Events

As event specifics are confirmed, this is where you’ll be able to find information about speakers, debates, special meetings, trips, and activities.

In past years, the Cornell Republicans have hosted Bush administration Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove, Night author Elie Wiesel, Gov. Luis Fortuño of Puerto Rico, former New York Gov. George Pataki, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, and former Attorney General John Ashcroft. You won’t want to miss this year’s lineup of influential policymakers, politicos, and public officials.

In addition to hosting speakers, the Cornell Republicans debate the Cornell Democrats at least once a semester, campaign for candidates for public office, and make an annual trip to the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, D.C.

Paul Wolfowitz

The CRs will host Ambassador Paul Wolfowitz ’65, former Deputy Secretary of Defense and President of the World Bank, on April 12.

Wolfowitz was a central player in the most recent Bush administration, leading the front against international terrorism. As deputy defense secretary, he was a leading voice within the Bush administration pushing for the invasion of Iraq, and was known as well for a hard line on issues like missile-defense systems. At the World Bank, whose presidency he assumed after being nominated by President Bush in 2005, Wolfowitz fought corruption in international aid and development policy.

He has spent more than three decades in public service and higher education. As ambassador to Indonesia, Mr. Wolfowitz became known for his advocacy of reform and political openness and for his interest in development issues, which dates back to his doctoral dissertation on water desalination in the Middle East. He also served as Dean of the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University from 1994-2001.

Wolfowitz is currently a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, where he works on development issues throughout the world.

His talk in April on the challenges for American foreign policy in the 21st century will be our final event of the year.

Marc Thiessen

The CRs hosted former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and current Washington Post columnist Marc Thiessen in Goldwin Smith Hall’s Lewis Auditorium on Thursday, October 27th at 6:00 PM. Thiessen presented a clear and strong defense of enhanced interrogation, arguing that it has provided a trove of intelligence the national security apparatus would not have been able to obtain through other means.

He also spoke on the War on Terror policies used by both the Bush and Obama administrations, delving into the details of why the Obama administration’s counterterrorism policy is not as brilliant as the media and liberals profess.

Thiessen, also a fellow at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, has recently made headlines for his debate-inciting book Courting Disaster: How the CIA Kept America Safe and How Barack Obama Is Inviting the Next Attack. In Courting Disaster, Thiessen makes a convincing defense of the most contentious War on Terror polices of the Bush administration and the left has taken notice, as demonstrated by his now famous debates with personalities like MSNBC’s Lawrence O’Donnell and the Daily Show‘s Jon Stewart.

Michael Nozzolio

Senator Michael Nozzolio, ILR ’73, will spoke to the CRs about various important issues within the state of New York  on October 24th at 7:30PM in Room G22, Goldwin Smith Hall. He addressed the culture of liberalism at Cornell, both during his time on campus and now.

Senator Nozzolio represents New York State’s 54th district. In addition to his ILR degree, Nozzolio holds a Master’s degree from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a Juris Doctor degree from the Syracuse University College of Law. 

Senator Nozzolio is a staunch and outspoken proponent of criminal justice reform and victims’ rights. Senator Nozzolio chairs the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee and is a Co-Chairman of the Senate Majority Task Force on Privacy Invasion.

Nozzolio has also served as Chairman of the Senate Elections Committee and pushed through New York’s landmark Voter Registration Act of 1994. He was also responsible for hearings which uncovered election fraud in New York City. Prior to serving in the Senate, Nozzolio served for 10 years in the New York State Assembly.

He has been a staunch supporter of ILR and has demonstrated a firm commitment to helping maintain world-class facilities and collections at the School, thus ensuring ILR’s continued preeminence among institutions of its type.

Michelle Rhee

The CRs co-hosted former Chancellor of the District of Columbia public school system Michelle Rhee ’92 along with StudentsFirst, Students for Education Reform, the Cornell Democrats, Black Students United, and the Cornell University Program Board. The event occured in Call Auditorium (Kennedy Hall) on Tuesday, October 18th at 7:30PM.

Rhee, founder and CEO of StudentsFirst, has been working for the last 18 years to give children the skills and knowledge they will need to compete in a changing world. From adding instructional time after school and visiting students’ homes as a third grade teacher in Baltimore, to hosting hundreds of community meetings and creating a Youth Cabinet to bring students’ voices into reforming the DC Public Schools, she has always been guided by one core principle: put students first.

Rhee’s panel discussion on education reform in the United States addressed various topics, such as teachers unions, school vouchers, and assessment standards.

