Indiana Matters

"For the first time in 40 years, Indiana matters!"

Those words were so eloquently spoken by Bill Clinton during a speech he have at Indiana University yesterday. Of course he did not mean for it to sounds offensive and not surprisingly no one really noticed he even said it. They just kept cheering. The speech he gave was quite good, especially because it seemed like he was improving the majority of it. At times he tried too hard to relate to the "Indiana student" with too many basketball references. That's not what we want to hear about! After the speech, many of us wished he could be president again. He is a good leader and is truly intelligent. I hope that either Hillary or Barack can live up to his presidency. I only had one qualm. He came two hours late! Going back to what he said, there is truth in what he said.

It has been a long time since Indiana's primaries have mattered. All of the sudden the Obama and Clinton campaigns are starting to spend a lot of time in this wonderful state. Last week, Chelsea Clinton gave a speech here. It went well, unlike the speech at Butler University. Yesterday, Jeremy Piven was here campaigning for Barack Obama. He is that guy from the Entourage and the uncle of Pearl from the now famous YouTube video, The Landlord. On Sunday, Dave Matthews Band and Tim Reynolds are performing at Assembly Hall.

I have been getting great benefit from all this activity. I actually got to shake hands with a former president and I was able to get him to autograph my friends pocket constitution. Now, she has both Bill and Chelsea's signatures, there is only one left to go. Even before the political hubbub many of my idols came to visit. The Dali Lama, Hillary Hahn, Joshua Bell, Martha Nussbaum, Michel Camilo, Lewis Lockwood, and more have been lucky enough to be in my presence!

I wonder if the quantity and quality of all these events is typical for IU or if this is just a special year. In some ways I think Indiana actually is a popular campus for people to visit. The size is a big draw and in terms of classical music the Jacobs School of Music brings in famous musicians from all over the world. Picking this school has been one of the greatest choices I've made. Indiana matters!