Tag: politics

OWU’s mock vote falls flat

By Matt Maier, Transcript Reporter

Would it be Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?

This was the question Ohio Wesleyan wanted to know when they held a mock vote Nov. 2.

The Student Involvement Office, located in the Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, held a mock presidential vote and the result was what the students on this campus would expect.

Clinton won the mock vote in an unsurprising victory. But in total, there were only 192 votes counted out of the roughly 1,600 students on campus.

Of these 192 votes, 122 went to Clinton while Trump received a mere 45 votes. Gary Johnson received nine votes, Jill Stein received one vote and 15 other write-ins were received.

“This mock vote was just a fun event for the students since it is an election year and we were just curious on how they were planning to vote in this election,” said Chloe Holmes, a student who works in the Student Involvement Office.

Would this mock vote correlate to the winner on Nov. 8? Students thought so.

“I think the students on campus here at OWU know exactly who is going to win,” said senior Kelly Schade. “It doesn’t surprise me at all that Hillary won the mock vote.”

Clinton won the mock vote, but Trump won the presidency.

Voting made easy on and off campus

By Michael Barr, Transcript Correspondent

Only once in one class’s college career does the occasion arise in which Ohio Wesleyan students can cast their vote and unsurprisingly, opinions become evident.

OWU holds consistent with the tradition of small liberal arts college cam- puses being predominately politically liberal, according to the recent campus-wide Mock Voting Results in which Hillary Clinton defeated Donald Trump 122-45. While only a small scale of students were represented in the Mock Vote, the results provide a thought-provoking perspective of campus life.

Losing by nearly three times as many votes, the question then becomes whether or not the campus is predominately liberal, underrepresented conservatively or that the campus has created a space in which conservative ideology is socially unacceptable.

Non partisan early voting shuttles were provided for jointly by the Politics and Government department and the Student Involvement Office at five different times to provide students transportation to and from the Delaware County Board of Elections.

One can frequently expect to see a plethora of various Clinton apparel strolling across campus, though countable on a single hand is an embroidered “Make America Great Again” slogan. But in regard to verbal support for Clinton, the same can be said.

While college campuses are hardly conservative, any showing of a right-leaning motion seems almost
taboo at OWU, with the overwhelming support for Clinton surely causing the opinions of campus Repub- licans to feel exhaustingly isolated.

As the college demographic represents a crucial portion of voters, registering while at OWU was made as simple as possible, due to a large presence of campaign volunteers.

The early voting process was an easier process for time-strapped students, allowing them the weekend to get to the polls.

103-year-old Dorothy Sellers votes for Hillary

By Areena Arora, Managing Editor

A 103-year-old lifelong Republican Dorothy Sellers voted for Hillary Clinton.

Sellers was born seven years before women were given the right to vote and has only seen men in the Oval Office.

Sellers studied as an English major at Ohio Wes- leyan University from 1932-33, but had to leave before graduating because of the Great Depression.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Sellers decided to join OWU and said she “really enjoyed it here.” She said, “After leaving OWU, I came to New York and took various courses at New York University, but never graduated.”

Since leaving OWU’s campus 83 years ago, Sellers has never been back, but would like to, she said.

“I’ve been a registered Republican, always … but I’m an Independent now … I voted for Roosevelt and Obama and now for Hillary.”

She said she did not care for George W. Bush. “I did not like the war … I did not like his office.” She said she believes firmly in the democratic power to express opinions through voting. “I was not a big political mover and shaker … I didn’t march or protest … I always just voted.”

Sellers said it is very exciting for a woman to be able to reach the nomination

“I have nothing against women being the president. They are just as smart as men … If she wins, it would turn the page.”

Despite being a Republican, Sellers chose Clinton because she said she thinks Clinton would make a bet- ter president. “For obvious reasons … Trump has no experience … all this sex business is not presidential … [Trump] would not make good decisions.”

Sellers voted on the morning of Nov. 8. “The polling place was not crowded when I went. Freeport, [New York] is a very integrated village … there’s all kinds of people here.”

If Trump does win, Sellers said she is unsure how she would react. “My reaction would be very upset.” But she added she is hopeful. “If we have to go forward, we will. We got out of the Great Depression … so we can get out of anything.”

Her time at Ohio Wesleyan was a difficult one. With the Great Depression setting in, she also had to deal with her father’s death and her family house burned down. But she said she would love to visit again given the opportunity.

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s Policies: National Debt

By Shamayeta Rahman, Transcript Reporter

Currently the U.S. has about $14 trillion in debt, which is about 75 percent of the gross domestic product.

This is projected to grow by almost 130 percent by 2040. Majority of the U.S. public spending goes into federal health care and Social Security costs.

High national debt hinders the economy greatly and often leads to great fiscal crises.

According to Gallup, 72 percent of Americans believe that reducing the federal budget deficit should be the elected candidate’s first priority.

