THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2016
THE ELECTION ISSUE
VOLUME 66 NO. 19
CONCERNED WORRIED FIERCE ARROGANT UNBELIEVEABLE ANNOYING TURNT BULLY CONTROVERSIAL IMPORTANT
' ELECTION 16
ILL-FOCUSED HELP CRAZY PESSIMISTIC DISAPPOINTED PRESIDENT DIM LEADER CORRUPT RIGGED STRONG
CHOOSE P.4 STUDENTS THE "LESSER EVIL"
P.6
PROFESSOR PICKS
P.10 NO VOICE, NO VOTE
P.14
LEAVING A LEGEND BEHIND
Just a Joke Students and professors discuss the frivolous nature of presidential election ASHLEY INKUMSAH SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
Alexandra Furtzaig thinks this year’s presidential election has played out like a reality show. Furtzaig, a junior communication and psychology major, feels politics have been overshadowed by entertainment. Students, like Furtzaig, think the presidential election has been marred with name-calling and shocking, crude behavior. Students feel the media focuses more on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s controversial behavior and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s scan-
dals, than their platforms and policies. The lack of political substance has left many students feeling uninformed and disengaged on the specific policies of the presidential candidates. Samantha Barbas, professor at UB’s law school, attributes the circus-like atmosphere of this year’s election to social media. “A lot of the discussion of the election and even the candidates’ communication is taking place via social media, so that gives it a totally different tone,” Barbas said. “I think [the election] is more shocking and nasty and highly opinionated [because] comments can be more personal and full of sound bites and
short insults.” The Spectrum asked students to describe the presidential election in one word in an election poll. There were more than 200 responses, many of which were “joke,” “comical” and “chaotic.” “I think the media has spent more time on the scandals and personalities of the presidential candidates, in part because particularly Donald Trump has made the election about his personality and scandals and not about issues,” Barbas said. “In some ways, that’s the media’s fault, but a lot of it is they’re just covering what the candidates themselves are raising.” CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
GRAPHICS BY PIERCE STRUDLER PHOTOS BY ALLISON STAEBELL & LEANNA WALSH
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Just a Joke Thursday, November 3, 2016
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Barbas said the media has a duty to report on Trump’s actions. She also thinks it’s possible that millennials will become disengaged from future elections due to the overthe-top nature of this election. “I do think this election sets a very dangerous precedent – that the election is something to be spectated and that the election is something to be looked at through the lens of social media and not through serious, issue-driven politics,” she said. Elijah Dunbar, a freshmen computer science major, thinks this year’s presidential election is a “circus.” He said the media tends to focus heavily on Trump because what he says captures people’s attention and “makes for a good story.” “It is true that Trump is very newsworthy in the sense that he provides so many great quotes both in his written lawsuits and scandals and everything. I think there’s a commercial interest for the media to want to be covering him,” Barbas said. Barbas said social media provides millennials with easy access to the news, but wonders where exactly students are getting their news. Both Dunbar and Afee Daiyan, a freshman, said they have a relatively small gauge of the policies of the presidential candidates, yet they still plan on voting. They feel a social pressure to vote although they mostly keep up with the election through social media rather than reputable news sources. “It’s more of a social thing, where you have to vote or you’re looked down upon, especially when it comes to family,” Daiyan said. Rachel Cope, a sophomore communication major, said most of her knowledge about the presidential election comes straight from what her friends discuss on social media. “If they look at the New York Times [on social media] and it links to a Times story, I
think that’s useful, but if they’re just getting it from other people’s opinions that are being retweeted or something, that can be very dangerous,” Barbas said. Barbas tries to educate students in her classes about the election, depending on the class that she’s teaching. She said if she were teaching a media law class, she would definitely be discussing the presidential election, but because she isn’t teaching that particular course this semester, politics don’t really come into play. Barbas believes it’s important for millennials to vote in the presidential election. “[There is] the fear of millennials becoming disengaged and if they don’t vote now, it’s just gonna set a pattern of ‘my vote doesn’t matter’ or ‘I don’t have a place in democracy’ so it’s kind of scary,” she said. Many students feel both candidates are untrustworthy, making it even more difficult to take the election seriously. This feeling stems from the Clinton email scandal and Trump’s pattern of denial throughout the presidential debates. “You never would even think Trump would get this far and [the same] with Hillary,” Dunbar said. “Personally, I don’t really want either of [the presidential candidates] but you just have to pick the lesser evil so it’s just like a circus.” Dunbar feels if Donald Trump can become president, anyone rich and powerful will try to become president. Daiyan also never thought Trump would get this far in the presidential election. “When Donald Trump first started, we all thought it was a joke, but it actually became serious and that’s when it became scary,” Daiyan said. Recent polls indicate that millennials will continue to vote heavily for the Democratic candidate in the election, according to the Washington Post.
