Election guide 2016

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ELECTION ISSUE 2016

The Chronicle

Leaning left: Examining Duke’s liberal tendencies

had already began prior to Trump’s inflammatory catalysis, as indicated by the strong millennial support for “two of the most liberal senators”—Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

He added that the Republican Party must pick themselves up from Trump’s negative effect if they want to reclaim youth votes and keep the party alive.

“If the Republicans aren’t able to restore positive feelings among younger people, they’re going to have a really tough time in the future because other demographics— especially Latinos and Asian Americans— are shifting against them,” Rohde said.

“Their strongest support is dying off so the future doesn’t look very bright.”

Kenrick Cai The Chronicle More than half of Duke students who responded to The Chronicle’s 2016 election poll said they identified closest with the Democratic Party.

Almost 76 percent of the 920 students who responded to the poll planned to vote for Hillary Clinton, compared to 6.4 percent for Donald Trump. Of the 544 respondents voting in North Carolina, about eight students supported Roy Cooper for every Pat McCrory vote in the gubernatorial race, while the Senate race saw Deborah Ross leading Richard Burr by almost a five to one ratio.

“There’s a sort of set Democrat predisposition on campus, which is a real problem for the Republican Party,” said John Aldrich, Pfizer-Pratt University professor of political science. “It is really helpful for the university to try to seek ways to ensure comfortable presentation of both sides in a nonpartisan way.”

Turning left Almost 59 percent of students said they were more Democratic than Republican, Libertarian, Green or independent.

That number indicates an increase from 2012, when 45.3 percent of students identified as Democrats. Meanwhile, the proportion of Republican students decreased from 18.5 to 15.9 percent during the four years.

Dean of Students Sue Wasiolek, Trinity ’76, who joined the students affairs staff in 1979, noted that Duke has become more liberal during her time on campus.

“Over the last four decades, the Duke student body as a whole has moved towards the left,” she said. “It’s been a more gradual

Jeremy Chen| The Chronicle

and subtle movement over time.”

The decrease of conservatives on campus comes in part from Trump winning the Republican primary, said Mac McCorkle, associate professor of the practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy.

“A very consistent, constitutionally oriented young conservative may see very little in Trump,” he said. “The interesting appeal of Trump is that he’s not a consistent conservative, so he could alienate conservatives on ideological grounds and then alienate moderates because he has such a bad temperament.”

While McCrory and Burr are more conventional conservatives, poll results

showed Cooper leading McCrory 45.9 percent to 5.9 percent and Ross receiving 38.5 percent of the voter to Burr’s 8 percent.

“There is almost always a hangover of the presidential candidate on at least major other office seekers,” Aldrich said.

“McCrory has provided his own reasons for Duke students to want to back Cooper; HB2 comes to mind, among others.”

He said that Burr’s struggles come in part due to his “very delayed and slow and unaggressive” start to his campaign, which allowed Ross to gain name recognition.

Still, David Rohde, Ernestine Friedl professor of political science, said that the accelerated shift towards liberalism

Frat stars and Pratt stars Mitt Romney performed strongly in the 2012 poll among two core demographics— engineering students and fraternity members.

In contrast, Pratt support for Trump in 2016 stayed consistent with the general student body at 6.5 percent. Though Clinton support was lower than overall numbers at 72.3 percent, the difference was made up by either Gary Johnson or undecided voters.

“It has long been true that the kind of people who are attracted to engineering are less liberal than other college-educated citizens,” Aldrich said. “They’re more [politically] diverse and somewhat closer to the population.”

Almost 70 percent of Pratt students are males. Among the overall student body, females outpaced male support for Clinton by nearly 14 percentage points.

Aldrich is not surprised that Clinton polled strongly among Trinity students.

“Because you tend to be surrounded by See LIBERAL on Page 8

Voicing political opinions: Faculty have some restrictions for 33 years, and I’ve never run across any [guidelines].”

The Chronicle The existence of clear cut guidelines to professors’ dialogue may not matter— When it comes to Duke professors sharing Duke faculty and staff are generally liberal, political views, the rules get a little blurry. noted Charles Clotfelter, Z. Smith Reynolds According to the University’s “Campus professor of public policy studies.

Political Activity and Engagement with “Research shows that a majority of Federal Officials” guide, “no Duke faculty in top research universities are resources—including personnel, email liberal—Democrats—versus conservative— accounts, copiers, office space, vehicles or Republicans,” Clotfelter said. “That is just publications—may be used for political a fact of the labor market. What we insist purposes.” These restrictions, however, do on at Sanford is that professors treat every not apply to employees voicing opinions student with respect, and that includes with their own personal resources and on showing respect to sincerely expressed their own time. political views.”

“Every individual at Duke has the right As such, many professors attempt to to express their political viewpoints in their showcase a wide range of views in their discussions. Peter Feaver—professor of political science and public policy and a veteran of the George W. Bush administration—noted that he makes an effort to reflect different positions in his lectures.

Bipartisanship is important to a Duke education, noted Eric Mlyn, assistant vice provost for civic engagement and Peter Lange executive director of DukeEngage.

“I have always been committed to creating learning environments for our students—whether in the classroom or in the field—that allow a diversity of viewpoints to be represented,” Mlyn said, despite his own “very strong” personal politics.

However, Mlyn noted he was struggling to “draw the line” in this particular election cycle.

