THE RED AND BLUE DILEMMA

THE RED&BLUE DILEMMA

Students provide insight on their political views and who they’re supporting in the election this .November

by Killian Hughes & Jessie Wang designed and illustrated by Jameson Pecilunas

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Brightly colored lawn signs cover the neighboring streets of Hinsdale Central as senior Graham Singer makes his way to school. From the Presidential Trump-Pence and Biden-

Harris signs to the Congressional yellow

Jeanne Ives and blue Sean Casten signs, it is impossible to forget the upcoming election. For Singer, these signs are a reflection of the choices he will make on Nov. 3. After winessing the actions of the Bush, Obama, and Trump administrations throughout his life, Singer will now have the option to take action himself and to vote on the issues he cares about. For the first time, Singer and his fellow seniors will have a chance to change the nation with their ballots- in person or not. To gain further insight on Central’s

Senior Class and their political perspectives,

Devils’ Advocate conducted a survey with 27 respondents, where 10 were Democrats or left leaning, seven were Republicans or right leaning, and three identified as Independents. All listed out the issues that struck them personally. Out of all those who identified as left of center, 59 percent said climate change was an important issue, and 71 percent said that racial/social justice was among their top concerns. They also cited wealth inequality and healthcare as deciding issues.

All Democrats who could vote said that they would be casting their ballots for Joe Biden. The Republicans, on the other hand, considered economics, taxes, and immigration to be their most important issues, with each issue making three of the seven Republicans’ list of issues. Those who could vote stated they would cast their ballot for President Trump. Of those eligible to vote, 60 percent said that they planned to vote in person, either going early or on election day, while 30 percent said that they would vote by mail.

For Dupage County, vote by mail ballots must be postmarked no later than Nov 3. As of Oct. 9, Dupage County’s records show that since Sept. 24, more than 48,000 people have voted by mail. This is far greater than any past election cycle. Another 10,000 voted early at the Dupage County Fairgrounds. Although Hinsdale’s streets are lined mostly with Biden yard signs, the area has

Trump supporters as well. Christopher

Freiler, teacher and co-sponsor of the political discussion group Citizens Club, stresses the importance of remembering these less vocal, yet still strong beliefs at Central.

“Trump supporters don’t necessarily advertise,” Freiler said. “People thought [Hillary Clinton] was going to… run away with the school election… [but] Central’s 2016 mock election was a lot closer than... a lot of people thought it was going to be.”

However, Freiler said not all Trump supporters hide their affiliation. On social media, the Instagram account “@hinsdalefortrump2020,” has 306 followers, many of which are Central 24 | Features

photo by Sofija Buzelis

students. Central’s Conservative club, according to active members, has also gained substantial popularity since Donald Trump was first elected. One supporter is senior Ethan Austermann, who is a leader in Hinsdale Central’s Conservative club. Austermann said that although he does not love the President’s behavior, his Republican values drive him to support him nonetheless. “The big thing for me is foreign policy,” Austermann said. “Because, in my career, I want to go into… foreign policy and things like that, (and) so that’s a big reason why I support Trump.” Austermann also is an intern for Republican Jeanne Ives’s campaign. Ives is running for Congress in Illinois’s 6th congressional district against Democratic incumbent Sean Casten. Casten’s victory in 2018 was part of a blue wave where Democrats gained many seats in Congress. Whether Republicans or Democrats win Illinois’s 6th and similar districts across the United States will impact how effective the President can be in passing legislation. According to ABC 7 Chicago, “one local race that’s getting a lot of attention is in the 6th Congressional District… Sean Casten is facing a challenge from Jeanne Ives.” Despite the shared national interest, though, Austermann said he thinks that residents of Hinsdale and surrounding towns are decopling the congressional and presidential races. “[There has been] a shift between people realizing the role of local and federal politics,” Autermann said. “A lot of people recently stared to lean more conservative for local politics, but more liberal on the federal level.” One thing Austermann said he believes is particularly important to the Central comunity is law and order. This topic has seen national atention given the many instances of looting and violence that began after the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

“The biggest thing, especially right now… is the civil unrest,” Austermann said. “I think Trump’s policies are pretty good with that; supporting the police and things like that.” Austermann said that many people feel uncomfortable to voice their opinion if they are conservative. He is unsure if he wants to include his internship on his college application, and knows that many in the club have similar fears. “I know a lot of people don’t like to voice their opinion, just because there’s that negative contrast that comes with a conservative organization,” Austermann said. “They think ‘oh, you must be racist or something like that.” He said that in reality, this is not the case. “I support the protests and ... the message [they’re] trying to spread. But at the same time, I also agree with doing that peacefully, “ Austermann said. Senior Alexis Lincoln is another student who has also gotten involved with politics in the community around Hinsdale Central. Unlike Austermann, though, Lincoln supports Democrats in her political efforts, and believes they have the best solutions for the community. In the past few years, Lincoln has been increasingly involved in the local liberal movement, and now is a leader among the Democratic youth in the area. For Central Democrats like Lincoln, there is not a dedicated club. However, the Hinsdale Climate Coalition hosts a large number of leftleaning members, and the broader community has organizations ranging from Sean Casten’s Congressional campaign to the group DuPage Democrats. Lincoln also said that she utilizes social media to connect with those who share her beliefs. Lincoln said that she leans progressive, especially on social issues, and that she is very vocal about her beliefs. She said that she encourages others to join in her advocacy, and that she helps to organize protests and