THE SPECTRUM
These polls also suggest there’s a considerably higher swing toward supporting a third-party candidate. “I don’t think any of the independent candidates really have a chance so you might as well throw your vote at the lesser evil in my opinion,” Dunbar said. “But as an American, the whole purpose of voting is to vote for who you think is the best candidate.” Barbas said the nation has yet to determine if there will be criticism of news organizations’ coverage of the election in its aftermath. “It could be a moment where we say ‘oh my God, we really did it wrong, we have to get back to more serious discussion’ and I kind of feel that Americans are already feeling that way,” Barbas said. “They’re already feeling like [this election] has been a fiasco. I don’t think anyone feels good about what’s happened in the past few months.” email: ashley.inkumsah@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @AshleyInkumsah
ALLISON STAEBELL & LEANNA WALSH, THE SPECTRUM
The Spectrum asked UB students to describe the presidential election in one word. Some words students used to describe the election were “childish” and “concerning”
3 Abnormal election leads to
OPINION THE SPECTRUM
Editorial Board EDITOR IN CHIEF
Gabriela Julia
MANAGING EDITOR
Tori Roseman COPY EDITORS
Saqib Hossain Emma Medina Margaret Wilhelm Dan McKeon Grace Trimper NEWS EDITORS
Hannah Stein, Senior Ashley Inkumsah, Senior Sarah Crowley, Asst. FEATURES EDITORS
Kenneth Kashif Thomas, Senior Evan Grisley ARTS EDITORS
Max Kaltnitz, Senior David Tunis-Garcia, Asst. SPORTS EDITORS
Michael Akelson, Senior PHOTO EDITORS
Kainan Guo, Senior Angela Barca Troy Wachala, Asst. CREATIVE DIRECTORS
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Professional Staff OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR
Helene Polley
ADVERTISING MANAGERS
Lee Stoeckel ADVERTISING DESIGNER
Derek Hosken
Thursday, November 3, 2016
uninterested students
Student voting habits permanently affected by the 2016 election The 2016 presidential election will go down in history as one of the most abnormal elections in our country’s history. Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump are polarizing in their campaigns and ideology, to the point many are voting on Nov. 8 for the “lesser of two evils” or not voting at all. For many students, this is the first presidential election they will have the opportunity to vote in. Yet many find themselves uninterested in the system because they distrust the media and dislike both major candidates. News and reporting about the election often come from sources of comedy, like “Saturday Night Live” or “The Daily Show,” which only adds to the disenfranchisement. In a recent Spectrum poll, we surveyed 222 students on the election between the ages of 18 and 26. Seventy-six percent of these UB students are registered to vote, yet
34 percent are not voting. In 2008, 44 percent of 18-24 year olds voted in the presidential election. In the 2012 election, this number sank to 38 percent, according to CNBC. The Pew Research Center reports that millennials, defined as 18-35 year olds, make up about 31 percent of the overall electorate. Millennials have the ability to be a major political force, but in light of this election, many are not taking advantage of it. Media corruption is just one reason students aren’t voting. It’s fair to say that a lot of the media leans left, but not all media. Fox News is a good example of very conservative, Republican media in which most reporters lean right. This bias causes distrust in the media system, so students have a hard time believing the information they are given. But if students distrust these news sources, then where are they getting accurate information?
Ballot blues Living as a foreign national with a love of politics
THE SPECTRUM Thursday, November 3, 2016 Volume 65 Number 19 Circulation 4,000 The views expressed – both written and graphic – in the Feedback, Opinion and Perspectives sections of The Spectrum do not necessarily reflect the views of the editorial board. Submit contributions for these pages to The Spectrum office at Suite 132 Student Union or news@ubspectrum.com. The Spectrum reserves the right to edit these pieces for style and length. If a letter is not meant for publication, please mark it as such. All submissions must include the author’s name, daytime phone number, and email address. For information on adverstising with The Spectrum, visit www.ubspectrum.com/advertising or call us directly at 716-645-2152 The Spectrum offices are located in 132 Student Union, UB North Campus, Buffalo, NY 142602100
CARLOS LEYTE
STAFF WRITER
Like many others in the U.S., politics have become a daily part of my thought process this year.
But there remains one critical problem: I can’t vote. I’m not an American. I was born in Mexico, immigrated with my family to New York when I was six months old and have resided here ever since. I live in the U.S., I speak with an American accent and I even have intimate knowledge of all the nitpicky social cues that come with living in this country. It is painful not to have a say in the direction of what, I hope, will be my permanent home. My first discomfort was the reaction to feeling excluded from a basic American right. It seemed that at 18, my friends and peers were backing their social and po-
In the age of technology and the ability to have the Internet at our fingertips, it has become easier to fact-check our candidates and our reporters. Organizations like Politico and CNN have specific reporters who fact check information and easily lay out what’s true and what’s not from candidates and other news sources. This accountability allows for more trust in the media because they use reputable sources and correct their mistakes. Unfortunately, not enough students are taking advantage of these sources. According to a recent Spectrum poll, CNN is the main source from which students said they receive news about the election. Facebook and Twitter were second and third, respectively. This means many students aren’t seeking news; they are reading what’s trending or what one of their friends or followers have shared. There are people who fol-
low news organizations’ Twitter and Facebook accounts, but they are also taking in so much inaccurate and unvaluable information that it’s often difficult to discern what’s right and what’s wrong. A long-term effect of this election process is that students will not continue to follow politics as closely once the election is over. When results roll in late Nov. 8, many will accept the winner and move forward. Sure, there will be news and backlash about the candidate that wins, but if students are disinterested now, they will not be as interested once the butting feud between Clinton and Trump is over. This election is concerning and will weigh heavily on young voters when the next election comes around. If students feel their vote is unimportant now, they might never feel they have a voice.
litical statements with voter registration. However, years of observation have shown me that it would be very rare to see any of them make their way to a polling location. To me it was more than an opportunity wasted, but a duty disregarded. Since then, I have matured by stepping away from a “my rights versus their rights” mentality. However, this led me to a frightening observation: many Americans are staggeringly uninformed about American politics. I found it baffling that, while nearly everyone domestic and foreign to the United States could name the big public figures such as presidents and vice presidents, almost none of my friends or peers could name one local official, or even a senator. There also seems to be a common misconception of the powers and limitations of various types of elected officials. As difficult as it was seeing a contrast of rights between my peers
and I, or the brash lack of knowledge regarding the roles and figureheads of politics, the worst part of not being able to vote is the feeling of helplessness – especially when changes are made by politicians that do not share my values. I still participate in social events of a political nature, such as rallies and protests, but there is no substitute for participating in such an influential part of the American experience. Educational and social grievances aside, I know that there are other people who see the true value in voting. Participation in the democratic processes has never been easy for me. This fact is particularly true for those who are on the brink of full inclusion. A lifetime of watching the American political machine work molded me into a well-educated, opinionated and dedicated member of American society, that can’t vote.
email: eic@ubspectrum.com
email: carlosle@buffalo.edu
Money Talk: The cost of the campaign trail The numbers of each candidate’s campaign
KENNETH KASHIF THOMAS SENIOR FEATURES EDITOR
If there is one fact that holds true in each election, it’s that campaigns are expensive. A campaign requires constant fundraising to maintain its pace and candidates cannot continue without this funding. Both candidates have raised more than $2 billion all together, leading up to Oct. 19, with Clinton raising almost twice as much as Trump. Not all donations or fundraisers are created equal but every cent spent can be cause for a decisive victory in a battleground state
or the general election. Napoleon once said, “an army marches on its stomach,” and the same can be said about a campaign’s infrastructure. Clinton has raised $1.3 billion combined which leaves Trump behind at just $795 million, according to The Washington Post. The Clinton and Trump campaigns have raised $556 million and $248.3 million respectively, while their fundraising committees have raised $544.4 million and $486.7 million. The difference in small donations is only 25.64 percent, $88 million and $68 million, respectively. Candidates made even more money when it came to more intimate engagements. Tickets to attend a smaller Clinton event would cost as much as $33,400 per person. Trump charges as much as $100,000 per couple, according to CNBC.
