LA event Politicon features political discussions, student debates

Ethan Dodd snuck up in front of conservative commentator Ann Coulter and picked up his phone to quickly snap a selfie with her at a political convention Friday.

Dodd, a first-year political science and economics student and member of Bruin Democrats, was one of many students who attended Politicon, an event held at the Los Angeles Convention Center that mixed political discussion with comedy, art exhibits and movie screenings.

Politico, a political newspaper, along with other media partners, hosted the event on Friday and Saturday. The convention featured top political figures and celebrities, including former Republican Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich and Trevor Noah, host of the Daily Show, among others.

Roughly two hundred students, educators and Los Angeles locals attended the Friday night debate between the UCLA and the USC teams and laughed as debaters bantered with the judges and their teammates.

A few students from UCLA and USC dressed in patriotic costumes that included colonial-era wigs and head-to-toe American flag apparel to support their respective teams.

UCLA lost its first debate to USC on Friday, but won first place at the first round of roundtable debates Saturday, which also included teams from University of La Verne and Pepperdine University. UCLA placed second at the second round.

Debate topics included United States’ intervention in Syria, building a wall along the southern border with Mexico and restricting presidential eligibility to those who have previously held public office.

Each two-member team had a week to prepare for the debate topics, said Austin Kaidi, captain of the UCLA debate team and a third-year microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics student. Kaidi participated with his partner, Vishal Tummala, a second-year mathematics/economics student.

Tummala said he thinks debates are important because being knowledgeable fosters a better political climate.

“When we debate these issues, the audience becomes more acquainted with what’s happening in the capitol or the state government,” Tummala said. “Being informed is the first step toward greater participation.”

Dan Macks, who planned the debates on behalf of Politicon, said organizers invited Los Angeles teams based on their proximity to the event and skill level.

Allison Wyper, a UCLA alumnus, said she enjoyed seeing celebrities spanning the entire political spectrum but was disappointed with a few events, including one on comedy and media, because she felt it had nothing to do with the conference.

Joe Jacobson, a third-year political science and economics student, said his favorite event was a panel deconstructing the 2016 presidential election, featuring Gingrich, Daniel Axelrod, a former adviser to President Barack Obama, James Carville, former President Bill Clinton’s campaign manager and Alex Castellanos, a consultant for several Republican presidential campaigns.

The groups of two Republicans and two Democrats first discussed the rise of unconventional candidates like Donald Trump, Dr. Ben Carson and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., but the conversation quickly turned into an argument about which political party was responsible for recent government shutdowns.

“Carville’s really funny, and it was really interesting to see Axelrod get down to business and talk about the facts,” Jacobson said.

John Maldonaldo, a third-year political science student and military veteran, said his favorite panel was one in which Gingrich and Rep. Ted Lieu, whose congressional district includes Westwood Village, among others, discussed the strengths of veterans and how better to integrate them into the civilian workforce.

All panelists said they agreed veterans bring valuable skills to the workforce. Joe Klein, a panelist and reporter for Time magazine, said soldiers do not just fight wars, but also do a lot of rebuilding and public administrative tasks, which are skills all employers should value.

“We’re not charity cases, all we need is a few opportunities,” Maldonaldo said.

A panel discussion between four millennial entrepreneurs and political figures explored ways to increase the millennial generation’s involvement in politics by pushing for greater civic engagement and voter turnout on social media.

Aja Brown, mayor of Compton, and Ashley Spillane, president of Rock the Vote, a nonprofit aimed at increasing youth voter turnout, said they think younger voters have the potential to affect major change in politics.

“This is the largest generation in our country’s history, a generation that, contrary to popular belief, is paying attention,” Spillane said.