rallies in the area. Lincoln said she supports Biden because she feels that his policies, especially regarding COVID-19 response, are more in line with her personal beliefs. “Some of my main issues would be racial justice (and) climate justice,” Lincoln said. “ I support Biden, because he’s sort of the better of the two... With COVID-19, we need a president who’s going to have more of a sciencebased plan and mandate things like masks.” Lincoln said she hopes for changes that address climate change as well as racial injustice, and she said that the two are linked. Lincoln frequently posts these issues or other recent news stories on Instagram. “Something that establishes some sort of acknowledgement of climate change… to regulate fossil fuels and big corporations...definitely needs to be passed,” Lincoln said. “I personally never really faced anybody trying to… criticize me for it, but I’m sure there are a lot of people that see sort of what I’ve posted and question it.” Lincoln said that the coverage of protests has gone down compared to the momentum gained the summer following the death of George Floyd. However, she believes that social justice issues still exist and that many people continue to be involved. “I think that with the outcome of the election, we’ll probably [see] another spike in interest like there was in June,” Lincoln said. Lincoln also noted a split between progressives and moderates in the Democratic party as Biden tries to appeal to independents that may have voted for Trump in 2016. She said she believes that Biden’s Vice Presidential pick, California Senator Kamala Harris, will help to balance the dynamic of the party. “I think that when you talk about any political party there’s going to be that sort of split.... that’s fine because people are going to have different beliefs,” Lincoln said. “ Because [Harris] is more left leaning than [Biden], … her being there is going to really help them get stuff done.” However, even though Lincoln and Austermann both choose to express their beliefs in a civil manner, this is not always the case. Lawn signs do not just represent the candidates, but also provide a spark for polarization. On both sides of the aisle, signs have been defaced by spray paint in the Hinsdale area. Followers of the “@hinsdalefortrump” and “@hinsdaleforblm” Instagram accounts frequently get into prolonged flame wars, dominating comment sections and feeds with attacks and counterstrikes. Much of this had been spurred by conflict between President Trump’s supporters and opponents. “Whatever you think of him, Donald Trump has been a uniquely divisive figure in American politics,” Freiler said. “It’s kind of hard to have a… moderate view on Donald Trump. I don’t know too many people who do.” As a measure to combat the issues taking place as a result of the election, History teacher John Naisbitt stresses the importance of listening to all viewpoints and using reputable news sources. Naisbitt joins Freiler as co-sponsor of Citizen’s club. Naisbitt said that he was inspired to get the club off the ground following the 9/11 terror attacks. This year, Naisbitt said that the upcoming Presidential election underpin every conversation. Since its first meeting in August, the club has discussed the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, the financial crisis of the USPS, the protests in Portland over the death of George Floyd, and the political ramifications of the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, all issues that have had a direct impact on the race for the White House. Despite the potential for a political battlefield, Naisbitt said disagreements are courteous and respectful. Naisbitt said that he consistently stresses to students the importance of keeping the club one where everyone is free to speak their minds, and said he believes that this is one of the strongest aspects of the club. Freiler agreed with Naisbitt that maintaining respect is vital, even if the present circumstances

“Whatever you think of him, Donald Trump has been a uniquely divisive figure in American politics... It’s kind of hard to have a… moderate view on Donald Trump, I don’t know too many people who do.” -Christopher Freiler

make that difficult for one reason or another. He went on to draw from history, the primary subject he teaches at Central, and elaborates on how he believes genial political conversation has become more challenging in recent years. “We’ve had a significant erosion of our institutional life,” Freiler said. “We don’t have the mechanisms to be able to… have a forum for dealing through our disputes and our disagreements. And this is one of the side effects when you rely almost exclusively on digital means to get your information.” He gave an example of the erosion that he has observed, a hypothetical pair of people, one who supports Trump and another who opposes the President. “Let’s say you’re a Trump supporter, and I hate Donald Trump,” Freiler said. “If I’m on social media, you’re just the enemy, so I’m just going to flame you.[But] let’s say we belong to the same church, and I’ve seen you, I’ve driven past your house, I’ve seen your Trump sign... (and) we start talking, and [I’m] like, oh, well, [you’re] actually a pretty nice guy.” Singer, who is eligible to vote in the next election, backs Freiler’s observation. He cited the Pew Research Center which explained that Americans are struggling to overcome their divisions. “Politics in America has become increasingly divisive,” Singer said. “[This has resulted] in hostility and a lack of middle ground in our government, and in our society.” Although Singer does not see an easy solution to this issue, he referenced Richard H. Pildes, a professor of Constitutional Law at New York University. Plides said that in order to overcome partisanship, Americans need to focus on their leaders, not specific parties. “A good solution according to Plides… would be the diffusion of power away from political parties to the

individual elected official,” Singer said.

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