The reason that elections cost so much is because of the cost of reaching approximately 320 million people over 3.8 million square miles – it isn’t a small tab. Advertising in competitive media markets also makes that tab a bit heftier. Elections became much more expensive when a Supreme Court decision in 2010 dissolved spending limits for corporations and workers’ unions when it came to independent political broadcasts, according to The Economist. Above all, the biggest price tag for a presidential election is payroll. In the time frame the Clinton campaign has been fundraising, they also spent 35 percent of funds raised on their payroll of 500 consultants and support staff, which is the largest in the election, according to The New York Times. Trump spent 18 percent of his
funds, $705,444, on payroll. He’s spent more on his own private aircraft at $723,426 and he also spent $678,000 on hats and T-shirts. Clinton collectively spent $1 million on travel, from hotels to plane tickets. Clinton’s spending gave her a significant lead in the polls, with money being funneled into offices across the country for support. Unfortunately, the unknown variables of FBI investigations, whatever news they might hold, have come to be a stick in the tire of the Clinton campaign as her lead essentially dissolved. On Nov. 8 we’ll find out if Trump successfully hedged his bets on email investigations or if Clinton had properly invested in her election. email: kenneth.thomas@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @KenUBSpec
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THE SPECTRUM
UB students choose the “lesser evil” candidate
Many UB students will vote for the presidential candidate they feel is less corrupt
HANNAH STEIN SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
Maddie King is a first time voter and finds the upcoming presidential election to be much more intense than she had expected it to be. She feels it has come down to voting for the candidate who is the “lesser of two evils.” King, a freshman biochemistry major and registered Democrat, was initially a Bernie Sanders supporter but will be voting for Hillary Clinton in the election because she said “Hillary isn’t [Donald] Trump.” However, she still feels Trump will win. Many UB students and faculty will be voting on Nov. 8 for whom they feel is the “lesser of two evils.” While some first-time student voters didn’t expect the election to turn out this way, they feel voting is better than not voting at all. Other students chose not to vote at all or to vote for a third-party candidate because they said they didn’t want to vote for a candidate who is “the lesser of two evils.” Adam Licht, a senior geology major, will be voting for Clinton because he said he wants to keep his rights as a member of the LGBTQ community. If Trump wins, Licht said he would lose the right to get married. “Not that I plan on getting married tomorrow or anything, but I believe I’m enti-
CARTOON BY MICHAEL PERLMAN
tled to all of my rights as an American citizen,” Licht said. Trump doesn’t support people who identify as transgender either, according to Licht.
“That puts them in a situation that they shouldn’t have to be put in or anyone for that matter. You can’t deny someone the right to go into a bathroom,” Licht said.
“That’s like absurd.” Licht doesn’t fully agree or disagree with Clinton’s campaign, but he still said she’s “obviously the better choice.”
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ELECTION ISSUE
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Thursday, November 3, 2016
THE SPECTRUM
“I think Hillary will do a good job at keeping the position [and] keeping our ties together as a country with other countries, but I don’t think she’s going to do a lot of change,” Licht said. Licht feels Clinton will serve more as a figure head. “I think that’s totally A-OK and for right now that’s what this country needs until we literally relax with the police brutality [and] fix our own selves,” Licht said. “Eventually, maybe we can go back to being the greatest again.” Other students support Trump because they feel he is better than the other candidates. Haley Mcneely, a senior psychology major and registered Democrat, doesn’t agree with either Trump or Clinton but thinks she is going to vote for Trump. “Honestly, I don’t agree much with either of their stances. As horrible as it sounds, it’s the lesser of two evils. I still feel the need to vote for one of them,” Mcneely said. Mcneely voted in the last presidential election in 2012 and isn’t surprised about how the election is going. Mcneely cares the most about foreign affairs and doesn’t feel Trump or Clinton have good stances on the issue. There’s only one thing that would make Mcneely change her mind and vote for Clinton. “If [Clinton] said something about the [2012] Benghazi scandal and actually stood up to the fact that she put our soldiers’ lives at
risk and she apologized for it, I would be totally OK with her,” Mcneely said. “But she hides behind a false facade of lies, which is bull. Own up to your actions and you might actually have a chance at being a good president.” She feels Sanders should have won the election. Other students will also be voting for Trump. Robert Rondinaro, a senior political science major and registered Republican will be voting for Trump because he said Clinton is “fundamentally corrupt and what’s wrong with American politics.” He still believes Clinton will win. “I believe Donald Trump has a variety of issues as a candidate such as inexperience and temperament but ultimately doesn’t come with the extreme levels of corruption and scandals that surround the Clintons,” Rondinaro said. Cory Chaise, a sophomore biomedical sciences major and registered Independent, feels Trump is not the “lesser of two evils” and that he will win. He agrees with Trump’s campaign and thinks Clinton is corrupt because of her email leaks. “Hillary is crooked and needs to be put in jail,” Chaise said. Other students will be voting for third party candidates. Paul Ostrer, a second year law graduate student, is voting for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. Ostrer thinks voting for the candidate who is the lesser of two
evils,would only make America “more evil.” “I believe voting shouldn’t mean compromising my values,” Ostrer said. Some students would prefer not to vote at all. Juliana Sottnik, a sophomore sociology major, used to be interested in minoring in politics until she looked deeper into politics. She said voting is “silly” and doesn’t want to be responsible for putting a “fool” in the White House. “I’m not voting because I feel that voting creates the illusion that we have a voice in government when that’s not necessarily the case,” Sottnik said. “As far as my understanding of politics, when we cast our votes we are voting for someone to vote on our behalf and ultimately our individual votes are meaningless.” When she studied politics further, she found “corruption and secrecy [to be] common features of political affairs,” so she no longer involves herself in politics. Sottnik said she believes Trump would be “especially awful as president.” “I think Americans look silly for letting him get this far in the election process,” Sottink said. “However, I feel like there’s enough restriction on presidential power that if he somehow got into the White House, he wouldn’t be able to do anything too wild anyway.” Other students are registered to vote but aren’t sure if they will end up voting. Eric Mandel, a junior speech and hearing sciences major, is registered to vote but feels
Clinton is “everything wrong with politics” and Trump “is not a respectable person.” He said neither deserves his vote. “One of the biggest issues about this election is that policies have not really been center stage and whenever policy has been brought up it’s used as personal attacks against the other instead of expressing their ideas on these issues,” Mandel said. Voting for the “lesser of two evils” is common in elections and is a tradition in American politics, according to Jacob Neiheisel, an assistant political science professor. “It’s a fairly common complaint that most citizens have had at least in modern history, perhaps since we’ve been voting on presidents,” Neiheisel said. “We get this sense that we’re not really happy with the choices we’re presented with.” Neiheisel said in past elections, people would say they want “choices instead of echoes” and in some dimensions he feels this remains true in politics today. email: hannah.stein@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @HannahJStein
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Thursday, November 3, 2016
ELECTION ISSUE
THE SPECTRUM
PROFESSOR PICKS
Political science professors weigh in on who they’re voting for and why ASHLEY INKUMSAH & EVAN GRISLEY
SENIOR NEWS EDITOR AND FEATURES EDITOR
The Spectrum interviewed two political science professors to discuss their picks for the presidential election. Political science professor Michelle Benson will be voting for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Political science professor James Campbell will be voting for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Benson believes Clinton’s lifelong political and policy experience makes her fit for presidency while Campbell believes Trump is more likely to recover the nation’s economy.