Ed Cox

The CRs hosted the Chairman of the New York State Republican Party, Ed Cox, on Friday, September 30th at 3:45 PM in Goldwin Smith Hall, Room G22. Chairman Cox spoke about prospects for the Republican Party in the 2012 election, arguing that the Party has an excellent chance to maintain a majority in the House and take over the Senate and the White House.

For more than forty years Ed Cox has supported and campaigned for candidates across the country, beginning in 1968 as a part of the Nixon presidential campaign. In 1972, he traveled extensively as a family surrogate for President Nixon and in 1980 was active in the Reagan campaign. In 1984, he conceived and organized the statewide volunteer effort which helped carry New York for the Reagan‑Bush team.  In 1988 and 1992, Cox organized the New York speakers’ bureau for George H.W. Bush’s presidential campaigns.  During the 2008 Presidential election, he served as State Chairman of John McCain’s campaign.

Cox’s September 30th talk focused on the positive prospects for our Party with regard to the House, Senate, and the presidency.

Karl Rove

The CRs hosted Karl Rove, former adviser and deputy chief of staff to President Bush, on April 13, 2011 in Call Auditorium, Kennedy Hall.  Rove spoke about the need for the country to turn their hopes to a leader other than President Obama, arguing that his policies have only exacerbated the poor economic predicament of the country.

Karl Rove served as Senior Advisor to President George W. Bush from 2000–2007 and Deputy Chief of Staff from 2004–2007. At the White House he oversaw the Offices of Strategic Initiatives, Political Affairs, Public Liaison, and Intergovernmental Affairs and was Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, coordinating the White House policy-making process.

Karl has been described by respected author and columnist Michael Barone in U.S. News & World Report as “…unique…no Presidential appointee has ever had such a strong influence on politics and policy, and none is likely to do so again anytime soon.” Washington Postcolumnist David Broder has called Karl a master political strategist whose “game has always been long term…and he plays it with an intensity and attention to detail that few can match.” Fred Barnes, executive editor of The Weekly Standard, has called Karl “the greatest political mind of his generation and probably of any generation… He knows history, understands the moods of the public, and is a visionary on matters of public policy.”

As a Fox News contributor, Karl provides a “genuine feel of inside knowledge,” says David Zurawik, Baltimore Sun television critic. Megan Garber, of the Columbia Journalism Review, says Karl has “focused his punditry on what he knows best: strategy.” Even the New York Times acclaims that “Rove’s substantive contributions may now inspire a little work ethic among the celebrity talking heads who may be forced to bring to the news a little more data and a little less opinion, a recalibration that would be welcome to its devoted viewers.”

Karl writes a weekly op-ed for the Wall Street Journal and is the author of the New York Times Bestseller, “Courage and Consequence: My Life as a Conservative in the Fight.” He has written for various publications, including The Daily Beast, Financial Times, Forbes, FoxNews.com, HumanEvents.com, Newsweek, The Times, Washington Post, and The Weekly Standard.

Elie Wiesel

The CRs co-hosted Elie Wiesel in Bailey Hall along with Cornell Hillel, the Sigma Phi Society, and the Cornell University Program Board. Wiesel spoke about society’s ability to persevere through challenging times and touched on various topics, including faith, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the power of children, and the lessons of history.

A Nobel Peace Prize winner and Boston University professor, Wiesel has worked on behalf of oppressed people for much of his adult life. His personal experience of the Holocaust has led him to use his talents as an author, teacher, and storyteller to defend human rights and peace throughout the world.

In 1978, President Jimmy Carter appointed him Chairman of the President’s Commission on the Holocaust. In 1980, he became Founding Chairman of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council. Wiesel is also the founding president of the Paris-based Universal Academy of Cultures.

Wiesel’s efforts to defend human rights and peace throughout the world have earned him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States Congressional Gold Medal and the Medal of Liberty Award, the rank of Grand-Croix in the French Legion of Honor, and in 1986, the Nobel Peace Prize. He has received more than 100 honorary degrees from institutions of higher learning.

Three months after he received the Nobel Peace Prize, Elie Wiesel and his wife Marion established The Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. Its mission is to advance the cause of human rights and peace throughout the world by creating a new forum for the discussion of urgent ethical issues confronting humanity.

His more than 40 books have won numerous awards, including the Prix Medicis for A Beggar in Jerusalem, the Prix Livre Interfor The Testament, and the Grand Prize for Literature from the City of Paris for The Fifth Son. The first volume of Wiesel’s memoirs, All Rivers Run to the Sea, was published in New York (Knopf) in December 1995. The second volume, And the Sea is Never Full, was published in New York (Knopf) in November 1999.

