COVER

NEED TO KNOW: PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION PRIMARY ELECTIONS

SBY SYDNEY LEWIS

ince 1992, Minnesota has held presidential nomination elections through a caucus system. The last time Minnesota held a presidential primary, the election did not bind delegates into voting for who the population of Minnesota voted for. Now, the newly implemented primary elections will be binding for delegates. The elections will be held on “Super Tuesday,” March 3, the biggest day in primary voting around the country. Early absentee voting has been open since January 17.

Minnesota will still have caucuses for non-presidential elections. Caucuses are forums where voters can express opinions on issues, and after several hours of debate, they cast a vote for a candidate. The caucus system is structured to allow major political parties to endorse a candidate for election. For example, in 2018 Tim Walz and Jeff Johnson won the DFL and GOP endorsements, respectively, for governor.

In a primary system, voters head to the polls, select a party, then choose a candidate from the ballot-- thus indicating whom they want to be the nominee for their party. The head of the two major political parties in the state sent a list of candidates they want on the ballot to the Secretary of State.

State representative Laurie Pryor sees the move to a presidential primary as “a better way to get people to participate” because there was a real barrier for voters when using caucuses. For caucuses, several hundred people at one location attempted to have civil discourse on issues they care about. Instead of the minutes that voting in a primary takes, voters had to spend up to four hours talking about candidates. People who had the ability to go for those hours and potentially miss work or school were over-represented in the caucus voting.

While Democrats will have a large number of options when choosing their representative for the Democratic Party in the general election, Minnesota Republicans will only see President Donald Trump’s name on the ballot. The Minnesota Supreme Court recently heard a case arguing that the Minnesota GOP should not be allowed to put only one name on the ballot. The court did not rule in favor of the plaintiff, a candidate seeking the Republican nomination for president.

Some people have speculated whether or not voter turnout will be lower because there will be only one Republican on the ballot. Congressional District Three had the highest voter turnout in the country in 2018. Eden Prairie City Clerk, Kathleen Porta, said Hennepin County expects an over 51 percent voter turnout.

When voting, voters must pick a political party from which to choose a candidate. Minnesota voters do not register and are not members of political parties. Any voter can enter the polling booth and pick any political party from which to choose a candidate. Their choice will only be accessible to the major political parties of the state. After picking a ballot, voters will choose a candidate to vote for and will submit their ballot.

Minnesota is progressive in the sense of voter accessibility. Voters can register to vote in person on election day or register online in less than five minutes. Voters will not need a drivers’ license on voting day if they are pre-registered.

ON THE BALLOT

Democratic-Farmer-Labor:

Michael Bennet, Amy Klobuchar, Joseph Biden, Deval Patrick, Michael R. Bloomberg, Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Tom Steyer, Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Julian Castro, Marianne Williamson, John K. Delaney, Andrew Yang, Tulsi Gabbard

Republican:

Donald J. Trump

Find more information on where and how to vote on the Secretary of State’s website.

STUDENT INVOLVEMENT ON PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGNS

Political activism doesn’t start and end at the ballot box. For students Brian Samuel and Leeza Kuznetsov, their involvement in presidential campaigns is an opportunity to influence the outcome of elections before they are legally allowed to vote. Although Samuel and Kuznetsov both work for completely different candidates, Samuel working on President Donald Trump’s campaign and Kuznetsov working on Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaign, the work they do is equally important and impactful.

As students, the campaign-related activities that Samuel and Kuznetsov primarily partake in include recruitment, phone banking, reaching out to local politicians for donations and simply having conversations with people about the upcoming election. All of this work is just as time-consuming as you would think. Samuel said that he devotes around fifteen hours per week on Trump’s campaign, something he feels is a great opportunity to build his own resume and also to get the feeling of serving others.