Professor Benson
ASHLEY INKUMSAH, THE SPECTRUM
Political science professor Michelle Benson will be voting for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the presidential election on Nov. 8. Benson believes Clinton’s knowledge of foreign policy and the complexity of U.S. and world politics qualifies her for presidency.
Q: Why are you voting for Clinton? Which of her platforms appeal to you? A: I want to start my answer by stating that regardless of one’s preferences for a
particular candidate, I would hope that everyone takes pride in their ability to vote and take part in the political process. One of the reasons why I will be voting for Hillary Clinton as president is that I believe she has an excellent understanding of American foreign policy and a firm grasp of the complexity of American and world politics. Specifically, Clinton recognizes that American alliances, treaties and trade agreements even when signed by prior presidents she might not have supported, cannot and should not be summarily rejected or renegotiated. Countries enter into agreements with the U.S. because they believe that the U.S. negotiates in good faith. The president, the Senate and Congress only enter into international agreements after much deliberation. It is essential for other countries to believe that the U.S. is a reliable partner for future agreements because we honor our promises. Clinton understands that playing fast and loose with treaties would lead to lower levels of trade and investment and could have very negative impacts on our economy. I am glad that Clinton stands by our current, hard-won treaties so that the U.S. can continue to work with international partners and find new ones to help address global conflict and terrorism. Clinton has also very importantly explained that she supports treaties and agreements that limit nuclear proliferation and is willing to counter and directly address the generally expansionist and aggressive foreign policies of other world powers such as Russia and China. I also strongly agree with Clinton that climate change is real and is affected by human activity and industry. I am thus very supportive of her focus on the technology and development of renewable energy. I agree with her support of the Paris Climate Pact and the new global limits on HFC emissions. Domestically, the United States is the strongest economy in the world and outstrips other developed states in terms of growth and
unemployment. Like all developed states, the U.S. has been affected by the global recession. However, despite these tough economic times, the U.S. economy has grown 10.8 percent since 2008 while Europe has only grown 0.6 percent and Japan has grown 0.1 percent over this period. Our unemployment is at 4.9 percent while other developed [countries] are at a higher level of 6.5 percent unemployment. The National Bureau of Economic Research has shown that over the past 50 years the highest U.S. growth rates have occurred under Democratic presidents and the lowest have occurred under Republican presidents. On average, the U.S. economy grows more under Democratic presidents than under Republican policies and presidents. I support what I feel is the more fiscally responsible and pragmatic economic policy of Hillary Clinton. For all of the above reasons, and more, I will be voting for Hillary Clinton on Nov. 8. Q: What are your thoughts on people who say Clinton is untrustworthy, especially in reference to her private email account? A: In terms of trusting someone to do the right thing for the United States as chief executive and leader of the strongest country in the planet – Clinton is eminently more trustworthy than Trump. In regard to her private e-mail account, I don’t think it was a good decision (Colin Powell also had a private e-mail account) and I am very glad that she has repeatedly said it was a mistake and taken responsibility for it. I think it is important to note that over two years of congressional investigations, 10 congressional committees, over 200 witnesses and a yearlong investigation from the FBI, there was no evidence that she did anything illegal. With regards to the e-mails found in Anthony Weiner’s computer, the FBI has stated
in its letter to Congress that it is reviewing the e-mails to see whether they were or were not classified and the letter states, “the FBI cannot yet assess whether or not this material may be significant.” Because the FBI has effectively said they have no new evidence one way or the other and has already had over a month and a half to investigate these e-mails, I am not letting the letter to Congress affect my vote. Hopefully the FBI will release the e-mails as Clinton has publicly and repeatedly requested. Q: Which, if any, platforms of Clinton’s do you disagree with? A: I disagree with Clinton in that she does not support the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement. Limiting trade barriers has been beneficial to the U.S. economy as a whole. Canada and the European Union just signed a large trade deal that will benefit Canadian companies by billions of dollars and cut red tape for exports to Europe from Canadian countries. A similar deal has been put on hold for a U.S. and Europe agreement. I hope that Clinton would support that trade deal. However, it, unfortunately, seems that both Clinton and Trump are moving away from such trade treaties. Q: What makes Trump unqualified to be president? A: Trump has illustrated time and again that he has little to no understanding about how the U.S. government works and that he does not respect the limits of the powers of the president. The presidency is not a position where there is any room to “learn on the job.” He has also clearly stated, in more words and actions than I can count, that he believes not all Americans are worthy of the same treatment, respect and protection of the law depending on one’s ethnicity, gender or religion. As a political scientist, I find it stunning that a presidential candidate would propose policies that are against the constitution, international law and longstanding American tradition. Trump has said he would order U.S. soldiers to kill the families of people who commit terrorist crimes against the US, that he would ban individuals from visiting
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THE SPECTRUM
or immigrating to the U.S. based on their religion, that a person’s ethnicity might disqualify them from doing their job, and that he supports racial profiling – all policies that are unconstitutional and illegal. Trump has also suggested that he would use the presidency to pursue personal vendettas against judges and his political opponent. These actions would be an abuse of presidential power. All of the above factors, in my view, make him unqualified to be President of the United States. In addition, I believe that his personal attacks and derogatory treatment of women, his unwillingness to immediately and categorically disavow publicly racist supporters, his embrace of the “birther” arguments against President Obama and his refusal to release his tax returns make him unsuited to serve as president. Q: Are there any platforms/ideas of Trump’s that you agree with? A: I agree with both Trump and Clinton that there should be increased investment in infrastructure. However, it seems to me Clinton has a more responsible platform to pay for this development. Under Trump’s economic plan, the Wall Street Journal noted that U.S. debt would be projected to be 105 percent of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and under Clinton’s it would be 86 percent. Currently, public debt is about 75.5 percent of GDP. I would prefer that both candidates bring that number below 76 percent instead of the projected approximately 11 percent debt increase that Clinton proposes and 30 percent debt increase that Trump proposes. Q: If Clinton is elected, what impact will it have on the country? A: The U.S. would be in a much better position to interact with other global powers if Clinton is elected president. She has more foreign policy experience than any presidential candidate in modern history. Her detailed knowledge of the issues, of current U.S. policy and her view of the U.S.’s place in the world suggest to me that she is the best candidate to provide for U.S. stability and security. Her lifelong political and policy experience on the impacts and nuances of health care,
families and education also suggests that her policies will focus on benefiting the majority of U.S. citizens. I would expect her presidency to focus on practical and obtainable policies and for her to work well with Congress as she did when she was Senator for New York.