Gillespie emphasized that universities are supposed to be places of free speech where people can express their opinions.

He questioned whether Google mail Chris Teufel | The Chronicle According to Duke policy, faculty members cannot use Duke resources to voice their opinions is more of a “bastion of free speech than on political matters.

Duke University” if the current formal

Diane Hu

personal life and to speak about issues of interest and concern to them,” said Michael Schoenfeld, vice president of public affairs and government relations. “The only thing that is forbidden is using Duke resources for partisan political activity.”

In theory, this distinction might seem clear cut. In practice, however, professors said there is some ambiguity.

Michael Gillespie, professor of political science, said that he was not aware of relevant restrictions on professors sharing political views. He referenced academic tenure as a possible loophole to University guidelines.

“People have tenure, they go on tenuretrack positions, there’s no grounds for firing them,” Gillespie said. “I’ve been here

restrictions require professors to separate Duke and private email accounts for voicing political views.

Some people on campus noted that free speech for nontraditional viewpoints is often compromised.

“Over the years, I have experienced countless times what are today called ‘micro-aggressions,’” said Feaver, regarding his experience in being characterized as a “token Republican.”

Such bias stems from “a diversion from the norm,” noted senior Adam Lemon, former chair of Duke College Republicans.

“Academia tends to be very liberal, probably the only career industry on a whole that’s more liberal than journalists,” he said.

There is also no formal complaint process if people feel professors are improperly sharing their political positions. Schoenfeld noted that if students have a concern about a professor voicing his or her opinion in the classroom, they should talk to the professor and the appropriate dean, the same procedure for any issue.

On the question of balancing political expression and academic integrity, Schoenfeld said that there was no easy answer.

“Our policy is very clear that individuals have the rights to express their point of view, but anyone who expresses a point of view is also responsible for defending it,” he said.

The bigger issue, though, may simply be a lack of awareness regarding regulations in general.

“I was unaware of the Duke guidelines until you pointed them out to me,” said Richard Schmalbeck, professor of law.

“Obviously, [professors] would not consider them if they don’t know about them.”

The Chronicle

ELECTION ISSUE 2016

MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2016 | 3

Editorial Board endorsement:

Vote Clinton for president

O

ur country’s history and established tradition of progress set a threshold that all presidential candidates much reach.

This threshold is defined by a standard of ethos, and in this election, only one candidate passes such a test. As a result, as the Chronicle’s independent editorial board, we endorse Hillary Clinton to be our next president. Clinton has the political resume of an able leader ready to gain office. We support such a leader but do so with reserve, lamenting our current system’s inability to produce two viable candidates for election.

Opposite Clinton, Donald Trump poses a viewpoint that encourages regression rather than progression, simultaneously bolstering and contradicting his motto to “Make America Great Again.” While we recognize some groups of voters have seen a fall in political and economic capital in recent times, overall, our country has been progressing. However, Trump labels the hardships of certain groups as a product of others’ successes and continuously scapegoats the political problems of his electorate on other groups of individuals, inhibiting true political debate on policies.

Trump’s platform has relied on criticizing individuals, groups and opponents instead of providing a clear and decisive viewpoint. He has lacked the ethos necessary in a candidate and has

reliably shown unprofessionalism in his conduct.

As his platform is largely based on social viewpoint, in not offering our support to Trump, we are positioning ourselves against his social platform, which we decry without reserve.

In contrast, Clinton’s vision aims to have one foot forward. Clinton’s platform embraces diversity and openness, contrasting Trump’s support of homogeneousness and isolationism.

At the Democratic National Convention, Clinton, and others on her behalf, spoke critically about

Editorial maintaining America’s melting pot history and argued for more progress along the lines of acceptance and openness. The prospect of a multicolored and multicultural future was espoused and supported.

Though Clinton maintains a level of acceptable ethos necessary in a candidate, we do not deny legitimate complaints of her policy. We can find flaw in her foreign policy, the selective nature of her feminism and her commentary (or lack thereof) on the causes of a variety of activist groups. However, we hope the issues we have with Clinton’s vision can be counteracted by the checks and balances of

our nation’s government. In the case of Trump, we worry that these measures would prove insufficient to inhibit the messages of racism, xenophobia, isolationism and sexism from leaching into society.

Our endorsement for Hillary Clinton is not one of passion. Instead, we feel she is the only reasonable candidate for president of the United States. In order for Clinton to be the leader we desire, she has to be better. Though she stands alone in ethos, she is by no means the perfect candidate.

Even so close to the election, Evan McMullin, a third party candidate, gains favor in Utah, illustrating that our nation is hungry for opposition.

We need candidates on both sides of the aisle who have the ethos necessary to lead our country. We have an election with a missing candidate, and the level of discussion which surrounds this debate has fallen drastically. Where Trump’s position stands on social critique, one can only fight words with words.

We are desirous of capable opposition if only to elevate the debate on policy. We endorse Hillary Clinton, but caution our nation from selecting candidates who do not meet the threshold needed for our presidency. Without contrast, there can be no progress.

The views expressed in this editorial are those of the independent Editorial Board and do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper.

Looking for Clinton or Trump? You won’t find them at Duke Claire Ballentine The Chronicle “Hey, did you hear about Trump campaigning on campus?” said no Duke student ever.