Samuel was inspired to first get involved from his previous work with Congressman Erik Paulsen, saying,“I’ve always been interested in politics and serving my country.” As for Kuznetsov, the inspiration behind why she decided to get involved runs much closer to home. Kuznetsov explained how even though she won’t be able to vote in the upcoming election, she was considering her grandmother, who has congestive heart failure. “I don’t know what we would do if my

STORY AND PHOTOS BY SHARON MICHAEL

grandma didn’t have healthcare.” The fact that so many people don’t have to think about that “is just an injustice that I have to make up for and Bernie’s campaign is the one I see doing that.” she said.

With the voting age being 18, many high school students don’t feel the need to get involved. Kustensov and Samuel believe that being politically active goes beyond just voting. “You still have a voice, there are also so many movements that are going on to try and lower the voting age to our age and you have an opportunity to change the minds of other people,” Kuznetsov said. “It’s not like you can’t talk, it’s not like you can’t have conversations, there are still things that you can do other than vote that will help the candidate that you believe in.” Samuel said that “this is the greatest opportunity to be able to actually make an impact in politics and reach out to politicians and get a feel for where you stand politically.”

Encountering discouragement at this scale of political activism has become so easy because meaningful change demands an exceptional level of cooperation between all levels of government and civil society. For the hundreds of students that protest, volunteer and vote, there are hundreds more that have been successfully dismayed into inaction.

The youth will have the opportunity to change the outcome of the election with their votes. As Kustenov said, “There are 20 million students that are eligible to vote this year and I have a feeling that that turnout is going to be the best it’s ever been and without those students, a candidate can’t win.”

POINT-COUNTERPOINT COVER

Moderates win elections Progressives win elections

BY SHARON MICHAEL BY ADAM KHELAH

Democrats want Donald Trump out of office. Even some Republicans do. Many Democrats consider this an emergency and will do anything to ensure that someone besides Trump is in the White House for the next four years. Someone who is a safe bet. Someone who can maybe get moderate Republicans to vote Democrat. Someone more predictable. For many that someone is Joe Biden.

Biden has sold himself as the most electable and safe candidate to beat Trump. When asked why he wants to be president, Biden responded that it’s really important that Trump is not re-elected. It’s his responsibility. However, does Biden really have the energy and passion to win the presidency? Does Biden really align with the wants of the democratic party, or will the democrats potentially back him because he is the most “electable?”

First off, the word electable doesn’t make much sense. It’s a skewed view of an impossible standard frequently used to mischaracterize the ability of women or people of color to win the office of the president. In most cases, only old white guys are “electable.” Yet these unelectable people are winning. Obama surely wasn’t considered electable and he won. What about Trump? Wasn’t Hillary Clinton the safe bet in the 2016 election? Everyone believed that she would easily win against Donald Trump. The entire media seemed to be on her side. Yet she lost to the most “unelectable” candidate in American History.

Moderate candidates may be more likely to win elections, but we’ve got to look at this election in context. Predictability has gone out the window. We now have an impeached president running for a second term. The country is more polarized than ever before. It’s either one way or the other. In this polarized country, Biden doesn’t scream excitement. Someone has to shake the system. That’s what Trump did.

Trump didn’t win because of his policies. How many of his voters can even name them? He won because of one thing. Excitement. That’s what Democrats need to beat Trump. Unpredictability. Not a safe candidate. Just look at a Bernie Sanders rally and then look at a Biden rally. You’ll immediately see the difference. Candidates like Sanders and Elizabeth Warren generate excitement.

Democrats need to vote for who they want to win, not for who they believe will win. That’s how Democrats lost to Trump in 2016, and that’s how they will lose again in 2020.

The ultimate goal of the Democratic party needs to be defeating Donald Trump. Therefore, it only makes sense to elect a more moderate-based Democratic candidate. When looking at past presidents and their ideologies, one thing stands out: moderate candidates almost always do better at the polls than extremely progressive ones.

