big speech at CU:

President Obama will speak this afternoon at the University of Colorado Boulder, part of a swing-state campus tour designed to pressure Congress into extending low-interest rates on federal student loans. The rates are set to double in July.

“There was no other way for me to go to school than to take out student loans,” Brittni Hernandez, CU-Boulder student body president, told reporters Monday. “Like many students, I’m worried that if the interest rate doubles, I won’t be able to afford to finish school. We shouldn’t have to sign away our future financial security just to get a degree.”

If Congress fails to act, the rates for federal Stafford loans, the flagship government student loans, are set to jump from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent . Sources told reporters that roughly 167,000 Colorado students would be affected, the new rates adding about $1,000 to the annual cost of a typical loan.

The debate over the interest-rate extension is the latest charged subject in the larger battle over government spending and deficit reduction.

The political upper hand Democrats enjoy on this issue is best illustrated by the fact that Mitt Romney has called for extending the reduced Stafford Loan interest rates, even though he also says he supports the newest GOP budget proposal that allows the interest rate to double. No word yet on how that conflict would be resolved, we doubt he has thought about it much.

Lynn Bartels reports today on the inevitable pro-Romney press conference held by former CU President Hank Brown “giving Obama an ‘F’,” and liberals who respond with Romney’s record as governor on education–where public support for higher education dwindled and tuition “skyrocketed.” We’ll post press releases and updates on tonight’s event as we get them.

10 thoughts on “Obama Hearts Friendly CU Campus Setting, Issue”

ArapaGOP says:

April 24, 2012 at 9:49 pm

http://blogs.denverpost.com/th…

“He failed them because we have the highest level of unemployment for youth in this country in recorded history,” said Hank Brown, a former congressman and U.S. senator who led CU from 2005 through 2008.

“I predict that the president will have substantially less support among college students this election compared to four years ago.”

I believe he’s right.

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1. rocco says:
  
  April 24, 2012 at 11:07 pm
  
  In the United States Senate and the House of Representatives controlled by a spoiled child, supported by infantile republican rank and file, you’re hard pressed to make that point.
  
  It’s hard to fail someone with you policies when a very disloyal opposition does everything in its’ power to make sure your policies don’t pass.
  
  Or are you just projecting………again?
  
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2. Gilpin Guy says:
  
  April 25, 2012 at 6:18 am
  
  Republicans are going to sew up the youth vote by screwing them on student loans for their fat cat financiers. That’s the kind of policy that will have young voters running to be Republicans. Not.
  
  Hank Brown is a lying old man who doesn’t even bother to mention that Republicans have been in control of Congress ever since Ted Kennedy died. No personal accountability for that group of traitorous pieces of shit. Where’s the jobs they promised A-BUTT?
  
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3. Tom says:
  
  April 25, 2012 at 8:04 pm
  
  I agree that Obama will probably have a lower youth vote this time around. Some of that is that the bloom is off the rose. Perhaps a larger reason is that college students will suffer in several states from laws making it harder to register and vote. Voter ID laws, narrower early voting windows, and restrictions on registration drives all directly impact the ability for college students to vote.
  
  So… Obama will see a lower turnout, but students aren’t going to be voting Republican either.
  
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MADCO says:

April 24, 2012 at 11:51 pm

Ez.

Hogwarts School Of Wizardry and Budeting

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DavidThi808 says:

April 25, 2012 at 4:05 am

http://www.newsteamboulder.org…

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1. rocco says:
  
  April 25, 2012 at 4:33 am
  
  Just saw mittens’ acceptance speech from New Hampshire.
  
  I’m noticing the Vietnam era draft dodger’s tone is changed.
  
  He mentioned food stamps, working moms, his dad, his business acumen, and of course, President Obama.
  
  A regular guy?
  
  Right. That might happen
  
  But the mittens we know is and will aways be there, vulture capitalist, kick you when you’re down, the perfect republican.
  
  Mean, snaky, snarky and underhanded, he’s the polar opposite of of the President.
  
  He’s also totally unqualified to run for the job.
  
  Game on.
  
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DavidThi808 says:

April 25, 2012 at 4:36 am

I left work and I’m guessing I was driving Valmont about 5 minutes before Obama did. Bunch of cop cars at the intersection but less traffic than usual. Same thing around C.U. And the outer events center parking had empty spots all oer the place (I only drove by campus on the way home) so I’m guessing the number that drove there was pretty small.

Makes sense if it’s mostly students as most of them would walk to it.

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unnamed says:

April 25, 2012 at 6:52 am

Obama went to The Sink? I never thought a President of the United States would walk into that bar. It’s a cool place, but I’m a little surprised and impressed.

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ClubTwitty says:

April 25, 2012 at 2:13 pm

The POTUS with the mostus

I want to see Romney keep up with this…

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/…

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