North Carolina’s status as a battleground state has driven both Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump—along with their surrogates— to North Carolina to drum up support. Both candidates, vice-presidential nominees Tim Kaine and Mike Pence, as well as both First Lady Michelle Obama and President Barack Obama have rallied in North Carolina, often speaking on college campuses.

For example, both Kaine and Michelle Obama have spoken at North Carolina Central University this month, and Clinton has addressed students at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.

Notably missing from the list of campaign stops, however, is Duke. Surrogates—including Olympic figure skater Michelle Kwan and former NBA player Jason Collins—have made the trip, but never the candidates themselves.

John Burness—visiting professor of the practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy and former senior vice president for public affairs and government relations—said this is nothing new. Despite serving at Duke for 17 years, he could not remember a presidential or vicepresidential candidate choosing to campaign on campus. (Trump did visit campus for a basketball game 13 or 14 years ago, he said).

What is it about Duke that attracts basketball fans, students and faculty from all around the world, but not politicians? Campus leaders had some ideas.

An ‘elitist’ school Duke’s reputation as a prestigious institution may deter candidates from visiting for fear of seeming out-of-touch, noted Michael Schoenfeld, current vice president for public affairs and government relations.

“Candidates and high profile surrogates tend to gravitate to larger public universities when they make big campaign stops,” he wrote in an email. “I think in part because they are seen as more relatable to voters and perhaps less ‘elitist’ than selective private universities like Duke or an Ivy school.’”

Burness noted that the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill or North Carolina State University would be more valuable

events at UNC down the road,” he said.

Bureaucracy Some student leaders suggested that the University itself makes it difficult for politicians to visit. King explained that student groups have to complete “onerous procedures” to bring politicians on-campus.

This is often not ideal, given the frenetic pace of presidential campaigns.

King originally wanted to bring a gubernatorial or senatorial debate to campus this Fall, but decided hosting watch parties would be the easier option.

Not only does Duke need to streamline the process for politicians to come to campus, King said, but students also need to be less afraid of inviting controversial speakers.

“I would absolutely love to have more politicians make pit stops at Duke and shake Bre Bradham | Chronicle File Photo hands and kiss babies on the Bryan Center Major political candidates like Hillary Clinton have held events at universities in North plaza,” he said. “It would mean Duke students Carolina but have not visited Duke. would be more engaged voters.”

Schoenfeld said that many spaces at Duke campaign stops politically—”a lot of people know they’ve already secured students’ votes or are reserved and used constantly, which poses challenges for scheduling last-minute events. hate Duke,” he said. don’t have a chance of getting them.

Junior Amy Wang, vice president of Duke And campaigns striving to associate with “To a certain extent, Clinton should be public schools rather than private ones is assuming she will get a lot of Duke votes, and Democrats, said University has not made clear not a surprise, said Pope McCorkle, associate Trump would probably assume that he wouldn’t it is open to political campaign stops.

“It hasn’t pushed for candidates to come to professor of the practice in the Sanford School get many,” McCorkle said. of Public Policy. Some candidates may fear Lemon echoed this sentiment—if Trump Duke,” she said.

However, Schoenfeld noted that Duke is backlash from their opponents for cultivating visited Duke, “there would be a very small group too close a connection with reputable of supporters and a large group of protestors.” open to hosting candidates.

“If it can be accommodated, we will,” universities.

Durham in itself is very Democratic, “For Clinton to come to Duke, you would Schoenfeld wrote, making the area a less crucial he said. probably hear Trump say something about it,” campaign stop in general. Obama got 75.9 Is Duke losing out? he said. percent of the Durham County vote in 2012, Another related factor may be Duke’s even though then-Republican nominee Mitt Although Trump and Clinton are not holding rallies on the Main Quad, there are diverse out-of-state—and even out-of-country— Romney won the state. population. Public universities, on the other “You won’t see as many visits as you would still opportunities for students to engage in hand, tend to have larger percentages of in- to, say, Raleigh, which is more divided, or the election, including the early voting site on state residents.

Charlotte, which is a major media market,” Central Campus.

“Many Duke students are from out of state he wrote.

“It’s not like they haven’t been nearby, just and either aren’t registered in North Carolina Republican candidates need to go where not at Duke,” Burness said.

McCorkle agreed—although rallies can or want to vote in their home states,” said Junior the votes are, King said, noting that some might Matthew King, former YOUnite president and have “written off” college campuses because be beneficial for students, he said there hasn’t a columnist for The Chronicle. most are generally liberal. Trump and Pence exactly been a shortage of campaign stops Senior Adam Lemon, former Duke College have not made many stops at North Carolina relatively close by in North Carolina.

Republicans president, said a rally at UNC or universities, unlike Clinton and Kaine.

Rallies on campus might not even sway the NC State would relate more with North Carolina Lemon said he has struggled to bring minds of undecided voters, Wang said, because residents—who might view those universities as Republican candidates to campus for Duke policies and platforms can always be explained being more connected to the state.

College Republicans. He has attempted to outside of a rally. bring former presidential candidate Jeb Bush “Even if they did come on campus, the Leaning left and Incumbent Governor Pat McCrory to people who would go to see them would be people who had already made up their mind Duke’s liberal tilt may also discourage campus—without any luck. politicians from visiting—either because they “Neither were interested, but they had about the election,” she said.