Elie Wiesel has been Distinguished Professor of Judaic Studies at the City University of New York (1972-1976), and first Henry Luce Visiting Scholar in the Humanities and Social Thought at Yale University (1982-1983). Since 1976, he has been the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University where he also holds the title of University Professor.

Luis Fortuño

The CRs hosted Puerto Rico Governor Luis Fortuño in Bailey Hall on March 8, 2010. The Governor addressed the prospects for Puerto Rican statehood and argued why the U.S.territory should now become a state.

Luis Guillermo Fortuño Burset is the governor of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, a territory of the United States of America. Fortuño is also the president of the New Progressive Party of Puerto Rico (NPP), a member of the Republican National Committee, and serves as President-elect of the Council of State Governments. On June 26, 2011 he announced his plans to run for reelection.

In the 1990s, Fortuño served as the first Secretary of the Puerto Rico Department of Economic Development and Commerce, as the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company and as the President of Puerto Rico’s Hotel Development Corporation during the administration of Governor Pedro Rossello.

In 2003 Fortuño won the 2004 NPP nomination for Resident Commissioner of Puerto Rico in primaries against former Governor Carlos Romero Barcelo, former Senate President Charlie Rodriguez and then senator Miriam Ramírez. He was then elected Resident Commissioner in 2004, defeating Senator Roberto Prats. Fortuño represented Puerto Rico from 2005 to 2009 in the United States House of Representatives, and served as Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Conference, a Member of the newly-created United States House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs and co-chair, with Rep.Xavier Becerra (D-CA), of the Friends of Spain Caucus.

Fortuño later won the NPP gubernatorial nomination by a wide margin after defeating former Governor and then-Senator Pedro Rosselló in the primaries. He then won the race for Governor by a wide margin during the 2008 elections, defeating incumbent Governor Anibal Acevedo Vila. Fortuño holds the distinction of being the first Republican to be elected Governor of Puerto Rico since 1969, and the second Republican governor since 1949. He is also the first Republican representative from Puerto Rico to beelected to congress in its history.

Rick Lazio

Rick was elected to Congress in 1992 after defeating an 18-year incumbent in what was called the most celebrated congressional victory of that year.  He served four terms representing New York’s 2nd Congressional District.  He became Deputy Majority Whip in 1995 and was later Assistant Majority Leader.  During his last four years in Congress, Rick was the only member to serve on both the Commerce and Banking Committees.

As Chairman of the House Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on Housing and Community Opportunity, Rick authored and introduced legislation enacting the most sweeping reform of America’s public housing in more than 60 years.

He negotiated the Quality Housing and Work Responsibility Act of 1998, which ultimately became law.  This legislation proposed civic work duties for residents of public housing to upgrade the quality of life in their communities and to provide role models for the children living there.  The law also reserved some public housing for moderate-income working people, boosting home-ownership for our young families.  Rick also supported reforms giving localities more control over public-housing, trusting local housing authorities with greater discretion in setting rents and deciding how to use federal housing funds in a way that best suits the needs for their areas of the country.  The House of Representatives voted 293 – 132 for the reforms.

Rick also helped draft and enact the first balanced budget in decades.  By the time Rick left Congress the federal budget was in surplus, millions of jobs had been created, taxes had been cut and millions of Americans had moved from welfare to work.

John Ashcroft

John Ashcroft spoke on behalf of the Cornell Republicans in Statler Auditorium on November 29, 2007, defending the Bush administration’s counterterrorism policies.

As Attorney General, Mr. Ashcroft led the U.S. Department of Justice through the transformational period after the September 11, 2001 attacks, reorganizing the Department to focus on its number one priority: preventing terrorism. The tough antiterrorism campaign he directed helped keep America safe throughout his tenure and resulted in the dismantling of terrorist cells across America and the disruption of over 150 terrorist plots worldwide. 

From 1985 to 1993, as Governor of Missouri, Ashcroft balanced eight consecutive budgets, built a $120 million budget surplus, and established a $190 million operating reserve. His management and fiscal integrity helped generate 338,000 new jobs state-wide; a triple-A bond rating from the three major Wall Street rating agencies; a per capita state and local tax burden ranked 49th in the United States; and a 12 percent increase in personal income. His new education performance standards led Fortune magazine to call him one of the nation’s top ten Education Governors. In 1991, the non-partisan National Governors Association voted him Chairman.

Elected to the U.S. Senate in 1994, he brought his management skills to Washington where he authored budget rules protecting Social Security and Medicare and helped balance the federal budget for the first time in decades. As a member of the Senate Judiciary, Foreign Relations and Commerce Committees, he helped to reform laws regulating the banking, telecommunications, aviation, transportation and information technology industries.