Professor Campbell
COURTESY OF UB NEWS CENTER
Political science professor James Campbell will be voting for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the presidential election on Nov. 8. Campbell believes Trump favors a more restrained foreign policy.
Q: Why are you voting for Trump? Which of his platforms appeal to you? A: Trump is basically running as a conservative. In general, this means he supports lower taxes, less government spending and less government regulation leading to greater growth in the economy. His policies emphasize gaining control of our immigration, enforcing our laws and striking better trade deals with other nations. He favors addressing our looming national debt crisis. He favors a more restrained foreign policy and having our allies share more in the cost of maintaining the peace, but also a more aggressive approach to ending the threat of radical Islamic terrorism. Q: What are your thoughts on people who say Trump is untrustworthy? A: I do not regard either Trump or Clinton as highly trustworthy or honest (or even particularly admirable) people. The key dif-
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ference for me, at this point, is that Clinton has been dishonest in dealings regarding national public policy. There is an interesting 13 or 14 minute YouTube video of Hillary Clinton contradicting herself on public media on a variety of issues and matters. Then there is how Clinton, via Debbie Wasserman Schultz at the DNC, treated the Bernie Sanders campaign. Once it was revealed, via Wikileaks, Wasserman Schultz was forced out of the DNC and immediately given a position in the Clinton campaign. Trump is not trustworthy, but Clinton is even less trustworthy. Q: Which, if any, platforms of Trumps do you disagree with? A: I think his proposed temporary ban on the immigration of Muslims was wrong. I don’t think Mexico is going to be paying for the border wall and I would favor some kind of policy regarding guns that would require biolocks, much like most of us have on our iPhones. Q: What makes Clinton unqualified to be president? A: This answer could be book length, but let me hit the highlights. She offers a continuation of the Obama policies that have led to seven years of weak and sluggish economic growth, over 40 million Americans on food stamps seven years after the “Great Recession,” a fragile economy dependent on the “bubbles” of temporarily low energy prices and unsustainably loose monetary policies, an overly aggressive regulatory climate, racial divisions, growing income inequality, an expensive and collapsing national healthcare system, continued international terrorism and a wide array of international disasters in the Middle East (Syria, Libya, Iran, Iraq, etc.). Like a majority of Americans, I do not find her to be trustworthy. She would not even report that she had pneumonia until she was forced by events and some embarrassing iPhone videos being tossed into the back of a limo at the 9/11 commemoration event to do so. Telling the truth, for Clinton, seems to be the last option to take. The FBI director concluded that she had been “extremely careless” in handling confidential and top secret national information
from her unsecured servers in violation of national laws – though he initially declined to recommend an indictment, he has recently reopened the case. She was involved in what appears to me to be a “shake down” of Wall Street companies to the tune of over $20 million for giving brief secret speeches that were a way of laundering the payoffs. While Secretary of State, she appeared to be engaged in a pay-to-play arrangement whereby those who gave to The Clinton Foundation, including representatives of foreign governments, got special treatment at the State Department. Then there is Benghazi – she sent an American ambassador into a very dangerous position, refused extra security help when he requested it, did not withdraw him from the dangerous area after the extra security was denied, did not provide for security forces in the area should they be needed, and once he and three other Americans were brutally murdered by radical Islamic terrorists, she reported that the attack on them had been inspired by an offensive and ridiculous YouTube movie rather than an organized terrorist attack. I could go on, but I think this enough. Q: Are there any platforms/ideas of Clinton’s that you agree with? If so, which ones? A: I can’t think of any at the moment. Q: If Trump is elected, what impact will it have on the country? A: I suspect that the next president is going to have a number of messes to deal with both domestically (the economic bubbles will burst once energy prices go back up) and internationally. President Obama seems like a good guy and people like him, but I think he has left us with a number of time bombs – from the economy to Iran. Whether the next president is Trump or Clinton, either will run into some big problems. My fear is that Clinton will follow the same path as Obama. Trump is more likely to get the economy back on track and that would lessen the severity of many of our problems. emails: evan.grisley@ubspectrum.com ashley.inkumsah@ubspectrum.com
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8 A guide to the local ballot
ELECTION ISSUE
Thursday, November 3, 2016
Local elections impact students more than presidential election MADDY FOWLER STAFF WRITER
Political science professor James Battista thinks local elections have a bigger impact on most people’s daily lives than the presidential election. “It’s important to vote in local elections because your vote might actually be decisive with more than a trivial probability,” Battista said. Local elections are often overshadowed by the presidential campaigns, particularly in this unprecedented and contentious election cycle. There are four local races in Erie County this year: Congress, State Senate, Assembly and District Attorney. Local elections will also take place on Nov. 8.