Trump’s primary stand on the national debt issue has been the promise of reducing taxes for high wage earners to promote investment and growth in the economy.

He also intends to increase growth by tightening up trade by increasing tariffs on the international front and deregulating on the domestic front.

He believes that all of this will help drive the economy forward.

While cutting down on Obamacare and instead proposing a state-based block grant for Medicaid will save him about $500 billion, it will be spent in whatever health care reform that will be in place instead of Obamacare.

He proposed a “Penny Plan” which would allow massive budget cuts in the federal government even if it is by 1 percent a year (excluding defense, Social Security and federal health spending), but a majority of this saving will also be taken up by increased spending on defense and veteran care.

Trump has a lot of reforms in mind, but without a lot of information on how he plans to fund or sustain these programs.

He will be cutting down on income taxes which will cost the government about $4.5 trillion in revenue, leaving the country with about $5.3 trillion in federal deficit.

Under his policies, the U.S. could be looking at about 105 percent of the GDP in national debt.

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s Policies: International Relations

By John Bonus, Transcript Reporter

As president of the U.S., one of the largest responsibilities is to represent the country on issues of international relations and foreign policy.

On the topic of international relations, Donald Trump takes a stance that conflicts Barack Obama’s tactics. His agenda will likely undo many of the deals and policies that Obama has put in place.

Immigration has been one of the most foreign policy issues Trump’s campaign has addressed.

Trump said he believes that the U.S. needs to take stronger measures in preventing immigration. When he announced his candidacy, he revealed part of his plan includes building a wall across the border between the U.S. and

Mexico and having the Mexican government pay for it.

On the subject of nuclear proliferation and Iran, Trump plans to throw away the Iran Deal. The deal would relieve Iran of $100 billion in international sanctions if it halts its nuclear program.

Trump referred to the deal as, “one of the worst deals I’ve ever seen negotiated in my entire life.”

The Islamic State (IS) is a key issue and Trump has not revealed much about his plan to fight the terrorist organization. He has claimed to have a secret plan that he will not reveal until after his election and that he knows more about IS than U.S. generals do.

He does plan to increase U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria while also working with the military of European and Arab countries.

National security is an issue that Trump will take a big stand on. His policies will include keeping the Guantanamo Bay detention center open and using interrogation tactics like waterboarding on people suspected of terrorism.

Where North Korea is concerned, Trump plans to put pressure on China to urge North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons development program.

In January, Trump told Fox, “China has total control over North Korea. And China should solve that problem. And if they don’t solve the problem, we should make trade very difficult for China.”

Trump plans to continue U.S. support of Israel. He hopes to be a medium in negotiations between Israel and Palestine.

Russia is an issue on which Trump differs greatly from many Americans, especially Republicans.

According to Business Insider, Trump has repeatedly praised Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has suggested that Putin is a better leader than Obama and when Putin praised Trump, he happily received the support.

Trump has heavily criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and wants to encourage European countries to put its own pressure on Russia for its attempted intervention in Ukraine.

Cuba is one issue that Trump and Clinton have not differed on this election. Trump will continue what Obama has started in lifting the Cuban embargo and establishing normal diplomatic relations with the country.

Rob Portman wins reelection

By Gopika Nair, Chief Copy Editor and Liz Hardaway, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Republican senator Rob Portman won reelection for Ohio on election day.

Portman ran for his second term against democratic nominee and former Ohio governor Ted Strickland.

Portman won with 58.4 percent of the votes, with 36.9 percent going to Strickland.

In Delaware County, Strickland won with the majority, 67,500 votes out of the almost 100,000 voters, according to the New York Times Ohio U.S Senate results.

Nearly $50 million was spent by outside groups on this senate race, according to the Washington Post. Ads for Portman included his efforts to fight the growing opioid epidemic as well as combatting sex-trafficking in the state.

Republicans won the senate majority with 51 representatives elected. There are 47 democratic representatives in the senate.

The House majority is secured as well, with 235 republicans and 183 democrats, according to the New York Times.

Portman joins Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown to represent Ohio once again.

Brown has been a senator since 2006 and runs for reelection November 2018.

Where Portman’s stance on issues are concerned, Portman has said he doesn’t completely agree with President-elect Donald Trump’s views about immigration.

“I’ve supported immigration reform, but I have not supported the deportations of millions of non-citizens who are here because I don’t think it’s practical and I don’t think it would be humane for a lot of those families,” Portman was quoted as saying in an article by Karen Kasler for WOSU Public Media.

Portman said the right to keep and bear arms is a part of the Constitution and “our tradition in this country.”

Additionally, he said he believes that gun violence can be curbed by enforcing more stringent laws and conducting background checks.

On Sept. 27, Portman said on his Google page that he has been advocating to make college education more affordable for students.