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The Chronicle

The Chronicle

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International students weigh in on presidential election Alethea Toh The Chronicle Although most of Duke’s international students cannot vote in the U.S., they have nevertheless found themselves caught up in the political hype of this year’s presidential election.

The Chronicle spoke with many international students to find out what they think about the election. Most indicated a preference for Clinton over Trump, while acknowledging that she has made mistakes in the past.

Junior Chelsea Liu, a Chinese-Canadian dual citizen, cited Clinton’s vast experience in public policy.

“Hillary has spent more than three decades in public service, has consistently shown that she can get things done and cooperate with Republicans and Independents and has a platform that tries to be as inclusive as possible,” Liu said.

First-year Bigyan Regmi said he feels that Clinton’s “experience in policy-making and politics” is instrumental for a national leader, as opposed to Trump who has no political experience, despite his business acumen.

Sophomore Vidit Bhandarkar from India noted that he admires Trump’s business background but thinks that Clinton offers a more holistic platform.

Senior Thamina Stoll from Germany noted that despite Clinton’s past mistakes, she remains the most qualified U.S. presidential candidate. Stoll expressed admiration for Clinton’s stamina and tenacity, a characteristic that Trump himself acknowledged during the second presidential debate. Sophomore Amanda Sear—who is Canadian, but obtained

her green card six months ago—echoed Stoll’s sentiment, saying that Trump has no “knowledge, experience, or temperament to run this country.”

On Trump’s criticism of Obama’s open-door policy, Stoll said she believes some Americans feel that the Obama administration has not sufficiently protected their interests.

“I personally know families that have suffered from great economic disadvantages these past eight years, so I get why some people are more receptive to Trump’s ultraconservative rhetoric,” Stoll said.

Only one international student interviewed expressed support for Trump. Jingkun Goh, a first-year from Malaysia, said he believes that Trump’s commercial shrewdness will be a strong asset to the U.S. in building an “economic powerhouse” and added that the general public is biased against Trump.

“I think that people are only focusing on the bad things about Trump. I believe that in reality, Trump is just trying to attract attention and stand out from the crowd,” Goh said.

A poll average by RealClearPolitics as of Oct. 30 shows that Clinton has a 3.2 point lead over Trump. However, a poll conducted

by The Atlantic found that only 28 percent of women support Trump compared to 48 percent of men.

This trend is reflected in The Chronicle’s interviews with international students as most of the women polled supported Clinton.

Sophomore Sandra Batakana from Uganda said she regards Clinton as an embodiment of women’s empowerment.

However, sophomore Emile Riachi, a Lebanese-French dual citizen and a Chronicle columnist, does not fully support either candidate. Although Riachi wrote a column

Chris Teufel | The Chronicle Many international students at Duke expressed a preference for Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton instead of Republican nominee Donald Trump.

in The Chronicle defending some of Trump’s propositions on immigration, foreign policy, terrorism and trade, he said he disapproves of Trump’s divisive rhetoric. On the other hand, he expressed concerns over Clinton’s “interventionist” and “neo-conservative” foreign policy.

“Coming from Lebanon, a country in the Middle East, I fear that after pushing for the Iraq War, the intervention in Libya against Gaddafi and in Syria against Assad, she can destabilize the Middle East even more in the name of democracy and human rights, with specific economic and strategic interests underlying that rhetoric,” Riachi said.

Nevertheless, Riachi noted that several of his friends in Lebanon and Europe, mostly males, “are attracted by [Trump’s] rhetoric,”

specifically his “charisma and lack of political correctness, as well as his showmanship skills and his ability to clash [with] his opponents on stage.” His friends also “share some of [Trump’s] views on radical Islam and immigration.” Riachi added that the Trump/ Clinton divide—particularly regarding his closed-door policies and protectionist platform—transcends borders.

Most students said that there is a general disapproval of Trump’s divisive rhetoric back home, but shared that some of their family and friends support him. Liu said that most of her family in China says that Trump’s ideas resonate with them.

“I think xenophobia is even more prevalent See INTERNATIONAL on Page 8

Breaking down the Richard Burr-Deborah Ross Senate race Rachel Sereix The Chronicle As the race for the Senate heats up, the differences between North Carolina’s Republican incumbent Richard Burr and Democratic challenger Deborah Ross are becoming more and more pronounced.

Ross, a former member of the North Carolina General Assembly and a former Duke Law professor, is battling Burr in one of the tightest Senate races in the country. The candidates’ voting records, public statements and previous legislative actions indicate drastic differences in policy. “[Burr] tends to be a fairly popular incumbent and has been relatively removed from the [House Bill 2] thing going on around here,” said John Aldrich, Pfizer-Pratt university professor of political science. “He generally gets good marks for his work in Washington, and she is not particularly well known, so I expected that he would have a relatively easy re-election. Not simple, but relatively easy.”

Part of the reason he believes that Ross now strongly challenges Burr may be because Burr “did not jump into the race with real enthusiasm,” and that this gave Ross a chance to get established as a serious candidate before Burr started seriously campaigning.

The Chronicle took a look at how Burr and Ross compare in regards to this election’s hottest topics.

Burr and Ross have a very different stances on reproductive rights. Burr has voted to forbid human cloning for reproduction and medical research. He also voted in favor of banning partial birth abortions and voted against a $100 million initiative to reduce teen pregnancy through education and contraceptives.

