Friday, January 29, 2010 m OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS Minneapolis, Minnesota Does Scott Brown's victory really reflect national opinion about health care reform? ' MOONOVER “Ms. Coakley’s defeat could easily be seen as evideneethat the Obama White House is out of step with much of the Ameri- can public... Show moreFriday, January 29, 2010 m OPINIONS/ EDITORIALS Minneapolis, Minnesota Does Scott Brown's victory really reflect national opinion about health care reform? ' MOONOVER “Ms. Coakley’s defeat could easily be seen as evideneethat the Obama White House is out of step with much of the Ameri- can public — pushing through a health care plan at a time when many voters are primar- ily concerned about unemployment.” This statement, printed in the NY Times, is only one assertion on a long list of inferences politicians and journalists have made since Scott Brown’s victory speech a week ago. Many Democratic strategists are looking for answers for Brown’s win of this liberal state. Many Republicans are labeling the election a sign, with its major shift from blue to red, that American citizens don’t want health care reform “pushed down their throats” by the Obama administration. ' The NY Times also has an extensive collection of maps and graphs reflecting many counties that voted largely for Obama in 2008 voted in majority for Scott Brown. Counties that voted most Republican last week generally lost around fifteen percent- age points off the total percent of votes cast for Obama in 2008 for each of these same counties for the special election. But let’s think about the scope, scale, and publicity of the 2008 Presidential Elec- tion compared to the 2010 special election. In 2008, never before had voter turnout been so high: 76 percent of eligible voters in Massachusetts voted, except Boston, with 62 percent turnout in Boston. For the 2010 special election, only 55 percent turned out for the state except Boston, and only 43 percent in Boston. Therefore, the inference that Obama is losing supporters is probably off base. It seems that many “independent vot- ers” who voted for Obama in 2008 simply didn’t show up to the polls to vote for Coakley, probably because she was such a weak candidate compared to the political juggernaut that Obama was in 2008. If voter turnout was the same with similar results, that is to say if the samples of voters for 2008 and 2010 were the same, then one could say Obama has lost his popularity; to me, low turnout points to indifference rather than fervor against Obama and health care reform. Also, the counties with highest percent- age of votes for Brown are traditionally rural, Republican voting counties. Looking at results of former senate elections and Gubernatorial races, also on the NY Times website, these counties have been largely red for years. It seems 2008 was a bit of an anomaly. However, the fact is that Brown’s vic— tory sets Obama’s health care legislation back because of the Republican ’5 ability to filibuster the bill. This shift in power on the senate floor makes this election important, and is why people are making so many infer- ences about its results relating to health care legislation. Many say that Massachusetts represents all ofthe United States. and that we don’t want reform. This is a sampling error. to say the least. Even if Massachusetts had similar health care to the rest ofthe country. differ— ent regions have different people with dif- ferent opinions. One state rarely reflects the national opinion about any given issue. But the fact that Massachusetts has. essentially. universal health care funded by the state. shows that the state actually favors reformed health care. So strong views against public health care in principle is certainly not a viable answer to why Brown won Massa- chusetts. lt seems to me that Coakely’s politi— cal fumbles (and indeed she was a regular Adrian Peterson), like saying that fonner Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling was a Yankee fan, and voter turnout of Democrat voters (which was probably effected by Coakley’s incompetence) was just as much to do with her defeat as was health care reform. different election statistics. It’s true that How pluralistic isAugsburg? Room HUELSNITZ Opinions Editor So today kids we’re talking about ‘the diversity of viewpoints,’ hence the title of this article, pluralism. You see, diversity is all around us, from the food we eat to the guy next door, and everything in between Johnny Cash and the vocal range of an Arabic singer. We have choices, and everyone holds a range of viewpoints, especially when it comes to the politics. It has struck me recently, that indeed this campus is a one- way street, a cluster of a single viewpoint in the heart of a diverse city culture. I’m going to get right to the point, because I know there are several of you who feel the same way. I sincerely believe that Augsburg College tends to breed a dominant liberal viewpoint. I have seen this time and again, in the views of professors, the speakers that present here, and the overall feeling I get when I enter this campus. I’m very aware there are students here who represent conservatives, I realize that, but on a daily basis I am bombarded with the same crap. I’m not a true conservative, and I‘m not exactly a liberal. I’m more on the side of an independent because I‘ve had an opportunity to hear ‘both sides of the story.