“I’ve fought to make college more affordable by supporting the consolidation of student loan repayment programs and giving borrowers a choice between a fixed repayment schedule or an income-driven payment plan,” he said.

He also added that he believes if “two people are prepared to make a lifetime commitment to love and care for each other in good times and in bad, the government shouldn’t deny them the opportunity to get married.”

Introducing President-elect Donald J. Trump

By Courtney Dunne, Editor-in-Chief and Areena Arora, Managing Editor

The verdict is in. The 45th President-elect of the United States is business tycoon and tv personality Donald J Trump along with Vice President Mike Pence.

Defeating democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton by 61 electoral votes, Trump has emerged the winner. Swing states such as Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania emerged red effecting the electorate and skewing the results.

But he did not win by a landslide. Clinton walked away with the popular vote.

The final popular vote came in at Clinton 59,595,237 votes (47.7%) and 59,370,253 votes (47.5%) for Donald Trump, but in the voting system in the U.S., presidential candidates must win the majority of the electoral vote in order to win the election.

This historic election took an unexpected turn which brought Trump to the White House.

The country was looking for Trump to speak on the unity of the United States and in his acceptance speech early morning Nov. 9., Trump said, “Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division.”

Despite the efforts of many students campaigning for Clinton at the foot of the JayWalk up until the election day, Delaware county voted for Trump.

Citizens waited around for hours waiting for Wisconsin, Michigan, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania went neck in neck for awhile with the vote sitting at 48.2 to 48.2, and in the end Trump won the state by 0.6 percent.

In Ohio, Trump won with 52.1 percent votes, while Hillary took 43.5 percent.

Trump kept the lead for the majority of the night, with Clinton pulling ahead taking the win in California, but it didn’t last for long. Swing states kept voters waiting into the early hours of the night.

The Republicans retained their majority in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, which will provide an ease for Trump that President Obama did not have in getting policy passed.

As the polls remained tight and Trump took the lead, investors began to pull their money out of the American markets. The Dow Jones industrial average plunged about 700 points throughout the election results.

Finally at 2:40 a.m. EST, Clinton called Trump saying she will concede the race, giving the country the president-elect.

Around 2:45 a.m., Trump delivered his acceptance speech opening with, “Thank you. Thank you very much, everybody. Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business. Complicated. Thank you very much. I’ve just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us. It’s about us. On our victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign.”

On Nov. 9 at 11:30 a.m. Secretary Hillary Clinton delivered her concession speech to the country, encouraging her voters to keep an open mind to the new president Trump.

She offered to work with him on behalf of the the country. She said she respects this peaceful transfer of power and reminded her voters that it is never wrong to fight for what is right.

“I feel pride and gratitude for this campaign that we built together.. You represent the best of America and being your candidate has been one of the greatest honors of my life,” said Clinton in her concession speech.

Trump is going into the presidency with over 50 percent approval ratings, which is historically high, according to CNN.

Shortly after Clinton delivered her concession speech President Barack Obama gave a speech from the White House Rose Garden.

Obama said he called Trump in the early morning hours of Nov. 9 to congratulate the new president-elect and to provide his support. Obama said he wants to honor the standing tradition of a peaceful transition, even with the man who challenged Obama’s birth rights of being a U.S. born citizen. Obama even invited Trump to the White House on Nov. 10 to start his peaceful transition.

Obama and Clinton urged their supporters to give trump the chance to lead the country, while Obama said he is doing his best to prepare Trump for the office, he said, “is bigger than anyone.”

There have been mixed reactions from students on OWU’s campus, and Obama tells us in his speech on Nov. 9 to stay positive and look to the bright side.

The inauguration day for Trump to take office is Jan. 20, 2017.

Early voting information important for students

By Cirrus Robinson, Transcript Reporter

As voting registration for Ohio ended Oct. 11, the outreach efforts of Jenny Holland, assistant professor of politics and government at Ohio Wesleyan, and several students came to a close.

The upcoming presidential election called for serious fervor from campus political teams ensure that students had access to voter information and accurate registration.

Early voting in Ohio begins Oct.12 and ends Nov. 7. Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 8th. OWU Daily and corresponding emails from Holland and other campus outlets will update students on what they need to do before and on Election Day.

Tables spread throughout campus provide forms and information to make an early election choice.

A valid ID and complete registration are the only requirements to cast an early vote. Absentee ballot applications can be completed and printed online for those who are not currently registered to vote in Delaware, and students can submit ballots until the end of polls closing a Election Day.

Tables in the lobbies of Hamilton-Williams Campus Center, Beeghly Library and OMSA provided students with registration forms and information about changing their addresses right up to Tuesday when opportunities closed.

The U.S. provides flexibility during election season in allowing a voter to choose either their home state or the state in which they currently reside to register.

This allows college campuses to ensure all students, particularly OWU with high national and international enrollment, can be prepared.