Ross has voted in favor of allowing Affordable Care Act state exchanges to

Chris Teufel | The Chronicle Republican incumbent Richard Burr is battling Democratic challenger Deborah Ross for one of North Carolina’s Senate seats.

provide abortion services and has been a strong advocate for allowing abortions in any circumstance during the first two trimesters.

Ross previously introduced the Equal Pay Act in 2013 to address the disparity in wages between the sexes—women in North Carolina are paid 85 cents for every dollar paid to men.

Key to Burr’s re-election campaign has been his foreign policy credentials. Like many Republicans, Burr opposes the Obama administration’s Iran Deal—as a “foreign policy disaster.” He has previously voted “against “permanent normal trade relations” with China.

Burr has mixed votes on free trade agreements—he has voted in favor of implementing free trade agreements with Central America, Australia, Singapore, and Chile. But he has voted against a deal with Oman, has opposed trade deals with China and

is critical of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Deborah Ross has not been as outspoken as Burr regarding foreign policy issues—likely because she has only maintained a seat in the North Carolina General Assembly and has not held national office. However, she has been an ardent opponent of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, like her opponent. Regarding marriage rights, Burr previously voted in favor of a state amendment to limit marriage to heterosexual couples, but Ross has been a steadfast advocate for same-sex marriage.

The candidates’ voting records on environmental issues show stark differences as well.

Burr previously voted in favor of barring the EPA from regulating greenhouse gases and has voiced opposition to cap-and-trade, a government attempt to control pollution by creating economic incentives in a “pollution permit” market. Burr also voted to reauthorize

the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which helps protect North Carolina land for public use.

Ross voted for the Renewable Energy and Efficiency Portfolio Standard in 2008 which states that North Carolina’s utilities must obtain a certain percentage of their energy from clean or renewable resources and energy efficient programs.

Burr, who has an “A” rating from the National Rifle Association, has appealed to North Carolina residents concerned with limitations of their Second Amendment rights. He voted in favor of prohibiting foreign and United Nations aid that would restrict gun ownership and voted yes on a bill that would prohibit civil liability actions from being taken against gun manufacturers due to their products being misused. Burr also was strongly opposed to legislation that would prohibit high capacity magazines containing more than 10 bullets.

Deborah Ross has supported what she calls “common sense” gun safety and background checks and has voiced concerns about concealed carry of weapons in parks and restaurants.

Additionally, Burr has advocated for defunding, repealing and replacing ObamaCare with free market healthcare options. On the other hand, Ross has supported the expansion of state Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act’s provisions.

David Rohde, Ernestine Friedl professor of political science, noted that Ross’ lack of experience compared to Burr has been a challenge for her.

“She has never held state-wide office, she has never run state-wide before, she is not an incumbent in anything and that’s what also limits her visibility to the electorate,” he said.

“That is not surprising given the fact that she is a challenger.”

See SENATE RACE on Page 8

The Chronicle

ELECTION ISSUE 2016

Hooking up with Hillary

T

hey say you’ll always remember your first time.

Fifty years from now, I’ll tell my grandchildren about the windswept November day when I hooked up with Hillary. It was a scandalously public affair, with only an aging shower curtain to shield our dirty deed from the world.

I’ll never think about voting booths the same way again.

Casting your first vote is a lot like losing your virginity. It feels pretty good at first, but then there’s a lot of regret and some silent weeping. Afterwards, you’re consumed by second thoughts: “Marco Rubio, why couldn’t you have been my first?”

Marco almost was my first. I flirted with him in the Virgin-ia primary but he just couldn’t seem to make it to home base. Marco just didn’t have enough stamina. That’s when Donald J. came my way.

Donald was charming, I’ll give it

Matthew King

headlines. “Aleppo—” “What is a Leppo?” Gary interjected.

“A Leppo, Gary, is like a Cheeto— something that gives a satisfying crunch as it meets its doom. Also something Barack Obama doesn’t much care about.”

Then I sent Gary home. That dude needs to Wikipedia and chill before he earns my vote.

I never thought I would be interested in Hillary. After all, I know she plays for the other team (read: the Democratic Party). Hillary always seemed so distant: the intimidating sunglasses, the trademark pantsuits, the carefully sculpted hair, the paid speeches in Brazil. As Secretary of State, she was always zipping around from one faraway country to another, shaking hands with dictator after Clinton Foundation donor.

So elusive, so unattainable, more wonder than woman.

Hillary’s good at playing hard to get, and frankly it’s infuriating. Does she

AT THE WATER’S EDGE

to him. He told me he was off chasing someone else when he said those terrible things about Muslims, Ted Cruz’s dad and wife, disabled people, John McCain, Mexican immigrants and women in general. He was caught up in an abusive relationship with a white nationalist and ended up aping his partner’s bad habits.

But Donald was over that relationship.

He promised: “Believe me, I’ll be a real gentleman now.” I was intrigued. Maybe Donald could be reformed?

Mike Pence made a pretty good wingman, keeping Donald on the straight and narrow for a while. But then Donald’s exes called me up, one after another. Some of them told me how he’d borrow money from them and promise to pay them back later, only to stiff them with the bill. Others warned me that he was a seriously bad hombre who would put his bafflingly small hands way south of the border if I wasn’t careful. Gross! Sad! So I broke it off with Donald.

