Inside the Main Event

Live Blogging on the ServiceNation Summit by the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism

9:38 p.m.
Final thoughts, I was surprised by how much politics was hit upon during this ServiceNation forum, but then again, it is an election year. All in all, Todd and I thought McCain was stronger in this setting than Obama because he seemed more comfortable during the discussion.

To all who were out there wondering, the J-School Student Center is hotter at night than during day. And I'm channeling legendary rapper Big Daddy Kane with this one: blogging ain't easy. This was my first time blogging, thanks to Todd and the OMC911 for all your help.

9:21 p.m.
The J-School student center is pretty full right now, and the powers that be have not turned on the air conditioning. Some students are not happy with the situation. When Obama came on there was some applause --there was none for McCain. I thought we were supposed to be unbiased journalists. Oh and there's a blogger from the gossip site IvyGate hanging out in the student center with us. I wonder what she's going to write about us. Todd and I pretty much think Obama's not coming off as well as McCain and he's being vague on policy issues. We've heard a lot of this a million times. He is going to need to be specific in the debates.

9:05 p.m.
Spotted by Greg Bocquet: During the commercial break, audience members were crowding to the front of of the aisles to snap pictures of Obama, completely ignoring superstars Usher, Queen Noor of Jordan, Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio.

8:57 p.m.
Final thoughts on McCain appearance: Todd, the former Marine I'm sitting with, thought McCain came off well and agreed with his observations on the devotion of recent American immigrants to the ideals of America. He pointed out that some of the Marines he served with weren't even citizens yet.

8:50 p.m.
Habiba Nosheen, who is watching the speeches outside, got this quote from Columbia Alum Shelly Bendavid: "If McCain went last, everyone would have left by now."

8:36 p.m.
McCain was just asked about lowered military recruiting standards and the increased reliance on poor minorities to fill the ranks of the US military. Todd pointed out that actually the majority of people engaged in ground combat are white, and that many minorities in the Corps are in support roles. e.g fixing helicopters and machinery, roles translatable to civilian life. (ed. note: we don't have stats to support this assertion)

Todd thinks it's good that a lot of minorities use the military to uplift themselves, but Todd also thinks the more privileged of our society should serve in the military and he's on board with McCain's policy on allowing military recruiters at universities like Columbia. Todd also thinks that there should be some sort of required national service, military or non-military, because it's good for our national character and would foster a common bond between the rich, poor, middle class, whites, blacks, Latinos , Asians etc...

8:30 p.m.
A note from the press pit: "A gentleman just came around and asked us if any of the press would be interested in interviewing the organizers of Service Nation if they were made available to us. I felt bad, but most of us did not seem very interested."

8:21 p.m.
In McCain's words: "The busiest people are the busiest, and the busier they get the busier they get."

8:15 p.m.
Todd and I were talking about McCain's hypothetical presidential response to 9/11; Todd would not be a fan of McCain's community watch group proposal. He thinks the groups would have probably morphed into goon squads. But he's on board with the rest of McCain's proposals.

8:04 p.m.
McCain is about to give his speech and Todd respects his service, but disagrees with McCain's re-definition of torture. He believes McCain backtracked on the issue.

7:49 p.m.
Toby Maguire just spoke. Todd does not like actors. One wonders how appropriate it is to have Spiderman speaking at such an event.

7:45 p.m.
NY Governor David Paterson just began his speech and is thanking Sens. Obama, McCain, Clinton and Mayor Bloomberg and the other high profile speakers at this week's event. By the way, Todd doesn't know much about Gov. Paterson but really likes him.

7:28 p.m.
Just got an update from Habiba Nosheen, a fellow classmate who is with the other members of the press who did not get into the auditorium. "They are serving us dinner in nicely packed boxes which consist of a variety of sandwiches with a bag of pretzels, Oreo brownie, and an apple. Though no coffee. I am sitting behind ET camera crew who just turned around and asked: 'Who is speaking tonight?' "

7:08 p.m.
Todd and I were just talking about about the scene on campus for today's event and he's pretty surprised by the difference between this morning and right now. Columbia is packed with people, protesters and students outside watching the event on the steps of Low Library.

6:55 p.m.
We are eagerly awaiting word from the candidates...