Congress
Brian Higgins is the Democratic candidate for Congressional District 26 while Shelly Schratz is the Republican candidate for the same position. Higgins is a current member of the U.S. House of Representatives and former member of the New York State Assembly. Higgins holds a Master’s in public administration from Harvard University, a B.A. in political science and an M.A. in history from Buffalo State College. His platform is based on investing in infrastructure, reducing student debt, raising the minimum wage, enforcing pay equity for women and maintaining and revitalizing local waterfronts. Schratz formerly served on the Amherst Town Board and has owned Bing’s Restaurant and Catering for 27 years. Schratz supports term limits, reduced government spending, removing government regulations on small businesses, repealing Common Core and school choice programs.
State Senate
The candidates for New York Senate District 61 are incumbent Republican Senator Michael Ranzenhofer and Democrat Thomas Loughran. Ranzenhofer’s website says he holds a bachelor’s degree from SUNY Albany and
THE SPECTRUM
Meyer supports investing in renewable energy, campaign finance reform and reforming tax codes that Meyer says benefits the 1 percent at the expense of the middle class. Meyer, only 25, would be the youngest person to hold an assembly seat in New York. “Based on the issues that are important to me, which are education, student debt, that type of thing, [Meyer] is aligned with what I think would be right for Buffalo and Erie county. [He] wants to move toward tuitionfree college and reduce the debt burden for students in SUNY schools,” Smith said.
District Attorney
TROY WACHALA, THE SPECTRUM
UB Student Association held a town hall meeting with Steven Meyer (pictured) local Democratic candidate for the 146th Assembly District on Oct. 25. Local elections are often overshadowed by presidential elections.
a Doctor of Jurisprudence from the UB School of Law. He was elected to the New York State Senate in 2008 and prior to that he served as Erie County Legislator from 1989 to 2008. Ranzenhofer supports lowering property taxes, repealing Common Core, investing in community colleges and legislation to help farmers. Loughran has been the owner/operator of Loughran’s Restaurant for 38 years and is currently serving his eleventh year on the Erie County Legislature, according to the Erie county website. “These [local] elections might not sound as glamorous, but sometimes the issues they address are much more important because they have a much larger impact on our lives than, say, whoever becomes president,” said senior political science and economics major Dillon Smith. Smith said he is voting for Loughran because he believes it’s important for Democrats to maintain the majority in the State Senate. “That way reform can happen and won’t just be stopped by a non-unified state government,” Smith said. “So if, say, an issue of student loans and student debt comes across the Assembly in Cuomo’s office, it won’t just be stopped by a conservative held Senate.”
State General Assembly Incumbent Republican Raymond Walter and Democrat Steven Meyer are running for New York Assembly District 146. Walter holds a degree in history from SUNY Geneseo, a Juris Doctor from the UB School of Law and has served five years in the State Assembly and three years in the Erie County Legislature. Walter’s website says his primary issues are lowering taxes, governmental ethics reform and removing regulations on small businesses. Junior history major Alexis Ogra said meeting Walter and getting involved with his campaign inspired her to get involved with politics as a freshman. She said Walter has a lot of experience and supports small government, a principle she said is important to her as a Republican. “I think it’s important that we keep a strong voice – even if it’s a minority voice – for conservative Republicans [in the State Senate],” Ogra said. Meyer has a Bachelor’s degree in political science from American University. He has worked for Congresswoman Gabby Giffords and is a small business owner in Williamsville. He is also executive director of the Erie County Democratic Committee.
Democrat John Flynn and Conservative Joseph Treanor are running for Erie County District Attorney. Ogra said the District Attorney’s office is a critical race this year because the former Erie County District Attorney, Frank Sedita, III, stepped into his position on the Supreme Court last year. Flynn holds a law degree from the UB Law School and he is currently the Town Attorney in Tonawanda, a Commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve as well as an attorney in private practice. Flynn’s primary issues are campaign finance reform, addressing public corruption and reforming the District Attorney’s office so it’s “more representative of the community,” according to his website. Smith, who is supporting Flynn, said there is an issue with former District Attorneys refusing to prosecute certain cases for political reasons. “When it comes to the court system, it shouldn’t be political at all,” Smith said. “Flynn is running a platform of cleaning up the District Attorney’s office, trying to get the politics out of that office.” Treanor is an Air Force veteran and a graduate of the University of Notre Dame and its law school. He is a registered member of the Conservative party. Battista said it’s important to vote for a District Attorney because a person’s vote can shape the way that law enforcement operates in a county. “If you want to see a shift in the priorities that law enforcement puts on different kinds of crime, that will be the way to do it,” Battista said. email: news@ubspectrum.com
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9
ELECTION ISSUE
Thursday, November 3, 2016
THE SPECTRUM
THE ELECTION A Survey of 222 Students
93%
US Citizens
How do people find news? MOST POPULAR
73%
First Time Voters
76% 24% Registered to Vote
=10 people
Not Registered to Vote
66% 34% Voting
Not Voting
39% 21% 19% 14% Democrat
No Party
Other Party
Republican
7%
Independent
CLINTON V. TRUMP Who are you voting for? 42% Hillary Clinton
Who do you think will win? 80% Hillary Clinton
34% Will not vote 14% Trump 10% Other
10% Trump 10% Don’t Know
INFOGRAPH BY PIERCE STRUDLER
10
ELECTION ISSUE
Thursday, November 3, 2016
THE SPECTRUM
No voice, no vote How international students handle an election they have no say in THOMAS ZAFONTE STAFF WRITER
Hosoo Kim feels his voice in the upcoming presidential election doesn’t matter – not only because he isn’t a U.S. citizen, but because he feels his opinion is rude to his American friends. “There is some kind of transparent wall between me and my American friends… Maybe it is a wall made by me, but still I respect Americans because I am a visitor here. I will respect the decision because it is not mine to make,” said Kim, a junior international student from South Korea, said. Kim is an international student at UB, and like the other international students who make up approximately 17 percent of UB’s student population, he will not be able to vote next week. Immigration and outsourcing of jobs are big topics that can greatly affect these students. Some are in support of Republican candidate Donald Trump while others are hoping Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton will win. Either way, they have no choice but to sit back and watch the election unfold. “If Trump becomes the president, I will have to think about leaving…The international policy Trump is presenting could get really bad for us,” Kim said. “I was going to do my PhD here, but if this policy Trump makes is bad for us, I will have to go.” Kim has lived in the U.S. for three years now. After starting a year of classes at UB, Kim had to return home for a military service. After that, he returned to Buffalo where he continues his studies. Kim spoke highly of his time in the U.S. He had nothing but admiration for how people were genuinely nice to him. He’s had a professor tell him if he was having trouble with understanding English, he could come to his of-
fice hours and be retaught the entire lesson. When he first arrived in the country, people in the airport helped guide him to the exit. Kim said he would be the first to admit that he is not entirely sure what is really going on with the election. He watched all the debates to stay informed with each candidate, but now he is still unclear on what exactly each candidate is proposing. “I know some part of the political system because of my American friends… I am not really sure if I have a right to say anything on American politics,” Kim said. Even though Kim has lived in the U.S. for years, he calls himself a visitor. Not all international students are as hesitant to embed themselves in the election. Shreyes Shyamsunder, a first year graduate student studying economics from India, has been following the election for a full year now. He sees this election as something completely unique to previous ones. “I see Trump as the candidate trying to change what has been put in place. Not just with the past eight years but the system in general,” Shyamsunder said. “That seems to have stopped the Republican Party from fully supporting Trump.” Shyamsunder feels that there is a lack of change in the U.S. and even though he may not support all of Trump’s change, he feels it is a sign that the political system will change. He is excited for the possibility that Trump is looking to “clean up Washington” and doesn’t believe Trump has lost all of his support. Shyamsunder also feels that because Clinton has had positions of power before, she will not look to change the system that she has benefited from. “With Hillary she will use the establishment… she will look to continue the status quo and keep things as such,” Shyamsunder said.