He refused to accept the result, but thankfully in this country that’s a major red flag. The decision was definitely for the best—who knows what Donald picked up from those sleepovers at the Kremlin? Whatever those Russians are spreading around, it’s known to cause some embarrassing ED—electoral dysfunction.

Gary Johnson knocked on my door the night I dumped Trump. I knew Gary from my Econ class, and he seemed to be an eccentric but smart guy with a pretty good grasp of free trade and how to fix entitlement programs. But that night Gary was higher than his native Santa Fe (elevation: 7,198 ft.), reeking of the Devil’s lettuce and wearing a rumpled Willie Nelson t-shirt. Gary explained he was anxious about his foreign policy midterm the next day and he needed me to help him study.

We started with a survey of the

T

MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2016 | 7

The American destiny

he Seal of the United States of America holds our national motto as “E pluribus unum”— Out of Many, One. Yet, the division wrought from this year’s presidential election undermines the feeling of national unity our motto aims to convey.

Normally, the quadrennial ceremony of electing our national representative is one that evokes the deepest passions of Americans of all backgrounds and political affiliations; however, this year is uniquely different. I need not delve into the elements of both Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump’s flawed characters that have ignited the flames of enmity which have fragmented a sense of common purpose to a greater extent than most elections prior. Instead, I’ve been focused lately on what binds the fabric of our people together—and what I ultimately believe this should mean for the choice made at the polls this November.

John Jay, in Federalist Paper No.

John Guarco

justice in the conflicts we have settled on the world stage. When the forces of evil threatened the future of humanity through the Axis powers, it was America that was essential in the ultimate victory over Hitler and the Nazis. When the European continent was mired in the aftermath of the war, it was America that led the reconstruction effort through the Marshall Plan that generated an alliance that lasts to this day. When the Soviet Union emerged as a global superpower threatening to engulf the globe in the failure of communism, it was America that proved integral in settling the Cold War on mutually beneficial terms. The list is endless and will prove to be infinite if we stay the course as a guardian of goodness in a world continually mired by evil.

Our role as an internationalist entity promoting global harmony is intertwined with our national interests and that of the world’s; however, the retreat into our borders and the diminishing of our

CARTHAGO DELENDA EST.

care about reaching Republicans like me or is she really into the Bernie bros?

Is she for TPP or against it? She has this thing where she’ll say one thing to you in private and then she’ll go around and say the opposite in public—how coy! I hear it works magic with the hedge fund guys.

Hillary never really seemed to notice me until a few months ago. But once she did, it’s safe to say she came on a little strong. Suddenly, every chance she got, Hillary started telling me just how much she wanted me—on Facebook and YouTube, TV and Twitter. Her whole campaign has a clingy vibe.

Admittedly, Hillary Rodham Clinton is not the world’s most tantalizing hookup. She’s not very good at small talk and she always uses the same tired pickup lines (Yes, Hillary, I have heard you’re a grandmother. Say hi to Charlotte for me!).

But Hillary is an acceptable hookup.

She actually knows what she’s doing.

She’s informed and she at least pretends to care about you. She isn’t loud and she won’t annoy your neighbors. If you’re drunk, she’ll stay with you and make sure you don’t drown in your own vomit.

That’s really the bare minimum we can expect of our politicians’ hookups at this point. Seriously, the pickings are that slim. But 2016 has been a rough night out for America and it’s time to pair off.

Hillary, I guess I’ll come back to your place (on the ballot).

And Hillary, I want you to know this is a short-term thing. In 2020, I’m swiping right on Paul Ryan faster than you can say “Four more years?” And whatever you do, Hillary, don’t email me about getting back together. I want this to be our little secret, and we all know how good you are at keeping those.

Matthew T. King is a Trinity junior.

His column, “at the water’s edge,” runs on alternate Mondays.

Join the conversation! dukechronicle.com/section/opinion

2 “Concerning Dangers from Foreign Force and Influence,” writes, “When the people of America reflect that they are now called upon to decide a question, which, in its consequences, must prove one of the most important that has ever engaged their attention, the propriety of their taking a very comprehensive, as well as a very serious, view of it, will be evident.” This is as true today as it was 229 years ago.

Indeed, through the second of the Federalist Papers, John Jay expresses the “uncontradicted opinion that the prosperity of the people of America depended on their continuing firmly united.” In this respect, Jay primarily argues for the unity of our people in pursuit of a strong and robust national defense to mitigate the threat of foreign forces from undermining the sovereignty of our nation. His aim was to assuage the concerns of those who worried that the end of the American Revolutionary War would yield a weak union open to the attack of foreign forces in order to return our fledgling Republic to colonial status. Needless to say, this did not happen, but the sentiment parallels concerns invoked today.

The challenges of the past expressed

by John Jay are admittedly different than the ones we face now. Nonetheless, I’m reminded of an aphorism Mark Twain was fond of saying—“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” Our leaders worried that external forces would bring internal chaos to the country. Now, I worry that internal forces could bring chaos to the world beyond our borders threatening the goal of stability and order that has defined our diplomatic efforts for centuries.

