Opinion SHOHAM GEVA EDITOR IN CHIEF CLAIRE BRYAN AND REGAN DETWILER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITORS LAURA SCHINAGLE MANAGING EDITOR 420 Maynard St. Ann Arbor, MI 48109 tothedaily@michigandaily.com Edited and managed by students at the University of Michigan since 1890. Unsigned editorials reflect the official position of the Daily’s editorial board. All other signed articles and illustrations represent solely the views of their authors. The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com 4A — Tuesday, January 19, 2016 H is rhetoric, passionate; his rallies, electric; his supporters, eclectic. Sen. Bernie Sand- ers has captured the hearts and minds of exas- perated voters across the coun- try who want to restructure our economy to bet- ter enfranchise people of all classes, colors and creeds. This makes him the best available candidate for secre- tary of labor. Now, I know, Americans don’t actually vote for secretary of labor. The secretary of labor is nominated by the president and then approved by the Senate. That being said, Sen. Sanders, with his impassioned focus throughout his political career on leveling the economic playing field, makes an excellent appointee. Sen. Sanders is, in fact, running for president. I wholeheartedly agree with his goals of “a progres- sive economic agenda that creates jobs, raises wages, protects the environment and provides health- care for all.” I also agree with his desire to advance the social services that our global partners have had for years, allowing for lower rates of incarceration, lower income inequality and better health outcomes for less money. Many of these goals fit within the mandate of a secretary of labor, however, more so than that of the president. The president has a greater responsibility. In addition to cul- tivating an environment in which all Americans have the tools and opportunity to live up to their potential, a president needs to maintain America’s image abroad. To do so, a president of the United States must demand respect on the world stage. They must have intri- cate knowledge of both how to make our country a better place to live in and how to tackle problems that involve a diverse set of global stakeholders with vastly different histories, cultures and social envi- ronments. Now, I understand that as a child of immigrants who has lived abroad, I may approach this issue with a slightly different perspec- tive. It is a perspective, however, that I feel is important when con- sidering your choice for our next president. Growing up in South Africa, my friends and I saw the United States in its best light. We saw a country of plenty with the resources to provide its citizens with the opportunity to achieve their dreams. Moving to the United States, and the accom- panying experiences, has slowly exposed the naiveté of my idealistic fantasy, but I still hold that how the United States is portrayed abroad is important strategically and a responsibility of the president. President George W. Bush’s years in office exposed some of the worst sides of America to the world at large. We saw unchecked military oversteps and govern- ment-endorsed — or at least not government-condemned — sci- entific denial. Conversely, Presi- dent Obama, in my opinion, has restored some trust in the United States through his global leader- ship. He negotiated the Iran deal and played a pivotal role in the recent climate change COP21 con- ference. While not everything he has done has worked to restore global trust in the United States (for example, his use of drones), there have been concrete steps taken in the right direction. In this respect, I feel that Sen. Sanders is unprepared. While his nuanced grasp of our stacked deck of an economy is admirable, his failure to demonstrate any desire to take on foreign policy questions is concerning. The advantages of a healthy glob- al image, while it may seem unim- portant to an average American, provides us with not only increased security and an increased ability to shape global affairs, but also with an inflow of migrants who propel our economy forward — drawn, like my parents, to the opportunity of better lives for their children. Creating and nurturing that image takes time, and given Sen. Sanders’s lack of global name recognition and experience, I am not yet sure he is the best candi- date to continue President Obama’s progress on this front. Secretary Hillary Clinton cer- tainly has the poise and expertise to effectively maintain and strength- en our image abroad. She is, howev- er, not without her drawbacks. The Clinton name, for one, is haunted by past controversy. Her association with Establishment American poli- tics may be as much of a liability as it is an asset in our current political climate. Lastly, her trustworthi- ness rating among potential voters is frighteningly low. That being said, it seems presi- dential elections are as much about persona as they are about grasp of the issues. Judging by Secretary Clinton’s most recent debate perfor- mance, in addition to her mastery of both domestic and international issues, she can successfully weave together policy and emotion to make a succinct argument for how to move forward as a country. At this point in the election sea- son, I am highly conflicted. While I recognize the importance of Sen. Sanders’ domestic message, his seeming lack of interest in global affairs discredits him on the world stage and makes him a better candi- date for secretary of labor than for president. Secretary Clinton has a complete grasp of the responsibili- ties of the presidency, but she needs to prove