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Other international students are completely against Trump becoming president. “I don’t feel represented at all,” said Rudy Hammoud, an undecided sophomore who came to the U.S. from Lebanon with his family in 2006. Hammoud is not an international student but is still unable to vote in the upcoming election because he isn’t a U.S. citizen. He is still shocked at what the election has become. Hammoud said he’s seen a lot of “Islamophobia” coming from candidates. He cited Marco Rubio’s comments on Israelis and Palestinians as one of the more striking quotes and believes the comments are an accusation that all Palestinians were terrorists. What shocked Hammoud the most about this election is how many supporters Trump has after his more polarizing statements. “Man, it knocks you back a little bit. I really did not expect that here. It just makes me a little nervous, I thought most Americans were different. They probably are, it is just surprising to see such a big minority. I thought it was just 1 percent, but it is much larger than that,” Hammoud said. Even though he was born in Lebanon, he can’t picture living anywhere else besides the U.S. Hammoud even once tried to join the Navy, but after a lingering shoulder injury began, he put that ambition to rest. Now Hammoud is hoping that Clinton is elected, but he is not enthused about the choice. “I would pick Hillary… But for a majority of Arabs, we don’t really like her track record with her actions and words toward Arabs,” Hammoud said. “Like Hillary voted for the Iraq war, then called it a business opportunity later. As an Arab I don’t know how I feel about someone who considered the Iraq war a business opportunity. It is one of those things you can’t forget.”
THOMAS ZAFONTE, THE SPECTRUM
Shreyes Shyamsunder (top), a first year graduate student from India, and Hosoo Kim (bottom), a junior international studies major from South Korea, both have opinions on the presidential election but cannot vote because they are not U.S. citizens.
None of these students will be able to vote in this upcoming election even though their lives are impacted by the results. These students are left to wonder what will become of their time in the U.S. The only one who will most likely get to vote in any U.S. election soon is Hammoud. “Even in Lebanon you don’t vote for the president, the parliament does,” Hammond said. “I can’t wait to vote, because there are a lot of things that concern me that I would like to have a say in.” email: sports@ubspectrum.com
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Thursday, November 3, 2016
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12
ELECTION ISSUE
Thursday, November 3, 2016
THE SPECTRUM
Blurred lines: the presidential election
Where are we getting our information, news sources or comedy on TV?
JIMMY CORRA STAFF WRITER
Kate McKinnon and Alec Baldwin have argued over these past few weeks as Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump on the Saturday Night Live presidential debate parodies. At first, the clips made me laugh, until I realized I should be concerned. Why did I have such a sudden change of reaction? It dawned on me that this particular content was less a parody of the debates than a slightly exaggerated, self-deprecating version of exactly what is occurring in the political world right now. There are comical moments in these parodies that poke fun at the mannerisms of the candidates, from McKinnon’s reenactment of the “Hillary shimmy” in the first
parody to Baldwin’s constant, flawless knack for imitating Trump’s speaking cadence. It becomes frightening when the actors bumble their way around the answers to policy questions and say terrible things to each other, because the real candidates do the exact same thing. In each parody, Baldwin and McKinnon say, with humor, exactly what the Republican and Democratic Presidential candidates have shared, albeit in a much blunter way. McKinnon and Baldwin don’t have to act to be funny; they can simply imitate and that is a sad fact. The presidential debates have raised several questions in my mind, the first of which is where the U.S. population is actually getting their information on this election. As of Friday, Oct. 28, the three official YouTube versions of the SNL parody videos have approximately 7.6 million, 5 million and 5.8 million views more than the NBC clips of the respective debates that they parody. That difference may be due to a tendency to use YouTube as a primary means of watching SNL clips; that is how the majority of my friends view the show. Regardless, it is staggering that today’s political entertainment has become more popular than actual politics. I wonder how many of my peers walk around campus thinking of the SNL debates as “mini recaps” rather than comedy. Do
they feel educated about what the candidates believe based on participating in pop culture? Lately it seems like you can get similar information from both sources. The line has become blurred – this election is playing out as a bad comedy. I firmly believe that we must always listen carefully to the candidates to hear what they have to say, but what are they actually saying? The plans and policies of the two presidential candidates have remained enshrouded in mystery and, publicity-wise, have taken a bumpy backseat to name calling, finger pointing and passionate disgust, and people have noticed. Students around campus with whom I have spoken are generally disenfranchised with this year’s election and most are planning either to vote dispassionately for one of the two major party candidates, to vote third party or to skip voting entirely. Only a small minority is passionate about Trump or Clinton and I must admit that I understand why. Clinton and Trump are tearing each other down far beyond the point of normalcy. It is as if they do not just disagree with each other politically, but detest each other’s humanity. This breaks the status quo – I am young, but I truly cannot remember an election in which presidential candidates had so little respect for each other. We the people have not received a mes-
sage of unity or bipartisanship from our leaders in a world that truly needs it and we are tired of it. How did we get here? These are our future leaders. In a matter of days, one of these two individuals from whom the country has derived great entertainment will be elected President of the United States. In a few short months, that individual will take office and will hold one of the most powerful positions in the world. When I look at my choices, I am disheartened and frustrated. It seems that many others are too. Perhaps that is the genius of SNL, for a few short minutes, we can take a break from our discontent state and laugh a little bit harder than we probably should, until the gravity of the situation again sets in. As a longtime political junkie, I have been excited to vote in my first presidential election since I was in middle school. I can’t imagine what my middle school self would be thinking right now, but he would probably never have imagined his first election to look like this. email: jacorra@buffalo.edu