He was raised in Springfield, Missouri, received his undergraduate degree from Yale University and his Juris Doctor from the University of Chicago.

Star Parker

Star Parker is the founder and president of CURE, the Center for Urban Renewal   Education, a non-profit think tank which promotes market based public policy to fight poverty.

Before involvement in social activism, Star Parker had seven years of first-hand experience in the grip of welfare dependency. Now, as a social policy consultant, Star is bringing new energy to policy discussions on how to transition America’s poor from government dependency.

She is a sought after expert on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC and for national radio, television, and print interviews, nationwide.

Star has a BS degree in Marketing and Business from Woodbury University and has received numerous awards and commendations for her work on public policy issues. She consults with Republican legislators on numerous urban issues, lectures on anti-poverty initiatives at more than 180 colleges and universities and serves on advisory boards for several national organizations.

She has debated Jesse Jackson on various headline issues; she fought for school choice onLarry King Live; she defended welfare reform on the Oprah Winfrey Show, and she debated healthcare reform against Michael Moore on ABC’s The View with host Barbara Walters.

Currently, Star is a regular commentator on CNN, TBN, CSPAN, CBN, and FOX News. Articles and quotes by Star continuously appear in major publications around the world. Other major accomplishments include speaking at the 1996 Republican National Convention, and hosting a documentary on poverty with the BBC in London.

Mike Huckabee

Governor of Utah Mike Huckabee spoke on behalf of the CRs in Bailey Hall on April 15, 2008, addressing what role faith plays in politics.

After his campaign for the Republican nomination for President in 2008, in which he finished second to John McCain, he formed HuckPac to assist Conservative Republicans running for office nationwide and has amassed a volunteer team with thousands of activists in all 50 states.

From 1996-2007, Huckabee served as the 44th Governor of Arkansas and was recognized nationally for his leadership, having been honored by several renowned publications and organizations for his numerous accomplishments. Governing Magazine named him as one of its ‘Public Officials of the Year’ for 2005, Time Magazine honored him as one of the five best governors in America, and later in the same year, Huckabee received the American Association of Retired Person’s Impact Award. In 2007, he was presented with the Music for Life Award by the National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM), for his commitment to music education. He served as the Chairman of the prestigious National Governors Association as well as the Education Commission of the States and the Interstate Oil and Gas Commission.

Huckabee became governor in July 1996 when his predecessor resigned. He was one of the youngest governors in the country at the time. Huckabee was elected to a full four-year term as governor in 1998, attracting the largest percentage of the vote ever received by a Republican gubernatorial nominee in Arkansas, and was re-elected to another four-year term in November 2002.

He is the author of 9 books, the most recent being “A Simple Government.” This is his fourth book that has been on the New York Times Bestseller List joining “Do the Right Thing,” “A Simple Christmas” and “Can’t Wait Till Christmas.”

George Pataki

The CRs hosted former Governor of NY George Pataki in Bailey Hall on April 14, 2009. The Governor spoke about the economic crisis and looked forward to the problems facing the generation of new graduates.

Having relinquished America’s longest-running governorship in 2007, George E. Pataki is one of the nation’s most prominent authorities on public policy concerning energy and environmental issues. His 12 years in office were marked by political vision and leadership that inspired significant change.

Long praised for his focus on the environment, in 2003 Pataki spearheaded the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)-the leading american model for creating a nationwide system to reduce greenhouse gases. The RGGI is a cooperative effort by mainly Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by creating a regional cap-and-trade program recognizing diversity in the programs of individual states. In 2006, RGGI was a model for California when Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed legislation enacting a cap-and-trade program in California.

During his tenure in office, Gov. Pataki invested more than $13 billion to protect New York state, including preserving over 1 million acres of open space across the state-a territory larger than all of the state Rhode Island. His historic commitment to the environment also included increased funding for New York State’s annual Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) to a record $225 million-nine times the level when he took office.

Gov. Pataki is one of the nation’s most articulate and knowledgeable speakers on the environment, climate change, energy and the current domestic political atmosphere. His market-oriented approach to finding environmental solutions highlights the ability of government to play a role in helping the private sector reduce its carbon footprint. At the helm of New York state during 9/11, he is also a passionate advocate for ending our energy dependence, thereby increasing our security at home. Frustrated by the current divide in national politics, Gov. Pataki is leading the effort toward innovative-and positive-political approaches and policy developments to resolve challenges facing the nation.