6:48 p.m.
Hi, I’m Karn Dhingra, a New Media student at Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism. I'll be live blogging tonight's event with Todd Murphy, a fellow Houstonian and former Marine who served in Iraq in 2004. He's currently pursuing a bachelor of arts in Archaeology at Columbia's College of General studies. We're going to get his take on Obama and McCain's speeches on national service.

Obama on stage picture, by Greg Bocquet

Student Gathering on the Low Library Steps

Audio-Slideshow: People Show Support

Jimmy Breslin on volunteering

The legendary writer Jimmy Breslin, who came to lecture at Professor Dick Wald's Critical Issues in Journalism class tonight, was figuring out how to navigate the closed-off campus yesterday when I spotted him on Broadway near the 116th St. entrance.

Breslin, 77, doesn't think too much of ServiceNation's initiative to round up 100 million annual part-time volunteers by 2020. The group has declared Sept.27 a national Day of Action and is urging citizens across the country to hold community service rallies and events.

"I don't volunteer too good," Breslin said. "I like pay."

Despite the tough security, Breslin didn't need a Columbia ID to get in. Those NYPD-issued press passes can get you anywhere and Breslin walked right in the main gate.

As I escorted him toward the Journalism School building, a woman at a second checkpoint asked if he was with me — as if Jimmy Breslin needs a Columbia student to get past barricades.

"I'm with myself!" he snapped back.

AP Photo/Jim Cooper

Who is ServiceNation?

Exactly who is ServiceNation and what are they about?
According to their mission statement, they are a grassroots organization "building a national movement to inspire a new era of citizen service in America" and today's Sept. 11 Summit at Columbia University, featuring Senators Barack Obama and John McCain, is being held to launch the group.
ServiceNation is a sort of umbrella group of several well-established public-interest organizations including Be the Change, City Year, Civic Enterprises and the Points of Light Institute.
Look closer at the ServiceNation Leadership Council and you'll find some big (Glenn Close) and not-so-big (Kal Penn?) Hollywood names as well as a slew of politicians and people connected to Wall Street, banking, oil and the military, as this Christian libertarian blog has traced.
ServiceNation Leadership Council members include:
-Tim Pawlenty, Minnesota governor and recently on the short-list to be McCain's VP
-Joshua Bekenstein, managing director of Bain Capital, which was founded by Mitt Romney
-Neil Bush, younger brother of President George W. Bush, Chair of the Points of Light Institute's Executive Committee
-Al From, founder and CEO of the Democratic Leadership Council
-Michael Bloomberg, Republican mayor of New York, billionaire
-William Cohen, former Secretary of Defense; former U.S. Senator; groomsman at John McCain's second marriage
-Gary Hart, former U.S. Senator; another groomsman at McCain's second marriage
-Mike Huckabee, former Gov. of Arkansas; also-ran 2008 Republican presidential candidate.
-Sam Nunn: former U.S. Senator; board member for Chevron, Coca-Cola, Dell and General Electric
Other members include:
-Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church and author of "A Purpose-Driven Life"
-Samantha Power, Harvard University's Anna Lindh Professor of Practice of Global Leadership and Public Policy; married to legal scholar Cass Sunstein
-Cory Booker, Democratic mayor of Newark
-Silda Wall, founder of Children For Children; jilted wife of ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer
-Martin Luther King III
-Queen Noor of Jordan

"Yes We Can College" Comes to Columbia

Just a few hours remain before Obama and McCain make their first joint appearance since the major party conventions, and the star power about campus is palatable. Several of the silver screen's finest are in town for the Service Nation forum, and Hollywood talent from both sides of the camera have arrived to make their voices heard.

Among those voices are Qasim "Q" Basir, 27, and Mike Lynch, 26, the producers of the "Yes We Can College" video series, who were on hand to promote a showing of the seven film shorts showcasing the Obama campaign's message.

"We're filmmakers, and we thought about how we could make a difference, " said Lynch. "We both felt the urgency of now, and here we are." The two producers, both natives of Los Angeles, posted their first short on YouTube. It became a huge success online, racking up 50,000 views in a single week.

"After people started watching our videos, we were contacted by will.i.am [of the Black Eyed Peas]," said Basir, who has since written about his production on the Huffington Post.

Basir and Lynch's videos will premiere in their entirety on Friday, Sept. 12 at Tribeca Cinemas at 7:30pm.