America’s history as a nation is inextricably bound to the destiny of mankind. Throughout the march of time, it has been the United States which has served as an arbiter of hope, peace and

global influence and strength embodied in the backwards foreign policy of Donald J. Trump poses a threat to not only the Republic, but to all nations who look onto our leadership as the world’s remaining superpower. We cannot elect a president who is willing to cede our authority over our allies “paying their fair share” instead of pursuing a diplomatic channel for solutions. We cannot elect a president who is willing to disgrace the Oval Office with a complimentary attitude to authoritarian leaders like Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong-un, Saddam Hussein and Benito Mussolini. Above all, we cannot elect a president who does not embrace the values that makes America so special: a reverence for democracy, a respect for domestic and international institutions, and a love of not only our country, but also our countrymen.

Donald J. Trump’s affinity for power in spite of the requisite knowledge, dignity and wherewithal for the highest office in the land is alarming. All the same, it would be shameful to elect this man who yearns to be a master of the country instead of a representative of the people.

In 1797, Alexander Hamilton wrote, “A nation that would prefer disgrace to danger is prepared for a master, and deserves one.”

The Founders envisioned a Republic where the individual is sovereign, not our rulers.

We have no king or queen. We have no dictator. We have no supreme leader, and we certainly do not have a master. Instead, we have the freedom to choose. The choice in this election is less than ideal, but it is one that must be made with the hope that a better candidate four years from now will step into the White House to replace whoever we elect this year. Nevertheless, it is a choice that must be made—and I choose the hope of unity over the certain chaos of division.

John Guarco is a Trinity senior. His column, “carthago delenda est.,” runs on alternate Tuesdays.

Interested in contributing to campus dialogue?

Submit a guest column to jackson.prince@duke.edu.

8 | MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2016

ELECTION ISSUE 2016

The Chronicle

Duke College Republicans choose not to endorse Trump Neelesh Moorthy

what stance to take.

Explaining that decision, Colin Duffy, a junior and chair of DCR, previously noted that the group was choosing to focus on down-ballot races instead.

“The Duke College Republicans’ members come from a diverse and wide array of opinions and backgrounds all along the conservative spectrum,” he wrote in an email. ”Our club has limited time resources, and North Carolina has highly competitive state and local elections this year. Therefore, DCR will be focusing the club’s efforts and resources on the gubernatorial and senatorial races.”

Since then, Trump has been attacked for a 2005 video in which he brags about

using his fame to grope women, which led prominent Republicans such as The Chronicle Arizona Sen. John McCain to withdraw endorsements. The chairwoman of the Five members of Duke College College Republican National Committee, Republicans have come out against Alex Smith, also denounced the candidate, Republican nominee Donald Trump, tweeting she was “not with him.” but the group as a whole has not taken a In early October, junior Rebecca Blair, position one way or the other. seniors Adam Lemon and Maddy Bolger The Chronicle reported in August that and sophomores Michelle Krogius and the organization was “abstaining” from a Paul Forrester called on Trump to exit position on Donald Trump’s controversial the race. They urged voters not only to presidential campaign. At that time, write in a presidential candidate instead, Harvard University’s Republican Club but also to support Republican Senator had formally denounced the candidate, Richard Burr and Republican Governor and Republicans on Yale University’s Pat McCrory elsewhere on the ballot. campus split into two groups—divided on The entire organization, however, has not taken a definitive position on Trump and his campaign. Just as in August, the group is divided on its support for Trump, and Forrester emphasized DCR has not endorsed a presidential candidate this cycle.

“Republicans across the country have been divided about Trump’s candidacy.

Our organization is no different,” Forrester wrote in an email. “Some members, like me, will not vote for Trump because he does not share our conservative values of limited government, free markets and a strong national defense. Others have made a ‘lesser of two evils’ calculation between Trump and Clinton and opted for Trump.”

Denouncing Trump now as an entire group might go against the compromise made at the beginning of the year, said Adam Lemon, a senior and former chair of DCR. Although Lemon is not a voting member, he Jack White | The Chronicle said the vote on whether to denounce the Duke College Republicans hosted an event Wednesday to discuss diversity in the Republican candidate was a “close one.”

“There was a little bit of disagreement,” Party, which attracted students and Durham residents.

he said. “Mostly because people felt that an outright denunciation was not in the spirit of the original compromise we forged at the beginning of the semester, but some of us wanted to do something anyway, so that was the decision we made.”

Complicating things further might have been pressure from the North Carolina Federation of College Republicans, which he said is “very stringent” on local chapters denouncing the party’s nominee.

“The State Party did issue a directive saying they would not allow such things the weekend when the remarks were roiling the political world,” he said. “It was pretty much a very obvious ‘please stay out of this, the situation’s crazy enough as it is’ kind of message.”

Duffy confirmed this—adding that “chapters were only approved to reiterate statements on the issue published by the North Carolina College Republicans governing body.”

Forrester, however, pushed back on that notion, adding that the “NCFCR is a true federation,” meaning that they do not exert complete control over DCR’s actions, and that DCR does not make its decisions based on NCFCR’s recommendation or lack thereof.

The North Carolina Federation of College Republicans could not be reached for comment.

Despite all the disagreements, Lemon said there was no risk of a split—like what happened at Yale—among DCR. “It’s definitely not a ‘Game of Thrones’ scenario,” he said. “There’s a lot of disappointment in the nominee, and disappointment is a kind word, but it’s not remotely close to any sort of civil war.”

INTERNATIONAL from page 6

upper-middle to upper class students tended to be in fraternities,” Aldrich said.