Gov. Pataki is recognized for his dedication to personal freedom and individual responsibility. His “new attitude” state government-he is a proven tax-cutter and job-creator-has been cited by numerous business leaders as a model for America’s future; indeed, IBM, Eastman Kodak, PepsiCo and Berkshire Hathaway attributed their decisions to invest in New York directly to the policies of the governor.

Ann Coulter

Ann Coulter is the author of seven New York Times bestsellers —Guilty: Liberal Victims and Their Assault on America (January 2009);If Democrats Had Any Brains, They’d Be Republicans (October, 2007); Godless: The Church of Liberalism (June 2006);How to Talk to a Liberal (If You Must)(October, 2004); Treason: Liberal Treachery From the Cold War to the War on Terrorism(June 2003); Slander: Liberal Lies About the American Right (June 2002); and High Crimes and Misdemeanors:The Case Against Bill Clinton (August 1998).

Coulter is the legal correspondent for Human Events and writes a popular syndicated column for Universal Press Syndicate.

She is a frequent guest on many TV shows, including The Today Show, Good Morning America, The Early Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Hannity, The O’Reilly Factor, The Glen Beck Show, HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, and has been profiled in numerous publications, including TV Guide, the Guardian (UK), the New York Observer, National Journal, Harper’s Bazaar, and Elle magazine. She was the April 25, 2005 cover story of Time magazine.

In 2001, Coulter was named one of the top 100 Public Intellectuals by federal judge Richard Posner.

A Connecticut native, Coulter graduated with honors from Cornell University School of Arts & Sciences, and received her J.D. from University of Michigan Law School, where she was an editor of The Michigan Law Review.

Coulter clerked for the Honorable Pasco Bowman II of the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and was an attorney in the Department of Justice Honors Program for outstanding law school graduates.

After practicing law in private practice in New York City, Coulter worked for the Senate Judiciary Committee, where she handled crime and immigration issues for Senator Spencer Abraham of Michigan. From there, she became a litigator with the Center For Individual Rights in Washington, DC, a public interest law firm dedicated to the defense of individual rights with particular emphasis on freedom of speech, civil rights, and the free exercise of religion.

Dinesh D’Souza

D’Souza has been called one of the “top young public-policy makers in the country” by Investor’s Business Daily. The New York Times Magazine named him one of America’s most influential conservative thinkers. The World Affairs Council lists him as one of the nation’s 500 leading authorities on international issues. Newsweek cited him as one of the country’s most prominent Asian Americans.

A former policy analyst in the Reagan White House,  D’Souza also served as John M. Olin Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and the Robert and Karen Rishwain Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Dartmouth College in 1983.

Mr. D’Souza’s books have had a major influence on public opinion and public policy. His 1991 book Illiberal Educationwas the first study to publicize the phenomenon of political correctness. The book was widely acclaimed and became aNew York Times bestseller for 15 weeks. It has been listed as one of the most influential books of the 1990′s.

D’Souza’s articles have appeared in virtually every major magazine and newspaper, including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Atlantic Monthly, Vanity Fair, New Republic, and National Review. He has appeared on numerous television programs, including the Today Show, Nightline, The News Hour, O’Reilly Factor, Moneyline, and Hannity and Colmes.

Oliver North

Oliver L. North is a combat decorated marine, a #1 best-selling author, the founder of a small business, an inventor with three U.S. patents, a syndicated columnist, and the host of War Stories on the Fox News Channel. Yet, he claims his most important accomplishment is to be “the husband of one, the father of four and the grandfather of twelve.”

Assigned to the National Security Council Staff in the Reagan administration, Lieutenant Colonel North was the United States government’s counter-terrorism coordinator from 1983-1986. He was involved in planning the rescue of 804 medical students on the Island of Grenada and played a major role in the daring capture of the hijackers of the cruise ship Achille Lauro. After helping plan the U.S. raid on Muammar Qaddafi’s terrorist bases in Libya, North was targeted for assassination by Abu Nidal, the infamous terrorist found dead in Baghdad in August, 2002. President Ronald Reagan described him as “an American hero.”

Since 2001, North has been the host of War Stories — the award-winning military documentary series on Fox News Channel. He has also authored eleven books — all of them New York Times bestsellers. His latest book, American Heroes, based on his extensive coverage of U.S. military units engaged in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Philippines was released in May 2008 and is yet another New York Times Best-Selling Book.

North is a life member of the National Rifle Association and a member of the NRA board of directors. He is also the founder of Freedom Alliance, a foundation that provides college scholarships for the sons and daughters of service members killed in action.

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