Obama Gear

From Obama shirts

Volunteers Gear Up For the Night

Warren Hamilton, 44, is just one of dozens of volunteers helping at the Service Nation event today. Dressed in blue shirts with “Service Nation” embroidered in yellow, they will be helping guide traffic, field questions and talk about service.

Volunteers, who received several hours of training earlier in the day, come from all around the country. Some knew about the event only days ago, others a month in advance.

“I live and breathe service,” said Hamilton, who took an Amtrak from Albany this morning in order to volunteer at the event. Volunteers were pulled from more than 114 Service Nation coalition organizations from around the country, according to Tim Zimmerman.

“I just want people to remember, it’s not about the candidates, it’s about service,” Hamilton said.

Obama visits Bill Clinton in Harlem

Photo Credits: Eric Baliantz & Ayman Oghanna

Lo que dijo Obama

Este artículo fue publicado a las 11:00 pm.

Barack Obama recordó sus días de estudiante en la Universidad de Columbia, preparando el terreno para discutir su propuesta sobre el servicio público que está atada, en gran medida, a la educación. Dijo que era necesario que los jóvenes estadounidenses empezaran desde el bachillerato a involucrarse en actividades de servicio a la comunidad.

Habló sobre la posibilidad de crear becas o tarifas de matrículas reducidas para aquellos estudiantes que sean trabajadores y tengan una fuerte vocación de servicio, especialmente para aquellos que quieran ir a la universidad para prepararse como maestros y luego de graduarse, quieran ir a trabajar con las comunidades que más los necesitan.

Dijo que también era necesario atraer a los jóvenes profesionales a que trabajen como servidores públicos y hagan parte de ese proceso de transformación que se necesita para recuperar la confianza de los ciudadanos en el rol que debe desempeñar el gobierno.

Obama también mencionó que los Estados Unidos era el major país del mundo pero que eso era una bendición y también una gran responsabilidad, y que por eso era esencial mantener el balance entre la libertad individual, la participación comunitaria y buenas prácticas con los vecinos.

Obama: Good for business, Good for the White House

When vendor James Holston heard presidential hopefuls Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama were coming to speak at Columbia University's campus tonight, he moved his table selling Obama baseball caps uptown to Broadway near 111th St.
Along with jewelry, pashmina scarves and sunglasses, Holston, 58, has been selling Obama caps in red, white and blue, army fatigue green and light pink, all summer long from his usual spot at 79th St. and Broadway.
Obama merchandise moves, he said. McCain merchandise doesn't.
Of the dozen McCain caps he started with at the beginning of the summer, Holston still has half of them left.
"People just don't buy them," he said.
Holston feels the same way about the candidates as a voter as he does as a businessman.
"Obama shows me a lot of energy coming into this whereas McCain doesn't show me too much," he said.
But McCain's vice presidential pick, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, is injecting some life into his campaign, said Holsten, who is a Morningside resident.
"If it weren't for Palin, I don't think [McCain] would be where he is today. I have to give it to her, she's sharp," he said.
Business was steady at his new location yesterday, but Holston didn't even display the McCain hats for sale because he said he never sees anyone sporting McCain merchandise around the neighborhood.
"I haven't seen a McCain," Holsten said. "This is Obama country."

Families: McCain and Obama, Stay Away

Johnny Bulaga Sr. and his wife Fran got up at 5:30 a.m. to travel from their home in Haskell, N.J. to attend today’s Sept. 11 ceremony near Ground Zero. Their son, John Bulaga Jr., 35, was working as a network engineer for Cantor Fitzgerald when he was killed in the attacks seven years ago.

The Bulagas were glad to hear that presidential candidates Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama were staying away from speaking at the official ceremony. Instead, the candidates will make a joint appearance in the pit after the ceremony concludes.

“There’s enough politics in this whole thing,” Bulaga Sr. said, sweeping his arm toward the crane at the pit. “That’s why it’s taken so long to do anything. I just hope it’s completed in my lifetime.”

This is the last year that families of Sept. 11 victims will be able to visit the pit where the World Trade Centers once stood. The first steel beam that will support the Sept. 11 Memorial and Museum was laid Tuesday, a day after new designs for the long-delayed memorial were unveiled.