According to a Vox article by Matthew Yeglesias, Trump did not run and win as an ideological extremist. “He paired extremely offensive rhetoric on racial issues with positioning on key economic policy topics that led him to be perceived by the electorate as the most moderate GOP nominee in generations.” With the upcoming election, it’s not only important to consider the electoral college but also the swing states. In the 2018 midterms, when the Democrats flipped the House of Representatives, all the media attention tended to focus on the most progressive candidates such as Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar,

Ayanna Pressley and Rashida Tlaib, but most of the Democrats who flipped seats from red to blue were, in fact, moderates. They convinced Republicans, Independents and suburban women disappointed with Trumpism that they were not radical left-wingers or socialists.

Joe Biden’s paper-thin lead over Trump in the swing states is also largely attributable to the public perception of Biden as a moderate compared to Warren or Sanders. According to a recent poll by the New York Times, three-quarters of those who would vote for Biden over Trump, but Trump over Warren, say they would prefer a more moderate Democratic nominee to a more liberal one. They also prefer a candidate who would find common ground with Republicans over one who would fight for a progressive agenda.

It’s important to not overlook the fact that 2018’s congressional elections when Democrats took power in the U.S. House of Representatives, it was largely through moderate candidates who won over suburban voters by focusing on “kitchen-table” issues such as coverage for preexisting medical conditions and income inequality. Although policy ideas such as eliminating private health insurance, for example, sound appealing to a large swath of the

Democratic base, they aren’t as appealing to voters in swing states because there’s no guarantee that a candidate who champions them will inspire the Obama voters in swing states who stayed home in 2016.

America is in such a time of polarization and division that when one party gains power, it immediately acts unilaterally to undo the policies of the other. This explains why America’s pressing issues never get solved. America needs a moderate-based candidate who will unite our country, and this will never be accomplished by electing an extremely progressive candidate who will just push moderate Republicans further to the right. We need a powerful, passionate, moderate candidate willing to solve problems, work with adversaries and encourage civility.

STUDENT OPINIONS ON THE 2020 ELECTION 21

“Buttigieg and Warren are my top choice. But I also like Klobuchar. I need to do more research.” Lena Copper Senior “I haven’t gotten far into it because I can’t vote.” Samantha Robinson Junior “I like Warren because she is learning left but in a moderate way.” Madi Mitchell Junior “Warren and Buttigieg are pretty good.” Sam Aaberg Freshman

“Amy is interesting but it doesn’t seem like she could win.” Kayla Malmgren Senior “Bernie because he seems genuine compared to everyone else.” Prayag Rajagopalan Junior “Klobuchar because she is fairly centerleft.” Andrew Peng Junior “I don’t want Trump because he doesn’t think before he talks. He doesn’t make good decisions.” Braden Lane Junior “I like Trump because he’s a Republican and I’m a Republican.” David Weidman Junior “I haven’t been following because I can’t even vote.” Rushil Desai Junior “Bernie is the best because he wants more socialist policies.” Vivi Tabor Freshman “It would be really cool if we had the first female president.” Meagan Villegas Sophomore “I like Warren. She is more electable than Bernie.” Sophie Flom Junior “I support Trump because he follows through on the promises he’s made.” Keegan Orth Junior “I’ve always said Bernie but I’m still researching candidates.” Jasmine Carter Senior “I’d probably vote for Trump, though he is not perfect by any metric. He’s the best option available.” Ali Yousefzadeh Senior “I support Andrew Yang because of the $1000 a month and the enforcement of anti-trust laws on Amazon.” Jackson Henry Senior “I support Pete Buttigieg because I align with his policies and value his intelligence and honesty.” Lucas Wagner Freshman “I support Andrew Yang because he is trying to find the best of both parties.” William Gillquist Senior “I like Bloomberg because he is the most centrist candidate.” Sophia Sailer Senior

“I want Sanders because the 1 percent must pay their fair share.” Ryan Hines Sophomore “I want Trump because the economy is doing very well and I’d like to see that continue.” Nicholas Erickson Senior “I took a test to see who my candidate would be, and I got Bernie.” Annette Juarez Freshman

Taboo Topics

Vulnerabiltiy

BY SHARON MICHAEL

Vulnerable. Adjective. Susceptible to physical or emotional attack or harm. Even the mere definition is a bit unsettling. Although being vulnerable is something almost everyone experiences, in recent years, it seems as if our generation has a growing angst towards it. Think about all the things we do and say to protect us from, God forbid, human connection. I know, scary. But why? Why is it we are so afraid of being vulnerable? It it rejection? Hurt? Embarrassment? Heartbreak? When did we become so afraid to show that we care?