that her missteps will stay in the past. The primary is not until March, though; plenty of time to start feel- ing the Bern … —Danny Sack can be reached at sackd@umich.edu. Bernie for secretary of labor Claire Bryan, Regan Detwiler, Caitlin Heenan, Jeremy Kaplan, Ben Keller, Minsoo Kim, Payton Luokkala, Aarica Marsh, Anna Polumbo-Levy, Jason Rowland, Lauren Schandevel, Melissa Scholke, Rebecca Tarnopol, Ashley Tjhung, Stephanie Trierweiler, Mary Kate Winn, Derek Wolfe EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS T hursday night’s GOP primary debate was business as usual. “The Donald” was loud and off the cuff, squab- bling with Ted Cruz over poll numbers in Iowa. We were reminded of the real challenges facing the United States, like The New York Times and Hill- ary Clinton. As a proud son of New Jersey, every fiber in my being wanted to disown Chris Christie when he spoke, and Ben Carson seemed to hover somewhere between a casual nap and the deep- est of REM cycles. To the naked eye skimming headlines Fri- day morning, the contest on Fox Business Network was standard operating procedure. With one big exception — moderators Neil Cavuto and Maria Bartiromo offered the most unabashedly biased performance in the pres- idential primaries to date. They asked ques- tions that played to Republicans’ strengths, they neglected to ask follow-ups and kept the conversation centered on the candidates’ strengths — national security, gun rights and Obama-bashing. The softballs started early with a ques- tion to Gov. Christie regarding appropriate use of military action by a president, a ques- tion worthy of any pri- mary debate. That is, if the question had not been so loaded. Bar- tiromo prefaced her inquiry with discus- sion of Iran’s capture of American sailors, North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, “an aggres- sive China,” a deterio- rating Middle East and a stronger ISIS. “Some- times,” she continued, teeing it up for Christie. “It seems the world is on fire.” Offering a clearly alarmed summa- ry of evil in the world, coaxing Christie into his bread and butter of fear mongering and “no-nonsense” statements, Bartiromo’s ques- tion simplified the complexities of national security and military engagement beyond all reason. How do we keep Americans safe? Strengthen the military. Talk to our allies. It’s that easy! Later, Trump was asked about whether or not, if he should win the White House, he could unite the Republican Party. The mod- erators waited politely as the front-runner chose to dance around the question, reciting a slice of his stump speech on incompetence and anger. Time constraints then (supposed- ly) forbade Bartiromo’s follow-up that anyone at home might have phrased, “Did you even try to answer the question, or were you dis- tracted by a bumblebee while I asked it and decided to just spout your usual nonsense?” To be fair, Cavuto spoke up and asserted, “That wasn’t my question” before Marco Rubio picked up too much steam when attempting to pivot from a question on the Common Core to national security. I was ready to chalk this one up to seven politicians, whose bad habit of not answering questions was exacerbated by the pressure and fanfare of the approaching Iowa caucuses. The mod- erators were struggling, but maybe ascribing too much of the blame to them was unfair. But then came the most ridiculous question of them all. Introduced through the question of wheth- er or not Bill Clinton’s past indiscretions are a legitimate topic in this election, Ben Carson was asked, “What do you think of the notion that Hillary Clinton is an enabler of sexual misconduct?” Ignoring how irrelevant this question should be to Republican primary voters (though the question was met with applause) and bypassing the ridiculously misogynistic notion that a woman is somehow respon- sible for a man’s misconduct, consider this question for what it really says — Ben Car- son, would you like to take a free shot at the Democratic front-runner, who we view as the devil incarnate? Here, let me provide you with some ammo. Fire away with condescen- sion and platitudes about values. Through loaded questions, softballs and a strange aversion to ask follow-ups, the jour- nalistic failures of the moderators allowed the candidates to play to their strengths of grandstanding and fear mongering. Trump spoke about “bombings all over,” and predict- ed “many to follow” in the footsteps of Paris. Christie told us how, if you want to keep your homes and your families safe, “you cannot give Hillary Clinton a third term of Barack Obama’s leadership.” Carson summoned up images of cyberbombs, attacks on our elec- trical grid and “dirty bombs,” (shortly before he misused the word existential, which is another story entirely). Why? Because the basis of these campaign strat- egies is fear. Fear of who in the world wants to attack us, who is coming to take your guns and the apocalyptic post- American society that will exist if a Democrat wins. Just like Burgess Meredith in “Rocky II,” the moderators were clearly in the GOP’s corner, introducing Hill- ary Clinton as some sort of Clubber Lang in a pantsuit, egging them on in a less than subtle way. But don’t take my word for it. Count the number of follow-ups. Go back and read the questions asked. Hear how they were set up. Listen to the tone and bias. Hear how it has no place in political journalism. Fox Business did its job Thursday night. Unfortunately, that job apparently was not to present the best form of argument to the American people, but to insulate the GOP contenders and drum up a few soundbites along the way. Look