He added that the continued support for Trump among the demographic in 2016 is more difficult to assess because Trump does not necessarily have the drawing power with affluent voters that McCain and Romney did.

“If Trump has an appeal, it’s among less well-educated, rural, relatively poor people, which is not exactly what you’d call a Duke demographic,” Aldrich said. “Duke is the mainstream of the elite of the system. We are the establishment.”

Meanwhile, Clinton received 88 percent of the sorority vote, compared to 3.2 percent for Trump.

The Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association could not be reached for comment.

Aldrich noted that female students may be “unusually offended” by leaked recordings of Trump suggesting sexual assault.

“Significant numbers of females have experiences of sexual discrimination or sexually aggressive behavior,” he said. “That’s been a problem on campus, including here, so it really resonates and they’re more than smart enough to pick up on that.”

“The last three or four elections, that’s down to about five, six or seven percent, so to have a third of Republicans say that they’re going to vote for somebody else is really remarkable.”

Others said a Trump upset victory would go against the long-term direction of the country.

“The voters you are talking to are the voters who are going to be voting later in life for a long time,” McCorkle said. “For any kind of presidential candidate to be in single digits, it does bode badly for the nation if Trump somehow won because he’s so profoundly unpopular with the Dukeeducated segment of the electorate.”

in China than it is [in the U.S.] because there’s so little diversity [in China],” said Liu. When asked how U.S. elections differ from those back home, Stoll noted that the sensationalization of American politics, largely perpetuated by the media, is fascinating to her.

“In Germany, elections are much more policy-focused,” she said. “German politicians hardly bash their opponents; instead they come up with very detailed campaign manifestos and those are being discussed in the public discourse rather than a nominee’s personal attributes.”

Junior Xinyu Li, a Chinese-New Zealand dual citizen, noted the length of U.S. presidential elections.

“In [China], elections are only really felt close to the actual voting date,” Li said.

“There’s also a much bigger push for voter registration [in the U.S.] than back home.”

Sophomore Joseph Tan from Singapore said that he wants a U.S. president who will prioritize America’s international responsibilities and interests.

“Regardless of who becomes president, I hope that U.S.-Asia relationships continue to remain steadfast,” Tan said. “Existing relationships between American and Asian ‘Echo chamber’ civil servants will be even more critical in Shifting ideologies and the vitriol of navigating through this period of political the presidential race have polarized the uncertainty.” political climate at Duke, Wasiolek said, destroying “compassionate disagreement” and making Duke a microcosm of political from page 2 dialogue nationally.

“There have been times in the past where people who are thinking like you more or notions of compromise and collaboration less politically, it’s less likely that you are to have been much more prevalent in the change and become more conservative,” he overall political ethos,” she said. “Among said. “It is sort of a bastion for liberal politic students, I’ve seen relationships suffer as a beliefs in a place like Trinity.” result of different political opinions.”

On the other hand, Trump polled Students may not be making a deliberate strongest among fraternities, with 10.7 effort to drown out opposing viewpoints, percent of members indicating support.

Aldrich noted, but the vocal left has “In the past, some of the more white and inadvertently done so.

LIBERAL

“As things tip from 50-50 to being increasingly one sided, the incentives for speaking out as the minority become less.

You don’t know who else cherishes your opinion,” he said. “It need not be anything intention about it at all, but it has that effect of an echo chamber—a self reinforcing majority that tends to grow.”

Junior Amy Wang, president of Duke for Hillary and a vice president of Duke Democrats, said it is important for conservatives, including members of Duke College Republicans, to also be heard on campus.

“I would hope that there’s some way that we can communicate with them more to make sure their voices are also being heard, because this is a dialogue that needs to be said,” she said. “Ultimately, we’re not looking for people to support us, we’re looking for people to genuinely feel strongly about politics, period.”

Duke College Republicans did not respond to emails from The Chronicle.

Aldrich said that the University can moderate the liberal skew by presenting opposing viewpoints through course curriculum and bipartisan events.

“The value of a liberal arts education is to be able to weigh all sides, to be able to ask questions, to be able to think deeply about all of the viewpoints that are out there,” Aldrich said.

Wasiolek noted that faculty and students were equally responsible for fostering political discourse alongside the institution.

Still, faculty members agree that Trump has not made a positive effort to attract the youth vote.

“It’s hard to imagine a candidate who’s done more to repel a Duke student than Donald J. Trump,” said Aldrich said.

Even among Republican respondents, Trump barely beat Clinton at 32.6 percent to 31.2 percent.

“That’s a remarkable defection rate in current American politics,” Rohde said.

SENATE RACE from page 6 Aldrich said that typically the incumbent has an advantage due to being more wellknown, but that this year, ties to Trump may leave Burr vulnerable.

“You may know about the incumbent, but you don’t know about the challenger, and so the role of party and the president in terms of swinging the vote becomes more consequential,” Aldrich said.

Rohde echoed this sentiment, noting that Ross’ “main strength” is that she is running in a year when the top of the Republican ticket is weaker in the state than it has been in other years.

He explained that Burr’s greatest strength as an incumbent is that has been involved in creating legislation that appeals to the electorate and is willing to indicate publicly through ads about what he has done as a senator so far.

But campaign advertising about voting records is not as widespread as it once was.

“Lots of people don’t watch broadcast television anymore or watch it much more rarely than they used to, so they may be much less likely to encounter attack ads from each side,” Rohde said.