Holland stressed the importance of proof of residency and signing up under the correct OWU address to ensure that students are not left with any gaps in their eligibility come November.

Those who registered to vote in the spring with different dorm addresses were also encouraged to update their information and ensure that everyone was able to make their mark in the presidential race.

Students can check their voting status to make sure they were properly registered at either a Board of Elections website correlating with their address or at My Voter Information at voterlookup.sos.state.oh.us.

Debt-free plan proposed could affect students

By Liz Hardaway, Arts & Entertainment Editor

Hillary Clinton’s debt-free college plan could be detrimental to Ohio Wesleyan’s future.

Clinton proposed a “New College Compact” plan, a guaranteed debt-free college experience influenced by the platform of former Democratic nominee Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Va).

Not only is this beneficial for future students “to pursue their dreams,” but Clinton also plans to offer immediate relief to current student debt, which nationally exceeds $1 trillion, according to “The New College Compact” briefing on Clinton’s website.

For public university students, the plan assures a future where students will not have the need to take out loans to fund their education. This includes free tuition and fees at four-year schools for students coming from families who earn up to $125,000, as well as free tuition for anyone, at all income levels, for community colleges.

As for private school students, interest rates in student loans will be significantly lowered so “the government no longer profits from college students,” the plan said.

The cost of this program is estimated at $500 billion over 10 years, paid by “those at the top” by closing tax loopholes and expenditures, said the plan.

What does this mean for private schools?

A study conducted by the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce concluded that enrollment at private colleges would drop by an estimate of 11 percent.

With the enrollment dropping from 1,717 to 1,650 students since the 2013-14 school year, OWU has made great strides to improve enrollment and retention of students. In February 2016, OWU’s Board of Trustees passed the resolution to support the enrollment growing to 2,020 students by 2020.

But if the “New College Compact” plan passes, enrollment could drop by 117 to 250 students.

“There isn’t any doubt in my mind that if we’re going to drop another 11 percent, it would mean wholesale, big changes at the university,” said Susan Dileno, the vice president of enrollment. “There’s no other place to build revenue, since you’re not getting tuition revenue and the only thing you can do is cut.”

This would mean cutting programs, selling physical assets as well as letting go of staff and faculty.

“I don’t know if there would be any other way to address it,” Dileno said. “It would be pretty drastic.”

For public schools, the opposite would happen.

“Given the lack of analogous cases and the lack of legislative and regulatory specificity in the Clinton proposal, our best informed guess is that the overall impact would be a 9-22 percent increase in enrollment at public colleges and universities,” according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce.

Boston Globe columnist talks presidential candidate concerns

By Evan Walsh, Transcript Reporter

Some of those who watched the first presidential debate may have been asking themselves: how did we get Donald Trump (R) and Hillary Clinton (D) as our presidential nominees?

Michael Cohen, a columnist for the Boston Globe and World Review, addressed the concerns ordinary Americans have about the candidates before students and faculty Wednesday, Sept. 21 in Merrick Hall.

Cohen, who has covered both Clinton and Trump’s respective campaigns for the last 15 months, began with a quote from William Faulkner about history repeating itself: “The past is not dead, it’s not even past.”

He then elaborated on those similarities this year’s election shares with another famous, though controversial, election year: 1968.

According to Cohen, Trump, the GOP’s nominee for president is not unlike Alabama’s George Wallace, a Dixiecrat, who divided the Democratic party prior to the General Election of 1968.

Both Trump and Wallace, considered outsiders to Washington’s establishment politics, have a history of using “strong but hateful rhetoric” to appeal to the interests of their constituents.

Citing his most recent publication, “American Maelstrom: The 1968 Election and the Politics of Division,” Cohen criticized the explicitly racist and misogynistic overtures coming from Trump and his supporters.

“When it comes to Trump, it’s not a matter of issues or ideology; it’s about fear … existential fears,” Cohen said.

Brian Goldaber, a politics and government major, said he enjoyed Cohen’s analysis and felt Cohen’s comparisons between Wallace and Trump were appropriate.

“They both capture a sense of frustration with the established political order and they overtly say a lot of things that conventional politicians would never say,” Goldaber said.

Jenny Holland, assistant professor of politics and government, moderated the event and led a Q&A once Cohen concluded his speech.

One audience member, soliciting Cohen’s opinion on gender’s impact on the race, wanted to know how “Trump supporters [those he’s met while covering the campaign] have responded when they were asked about the possibility of the first ever female presidency.”

Tyler Iffland, who remains unsure of which candidate he prefers, said he does not think that gender matters as much as each candidate’s lack of transparency.

“How can I confidently vote for Clinton when she can’t release her emails, and how can I confidently vote for Trump if he’s hiding his tax returns?” Iffland said.

Members of the Arneson Institute for Practical Politics and Public Affairs organized the lecture.