no fur- ther than the litany of topics omitted from the conversation. Issues from the minimum wage to the skyrocketing cost of higher education, from income inequality to campaign finance reform and women’s reproductive rights were not deemed important enough to grace the stage. However, the cardinal sin may have been that just a 15-minute drive away from the site of the Charleston AME Church shoot- ing, the role of race in criminal justice was mentioned once, by Jeb Bush. Why? Because Republicans are much bet- ter at talking about ISIS, immigration and Bill Clinton’s sex life. —Brett Graham can be reached at btgraham@umich.edu. Fear mongering and softballs S low down, you crazy child. So you’ve finished final exams. But the stress doesn’t stop there. It just piv- ots from those dreaded test scores to sum- mer internships, job hunts or per- haps larger existential crises. We each have our own ways of dealing with the burdens of college life, and Winter Break is surely a good start. For me, the best method of escape is a pair of noise-canceling head- phones. A timely release by Larry Fish- erman, rapper Mac Miller’s pia- no-playing alter ego, reminds me of what’s most important when the pressures of school feel insur- mountable. Miller reworks the Billy Joel record “Vienna” with darker, pitch-shifted vocals. This stripped- down cover, absent of any drums or bass, is a sign of Mac Miller’s matu- ration as an artist, but also a sign that he faces the same problems that college-aged, entry-level job appli- cants face today. Miller asks, in the first verse, “If you’re so smart, why are you still so afraid?” The reinvigorated lyr- ics ring just as true today for any University student feeling moti- vated, yet demoralized at an unclear future as they did on the release of the 1977 album The Stranger. It’s not surprising that Miller chose to recreate this Joel classic. The rap- per has experienced quick success, but at 23, he has the world ahead of him, and that can be intimidating. Miller is like any of us. Studying at Michigan is a great start, but that doesn’t make the road ahead any less treacherous. The overwhelm- ing sense of uncertainty is partly what I’m afraid of. The song raises several difficult questions — difficult because we may not want to answer them: “Where’s the fire, what’s the hurry about? / You’d better cool it off before you burn it out / There’s so much to do and only so many hours in the day.” It’s easy to get caught up in the rat race of Ann Arbor. And it’s even eas- ier for me (or Joel or Miller) to tell you to slow down before you burn it out. But I think it’s important to remember that career goals are only half of the picture. Setting personal goals to spend time with those close to you, being outside more or help- ing others can put things in per- spective. New York Times writer David Brooks raises an interest- ing point in his book “The Road to Character.” We focus a lot of our attention on “resume virtues” to further our careers, rather than “eulogy virtues,” the traits we’d like to be remembered for. When you’re sprinting toward a target, you may be going too fast to realize you’re aiming in the wrong direction. So, really, what’s the hurry about? Recently, I’ve been contemplat- ing what’s next for me as a second- semester senior. What jobs should I be applying for? Is law school a good decision for my long-term career goals? The choices I make now will dictate the path I head down, and that’s a lot to digest. It’s unrealis- tic to think that where I want to be in 10 years is where I will actually end up. It’s fun to dream, though — maybe I could be an indie record label executive, or maybe I could manage a talented, emerging musi- cian. We have no choice but to take a blind leap toward a career we’re passionate about and hope for the best. Joel’s four-decade-old lyrics sum up my feelings towards dream chasing: “You’ve got your passion, you’ve got your pride / But don’t you know that only fools are satisfied? / Dream on, but don’t imagine that they’ll all come true” There’s a sense of complacency in satisfaction. To set lofty goals is healthy, even if we never quite get there. It requires reinven- tion. Eight years ago, Miller began releasing mixtapes in high school and then moved on to producing his own independently distributed chart-topping albums. Since, Miller has released music using several aliases, including Larry Fisher- man, Delusional Thomas and jazz frontman Larry Lovestein with the Velvet Revolver. Miller continues to redefine his sound as a musician, instrumentalist and producer. In an industry packed with a surplus of artists, it can be hard to stay rel- evant. We are all trying to break into industries flooded with talented candidates. That alone can be a lot of pressure to keep your foot on the gas. So when your tank’s on empty and the grind has taken its toll, don’t hesitate to turn the lights down, put on your headphones and take a step back. But if I haven’t persuaded you, it may sound more convincing in lyri- cal form: “Slow down, you crazy child / Take the phone off the hook and disappear for a while / It’s all right, you can afford to lose a day or two / When will you realize, Vienna waits for you.” —Zach Brown can be reached at zmbrown@umich.edu. Eulogy Virtues BRETT GRAHAM ZACH BROWN DANNY SACK “Fox Business did its job Thursday night. Unfortunately, that job apparently was not to present the best form of argument to the American people.” “When you’re sprinting toward a target, you may be going too fast to realize you’re aiming in the wrong direction. E-mail FrancEs at FrmillEr@umich. FRANCES MILLER