‘ My biological father is conservative through and through, but my step-father, whom I grew up listening to, is the truest of liberals you will ever hear. Nevertheless, I understood that it was important for me to be pluralistic in my views. I don’t want to delve too much into religion, but it is another area where it is extremely important to not be one-sided. Of course. we all have our specific beliefs and values we hold true to ourselves, but we must look upon other views with respect as well. This means that you have the same respect for a Buddhist as you would for a Muslim, a Jew, or even a Scientologist. Now you’re thinking, “What the hell? Scientology is total crapl” Now this may be true, and if it may be true for Scientology, it may be true for any religion, and you can think that, but to show that kind of disrespect to the world does not represent a pluralistic viewpoint. Pluralism means we look at these things with an equal amount of respect, regardless of what our deep down personal feeling are about them, but enough of religion, lets get back to my other horrible talking point, the dirty subject of politics. I graduated from a private Christian school where the view was straight up super-conservative holier-than-thou mentality. The reason I went to this school my senior year was because I thought it would be a little more impressive to certain folks that I graduated from a ‘private’ institution, and I was right. Some people thought that was great, and I got some benefit from it. Even though it was nice to graduate from a private school, they reeked of a single viewpoint, and I don’t mean the Lutheran viewpoint. I expected that. I knew before I went there that they were a Lutheran school, just as I know that Augsburg, at its core, is a Lutheran centered education. This is not the center of my complaint, but rather, the political views are. At that high school, everyday they prayed .to keep George Bush safe, and George Bush was at the right hand of God. Essentially, they were swamping the students with this kind of view. In our late teens and early twenties is when we really start to branch out in our drinking about the world around us. The typical college-age person is at a time in his or her life when change is an everyday thing: changing their style, looking to the fiiture, career goals, aspirations, political views. Presenting the diversity of political views is among the most important of curriculum that an educational institution can teach, and these are the critical years to be doing that, the college years. Yet here at Augsburg I don’t see it. I’ll be honest, I don’t go to see every one of the speakers that presents in the chapel, and I’m sure some of them have differing views, but what I hear in the classrooms and from the students is one— sided thinking from a political perspective, and this is what I am attacking. If we want to talk about culture, I think the college does a fine job in keeping a culturally diverse campus, where students from all walks of life and of differing religious beliefs can thrive together. This is one of the many beautiful qualities that we can look upon with pride, because in this country we can all be together in the same classroom, and not kill each other. Of course on the street, things are different, we are a diverse bunch of animals, and many times people are slain because of who they are. With change comes the good and the bad, but I applaud this college for wholeheartedly embracing cultural diversity. The folks in charge accept that although Augsburg has been raised as a Lutheran campus, it can be pluralistic in its view of others and their beliefs. Yet, in light of our embracing diversity, many creatures here seem hell bent on keeping the same views. All I hear is ‘anti—war’ this, ‘go green’that, and ‘activism’ among other things. It’s no wonder many of the students here know nothing of the military, or of the good things, yes good things, the military has accomplished. It seems that on this campus, there is underlying discrimination against the armed forces. C oming from a military background, I am extremely surprised, and taken aback by the complete lack of knowledge students here have of our defense system in this country. It’s very easy to lay blame, and point fingers, but do you know anything of what you speak? That’s for another article. I don’t blame all instructors. I can’t really say that everyone who works at Augsburg is responsible for this, because I simply haven’t had a class with every instructor, or hung around every department to hear what’s being said. What I can say though, is what I have been a witness to, which are the same views recycled over and over again. Not just we on this campus, but we as a society need to embrace the diversity of viewpoints, regardless of the subject, whether diversity of sex, culture, beliefs, values, or political views. Any educational institution must be willing and must provide both sides of the story. I encourage that if instructors are going to have speakers present in their classes, that they try their best to not make it one—sided. lfsomeone is coming to speak in your class, who clearly has one set view, especially if they’re an activist, bring in another person who has the opposite view, or that could provide information on the other end. Make room for both sides. Enough with the political wisecracks. I know, I know, we all get to know each other, and as soon as we’re all comfortable in the classroom, the teacher makes a sarcastic comment about a particular political figure, who just happens to be conservative, and everyone laughs. Isn’t it great that we can all share in this laughter? Isn’t it great when we can all huddle together in a little room and laugh at a particular viewpoint while holding our own views above the rest? Isn’t it great? The answer is NO! If we continue to do this, we are simply reinforcing that it is okay to look towards one dominant viewpoint, specifically political. I think it needs to be upheld that we instruct both sides. that we present both sides, regardless. We also should not laugh at one side or the other. because that, ladies and gentleman. is blatant disrespect towards others just because they don’t think like we do. There are some students who do get offended because the instructor makes a comment and everyone else in the class thinks its great entertainment. This kind of foolishness should not be condoned or supported in a school. l know there may be some of you pure white folk who want to keep it one—sided, (and good luck to you folks in the future when you‘re the minority) but if you want to be a positive force in this country, you must accept diversity. regardless of its nature. Whether the nature of culture. or sex, or politics, we must all be able to look at the world with varying perspectives, with a continued and equal amount of respect across the board. So while you ponder this article and how much you want to rearrange my face, I’m going to invite my friend to speak on campus. Oh don’t worry, he’s a Caucasian-Hispanic—eco-fricndly- transgender-conservative who thinks Obama is sexy. . . confused? You should be, because this is the only way that one person could connect with differing viewpoints. Show less