By Madeleine O'Connor
Students who live in GWU's Thurston Hall are passionate about politics. The dormitory houses over 1200 first-years, many of whom post everything from campaign stickers to candidates' quotations on their doors.
One sign on a door called Joe the Plumber, "the only candidate who can relate to the issues we care about."
Another read "Ron Paul for President."
With the election approaching, energy is high at the Princeton Review's second most politically active university.
Three Democratic students share Thurston's most outrageous decorations. The first-years posted a vampiric picture of John McCain captioned, "I am a bloodthirsty war mongrel," and a photo of his running mate posing with a dead elk captioned, "Sarah Palin Kills" on their door.
Wade Mollison, one of the students who posted the signs, said, "I personally disagree with McCain and Palin's views."
GWU's politically feisty first-years
"Most people laugh and think that they're funny and agree, but then
there are also a couple of die-hard Republicans down the hall, so they
ripped a couple of them down. So, we made sure we reinforced them with
duct tape this time," Mollison said.
"I feel like the kids who are Republicans within George Washington feel like they are hated upon," said Mollison, who said he believed most students at GW are democrats.
"We do give them a lot of crap and so I think that they, in turn, fight back towards us by doing things like that," he said, referring to the Republican students who removed his signs
Ryan Heger, another Thurston resident, said he believed Democrats express their opinions more forcefully than Republicans.
"I get yelled at every time I mention John McCain's name and I don't crucify him afterwards," he said.
Another door displayed a "'Fun Fact of the Week." The latest Fun Fact quoted a woman at a McCain rally:
"I don't trust Obama...he's an Arab," she said, to which McCain responded, "To clarify: Obama is not an Arab, he is a human being worth of respect and basic dignity."
Evan Perkins' roommate posts the facts, which are intended to be humorous.
"I'm a pretty liberal democrat but...sometimes they're these ridiculous things that are only partially true and the people that put them up know it," Perkins said.
"When people put their political opinions up there for all to see sometimes it's...best to be a little more low-key," he said.
"It doesn't really bother me, but I could live without it," he said.
Lucy Rose Davidoff also had signs ripped down. Her posters stated that an organization had voted McCain the worst senator for children's rights, and McCain had voted against Martin Luther King Day.
"I understand in some ways because I know I get angry when I see things...dissing things that I believe in, but at the same time I feel like it's my right to post things I believe," Davidoff said.
Despite party clashes, political differences do not stand in the way of Thurston friendships.
Heger said he watched the debate with a group of friends.
"It was a mix. There were republicans, there were democrats, but everybody was middle-leaning, he said"
"I feel like the kids who are Republicans within George Washington feel like they are hated upon," said Mollison, who said he believed most students at GW are democrats.
"We do give them a lot of crap and so I think that they, in turn, fight back towards us by doing things like that," he said, referring to the Republican students who removed his signs
Ryan Heger, another Thurston resident, said he believed Democrats express their opinions more forcefully than Republicans.
"I get yelled at every time I mention John McCain's name and I don't crucify him afterwards," he said.
Another door displayed a "'Fun Fact of the Week." The latest Fun Fact quoted a woman at a McCain rally:
"I don't trust Obama...he's an Arab," she said, to which McCain responded, "To clarify: Obama is not an Arab, he is a human being worth of respect and basic dignity."
Evan Perkins' roommate posts the facts, which are intended to be humorous.
"I'm a pretty liberal democrat but...sometimes they're these ridiculous things that are only partially true and the people that put them up know it," Perkins said.
"When people put their political opinions up there for all to see sometimes it's...best to be a little more low-key," he said.
"It doesn't really bother me, but I could live without it," he said.
Lucy Rose Davidoff also had signs ripped down. Her posters stated that an organization had voted McCain the worst senator for children's rights, and McCain had voted against Martin Luther King Day.
"I understand in some ways because I know I get angry when I see things...dissing things that I believe in, but at the same time I feel like it's my right to post things I believe," Davidoff said.
Despite party clashes, political differences do not stand in the way of Thurston friendships.
Heger said he watched the debate with a group of friends.
"It was a mix. There were republicans, there were democrats, but everybody was middle-leaning, he said"
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