UCLA students will have the opportunity to speak today with a
former candidate for California governor in the recall
election.
And no, it’s not Gary Coleman.
National syndicated columnist Arianna Huffington will speak
today to discuss recent budget cuts in the California economy,
increases in California college tuition and her ideas for reforming
the Democratic Party.
The stop is one in a series of Huffington’s promotional
tour for her latest book. She is the author of 10 books.
Huffington rose to prominence as a conservative Republican but
found herself disenfranchised with the American political
system.
“I admit: I was seduced, fooled, blinded,
bamboozled,” Huffington wrote in the Los Angeles Times of
what she calls the “empty rhetoric” of Republicans in
the 1990s.
Huffington, ex-wife of former Republican Congressman Michael
Huffington, now considers herself a “progressive
populist” and frequently champions leftist ideals.
She became endeared with community-based issues such as
homelessness and gang violence. She serves on the boards of several
community organizations including Do Something, which is designed
to empower young people.
In 2003, she ran for governor of California in the recall
election as an independent candidate. Huffington dropped out of the
race a week before the election to help the Democratic party.
Despite dropping out, Huffington finished fifth in the election
with 0.6 percent of the vote.
She will be speaking from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in Ackerman Grand
Ballroom with a subsequent question-and-answer session.
With reports from Bruin staff.