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14
Thursday, November 3, 2016
ELECTION ISSUE
THE SPECTRUM
LEAVING A LEGEND BEHIND UB students and faculty discuss Barack Obama’s presidency
MICHAEL AKELSON SENIOR SPORTS EDITOR
Dr. James Battista still remembers the uncertainty he felt watching President Barack Obama give his initial inauguration speech in January 2009. “The first time you’re seeing an African American get sworn in, I think a lot of people were nervous through the whole time,” Battista, a political science associate professor, said. “Is this going to go off without a hitch? Is nobody going to kill him?” Obama’s presidency felt unlikely and unprecedented eight years ago, yet his two terms left a legacy on the U.S. and made history as the first black president. Although not everyone has warmed up to Obama the politician over his two terms, Obama the man has been natural in the public eye during his administration. William Coates, a junior economics major, said he understands Obama’s race will ultimately be a big part of his legacy, but he hopes it won’t blind people to both the positive and negative decisions he’s made since taking office. “I think he’ll be remembered fondly because he was the first black president, which I think is kind of unfortunate because I’d hope that he’d be judged by what he did as a person rather than the fact that he’s black,” Coates said. Coates says that he feels Obama is a good man and has been a “good but not great” president. Overall, he said he has been a little bit disappointed by Obama. He thinks Obama did a great job with cer-
tain issues, specifically in lifting the economy out of the 2008 recession by borrowing money and creating a stimulus package, which he says was “in line with a lot of economic theory done during the Great Depression.” Other students admire Obama’s presidency. Jason Eisenoff, a junior psychology major, said Obama made as much change as he could given the circumstances of his presidency. While he agrees with Coates that Obama faltered on a few occasions, Eisenoff points to Obama’s appearance on the Jerry Seinfeld web series, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, as an example of Obama’s accessibility to younger Americans in the social media era. “He was driving around making jokes with Jerry Seinfeld, not all presidents would do that,” Eisenoff said. “It’s a good influence because it shows you even in this position of great power and great responsibility, you’d still be down to Earth and think for the common person.” Battista feels that a major part of Obama’s legacy will be the fact that under his leadership, he lifted Americans out of a recession. “The big thing is going to be the first couple of years, trying to avoid a second round of the Great Depression which we did,” Battista said. “Not that times were great for a couple of years, but there was a certainly a point in September of ’08 where you’re looking off the edge of a cliff and things could have gotten 1933 bad.” Battista said the next few decades – if the GOP opposition in Congress continues to the extent that it did during the Obama administration – could go a long way in shaping the political narrative attached to Obama’s name. Obama struggled throughout his presidency to work with Republicans in Congress, who oftentimes blocked his legislation. “One of the things that could be is Obama is the president at the start of a historic era of Republican obstruction,” Battista said. “If that’s the thing that continues, then that’s sort of going to be the story, what we would remember him for is that he was the first president that got that kind of treatment.” Dr. James Campbell, UB Distinguished
professor of political science, does not feel Obama was a good president. Campbell said Obama governed as “too liberal” of a partisan and did not leave the country in a better place. “Of course a president can only do so much, but under his leadership the economy’s been fairly weak,” Campbell said. “Racial divisions are more partially divided, income inequality is worse and in terms of foreign policy we have more problems around the world, particularly in the MidEast with Syria and Libya.” Campbell refers to Obama as a great orator, a man who could inspire large groups of people. However, unlike other great orators who have graced the Oval Office, he does not feel Obama has given one particular speech that stands out as being individually memorable. “A lot of his speeches, I think kind of blend together,” Campbell said. “I think his way of delivering a speech, whether it’s in a campaign or to Congress about policy, tends to be similar and I think because of that, I don’t see one as being especially memorable.” Scott Langhamer, a sophomore political science major, remembers one particular Obama speech from the night of May 1, 2011. All major television networks cut away from regularly scheduled programming to broadcast Obama’s announcement that U.S. forces had tracked down and killed al-Qaeda founder and 9/11-mastermind Osama bin Laden in Pakistan. “The way he carried that speech, it truly showed how much he cared for the country,” Langhamer said. Battista also remembers the speech Obama gave in Charleston, South Carolina after the mass shooting that killed nine people in a black church. Near the end of his speech, Obama unexpectedly began singing “Amazing Grace.” He ended his speech by listing off the names of the nine people killed in the shooting and emotionally shouted after each name that they had “found that grace.” Campbell presumes Obama will be remembered as an above average, but not
MICHAEL AKELSON, THE SPECTRUM
William Coates (top) and Jason Eisenoff (bottom) reflect on Barack Obama’s presidency. Coates said Obama was “good but not great” and Eisenoff said Obama was accessible to young Americans.
great president by presidential historians and scholars, even though he does not necessarily agree with that assessment. As a politician, even those who admire him most will likely remember Obama as being well intentioned but somewhat imperfect. His political legacy won’t take full shape until the decades following his presidency play out. Obama will be remembered, first and foremost, for being the first African-American president of the United States and for handling the pressure that came with it with such a calm grace and his skin color that hardly ever became a factor in his presidency. He will also be remembered as a family man. No matter what was going on in his work, he was seemingly able to maintain a relationship with his wife Michelle and two daughters Sasha and Malia. “There’s a lot of people who are going to miss Obama, even people who didn’t like him a lot politically,” Battista said. “He always had a smooth style and an easy grace and he’s somebody that, even if you don’t agree with what he’s saying, you’re kind of proud that somebody is up there saying it as well as he usually did.” email: michael.akelson@ubspectrum.com Twitter: @mikeakelson
SPECTRUM FILE PHOTO
Barack Obama spoke at Alumni Arena at UB in August 2013. Students and faculty said Obama’s eight years in office have left a legacy on the U.S.