“This is the focal point, but I don’t need to be anywhere to remember my son. We have pictures of him everywhere, and he’s right here,” Bulaga Sr. said, tapping his heart.

Obama McCain Event Production Schedule Revealed!

A minute-by-minute schedule discovered in plain view of the farmer's market on Broadway.

Highlights include:
7:20 - L. Ward and Bill Novelli Welcome Message
7:29 - Lee Bollinger Remarks
7:33 - Governor David Patterson Remarks
7:40 - Tobey Maguire Speaks
7:47 - 9-11 Family Testimonials
7:53 - John Huey Delivers Introduction
8:01 - John McCain Speech
9:00 - Barack Obama Speech
10:00 - Event Ends

Get your photo taken with Obama or just sign up to get a lot of junk mail

Our colleagues over at the Columbia Spectator recently shared this alluring blog post. According to the Spectator, there is a chance that should you browse the sea of pamphlets and sign up for as many political action clubs as possible, you can somehow get your photo taken with the 2008 Democratic presidential nominee. If you're this hard up for a photo op, then we recommend you create a new alias email address. No news from the Spectator about tagging yourself in a McCain photo.

2008 Campaign Finance in 10027

Here is the breakdown of the contributions from Columbia University's zip code, 10027, in the current election cycle. 10027 has contributed about 9 times as much as the average zip code, and 2008 contributions total $369,182, according to OpenSecrets. The average 10027 household income is $41,307.

Here is a list of the donation totals for this election cycle, by recipient and amount.

Obama, Barack (D): $160,840
Clinton, Hillary (D): $68,329
EMILY's List: $14,450
DNC Services Corp: $11,100
Republican Nat'l Cmte: $10,250
Giuliani, Rudolph W (R): $9,700
National Leadership PAC: $6,750
Generation Blue: $6,480
Richardson, Bill (D): $5,800
Edwards, John (D): $5,250





*The data and images above are courtesy of the Center for Responsive Politics.

Interview with Columbia Spokesperson David Stone

Click To Play

Candidates and Columbia Confirmed

Just under two months ago, organizers spearheading this Thursday's ServiceNation Presidential Forum were missing two major components of their event: both a venue and the presidential hopefuls. Now the two senators vying for the White House are days away from appearing on the same platform at Columbia University to recognize national service.

Republican nominee John McCain agreed to attend in July after an invitation from event sponsor Time magazine. Barack Obama, the Democratic candidate, signed up two weeks later. At this point ServiceNation, a national campaign of more than 100 organizations promoting citizen service, invited Columbia to host the one-off event.

"The Presidential Forum was really finalized in the last few weeks and then announced immediately," David Stone, Executive Vice President For Communications at the university, explained. "John McCain said yes. Barack Obama didn't mark down 'til a few weeks ago. It's a wonderful moment to have this extraordinary non-partisan event at Columbia."

Preparations for the two-day ServiceNation Summit, featuring a host of events at the Hilton New York on Friday, began as early as last fall, according to Mary McNaught, of Civic Enterprises LLC, one of the organizers. "Our public policy forum came together last autumn to make this amazing event happen - it's been in the works for a year," she said. "It's a truly unique coalition."

Time became an early sponsor after its The Case for National Servicefront cover last September, followed by retailer Target, social networking website Facebook and AARP. The summit is underwritten by the Carnegie Corporation.

Two-Day ServiceNation Summit in NYC

Thursday’s ServiceNation Presidential Candidate Forum will be just one part of a two-day event to kick off ServiceNation’s national campaign to enact federal service legislation by September 11, 2009.

Earlier Thursday, P.S. 124 will host a day of service organized by MyGoodDeed. Hilton New York will host a day of panel discussions and speakers including Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and First Lady Laura Bush on Friday. ServiceNation expects more than 500 leaders of universities, civic organizations, businesses and government from across the country to attend the Friday event.

Formed earlier this year, ServiceNation is a bipartisan campaign to gain support for service legislation sponsored by Senators Edward Kennedy and Orrin Hatch that would establish a national Declaration of Service.

“The genesis for ServiceNation was really this unique moment in our country,” explained Mary McNaught, chief of staff at Civic Enterprises, one of the organizations leading the campaign. “We have been at war for five years and citizens are looking for opportunities to serve and service organization members want to take that quantum leap and make opportunities like City Year and Peace Corps available to everyone.”