I’ve heard our generation referred to as the “emotionless” and “hook-up” generation time and time again. That’s probably because we’ve absolutely killed romance. What happened to going on dates? To getting flowers just because? To openly telling people that you love or care about them? Instead, we play games. We lead people on for our own amusement or maybe even because we’re bored. We treat others poorly out of the fear of being the one who cares more. We talk to people just enough to make a comfortable connection, and then flee as soon as they get too close. We look at people who we know we could really fall for, and we try to keep them at an arm’s length. We hold back emotions that we should display. We wait for hours for the other person to text us, then take even more time to text back so that we’re in control.

If we’re in control, we can’t get hurt, right? Whoever cares less wins. Our idea of a “date” is definitely not what it used to be, but that’s okay, right? Because the less time we invest in a person, the less likely we are to get hurt. We’re afraid to show any emotional investment in a person, or, as we might put it, we’re afraid of “catching feelings.” Because once you catch feelings...you guessed it: you can get hurt. No wonder we have so much trouble being open with our emotions. We aren’t even giving ourselves the chance to feel them.

Don’t get me wrong. We can have relationships that are just something fun and not want to go on dates. Sometimes, we genuinely don’t have feelings for potential partners. Occasionally, our relationships just aren’t going to work out. We might hold different values, or we might know that the other person is toxic for us, so a relationship with them is out of the question. Sometimes, we’re just genuinely terrified of the possibility that we could be loved back. And all of that is okay; well, maybe everything except for the last one. But we shouldn’t let our fear of being vulnerable get in the way of meaningful relationships because much of the time, it only keeps us from human connections that could be great.

And isn’t that the entire point of life? Human connection? Humans feel things. We cannot protect ourselves from emotions, and if we get anywhere close to doing so, we are also blocking ourselves from the good ones. Aside from stability and companionship, a genuine connection with another human being in any relationship is one of the most valuable parts of our existence, and it’s one of the most beautiful capabilities we possess. The emotional intimacy that we find from the vulnerability of those close relationships doesn’t just satisfy us, it makes us better humans.

For the first time in 59 years of publishing a news magazine, The Eyrie, as a staff, have decided to endorse a presidential candidate for the 2020 election. After a series of votes cast by the entire staff, we are proud to announce our endorsement for Senator Elizabeth War ren. To us, Warren represents a new wave of candidates who embody intelligence, compassion and insight into the possibilities of America’s future. We have chosen the candidate that we believe is the best for young people.

Warren isn’t in the race for power or to be the first female president (though that would be a huge bonus). She is in the race because she wants to see a better future for America and she knows that she is the best person for the job. She recognizes that America isn’t great for a lot of people living in it, and she fights every day to make it accessible and inclusive for everyone.

If you look at the organizing efforts of herself and her campaign, you don’t see a politician who says whatever they think will get them elected. Warren is strong in her beliefs and is enacting policies that she believes will benefit our society. Her campaign and staffers always listen to new ideas and encourage dialogue, which is one of the biggest things missing in our current admin istration. Warren is passionate about issues that impact every single person. She believes that America can be better. She believes in us and we believe in her.

Warren has extensive plans detailing everything she aims to do in her four years of office. From student loan forgiveness to campaign finance reform, Warren is committed to strengthening our democracy. It is time for a true progressive to push the limits of the democratic party and use their position to improve the lives of the people put at risk by the Trump administration.

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