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The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
News
Monday, November 7, 2016 — 3A
MAX KUANG/Daily
Ypsilanti resident Orin Kennedy and his family examine fossils from the Bristle Mammoth at the University of
Michigan Museum of Natural History Saturday.
MUSEUM FINDINGS
in this iteration of the survey
continued to identify themselves
as Democrats, at 54 percent,
with
students
identifying
as Republicans forming less
than half of that at 19 percent.
Remaining
respondents
identified as Independent, Green,
other or had no identification.
In comparison to previous
Daily
polls,
more
students
identified
themselves
as
Democrats or Republicans rather
than third party supporters.
Students continued to follow
a national trend of millennials
overwhelmingly
supporting
Democratic nominees.
When
asked
who
they
would vote for given the choice
of
Democratic
presidential
nominee
Hillary
Clinton,
Republican presidential nominee
Donald
Trump
and
third-
party
candidates
Libertarian
presidential
nominee
Gary
Johnson
and
Green
Party
presidential nominee Jill Stein,
76 percent said they would
vote for Clinton — a 6-percent
increase for Clinton since the
most recent polling on Oct. 26.
LSA senior Lauren Gallagher,
president of Students for Hillary,
wrote in an email interview that
she thinks student voice can be
a powerful determinant in this
election.
“Compared
to
other
generational blocks, millennial
turnout is typically extremely
low, but, with that being said,
we’ve seen in past elections how
powerful the student voice can
be,” Gallagher said. “Big name
surrogate visits to our campus is
the campaign sending a message
that our voices matter, that the
decision about what direction
this country is headed in is up
to us. It’s my hope that students
don’t take this lightly and turn
out tomorrow, it’s our future’s
that are on the line right now.”
Support for Trump remained
the same at 13 percent while
support for Johnson and Stein
continued to drop, with support
for Johnson dropping 7.3 and
support for Stein dropping 2.4.
The majority of respondents
were confident Clinton will win
the election, at 87 percent.
In response to Clinton’s high
unfavorability among the general
public, Gallagher said she has
seen passion and excitement for
Clinton among fellow students
and hopes that the narrative of
the “millennial problem” will be
a thing of the past.
“We value a leader who
supports
the
rights
and
potential
of
all
individuals,
regardless of their race, gender,
religion, nation of origin, sexual
orientation, or socio-economic
background,”
Gallagher
said.
“Clinton
is
the
progressive
choice in this election, her vision
for the United States is a country
that continues to build on the
diversity that makes us great,
not take us back to a time where
divisions hindered our progress.”
However, plurality of students
responded that this election
season only had a moderate
influence on their confidence
in the Democratic process at 30
percent. The rest of the responses
were polarized, with respondents
saying it had either a lot of
influence on their confidence or
none at all.
This presidential race has
set itself apart from previous
campaigns in that the two
major
candidates
are
the
most
unpopular
in
election
history
after
beating
out
multiple
competitors
during
the primaries. In addition to
the general unfavorability of
the candidates, many incidents
throughout the campaign have
left not just students but the
general
population
stressed
about
the
outcome
of
this
election.
47 percent of respondents also
said they view Clinton favorably
or very favorably rather than a
neutral stance or dislike for the
candidate. 38 percent also said
they were neutral when asked if
they were excited at the prospect
of a Clinton presidency.
In comparison, 76 percent
of respondents said they had a
strong dislike for Trump, and 76
percent also said they were not
enthused at the prospect of a
Trump presidency.
For 86 percent of respondents,
this is their first time voting in a
presidential election. Capturing
first-time voters has been a
major push in this election as
millennials now outrank baby
boomers as the largest generation
and thus the largest voting
electorate. Especially for the
Clinton campaign, convincing
millennials to both vote for
her and participate on Election
Day has been a large part of her
campaign, with President Barack
Obama and Sen. Bernie Sanders’s
(I–Vt.) making visits on her
behalf to college towns including
Ann Arbor.
Despite low support from
University students, Michigan
as a whole is at play and has
been
frequented
heavily
by
both campaigns. LSA junior
Enrique Zalamea, President of
College Republicans, said that
he believes this could be the first
time since the election of George
H. W. Bush in 1988 that Michigan
could cast its electoral votes for a
Republican candidate.
“Clinton’s campaign manager
Robby Mook described how
Michigan has gotten so close
it can now be considered a
battleground
state,”
Zalamea
said. “With the incredible uptick
in Republican campaign speakers
across Michigan, I truly believe
that this election may be the first
time since 1988 that Michigan
may vote red.”
“I’ve now spent half my life
trying to help people get a job,
get a pay raise, save a business,
save a farm, get a business loan,
get health care for their kids,”
Clinton said. “It’s what I’ve done
with my life.”
Several speakers highlighted
Michigan’s auto manufacturing
industry in particular, a key
component
of
the
state’s
economy. Several years ago, amid
the recession, multiple large
automakers in Detroit declared
bankruptcy and were bailed
out by the federal government.
Unemployment
in
Michigan
reached 14.9 percent in 2009,
though it has shrunk considerably
since.
Former Michigan Gov. James
Blanchard (D), who introduced
Bill Clinton, criticized comments
Trump has made about the
decline of auto manufacturing.
Blanchard said Trump’s view of
the state of auto manufacturing is
inaccurate, citing a recent record
number of auto sales.
“We’re dealing with many
people who have an alternate
view of the truth,” Blanchard
said. “For example, a few weeks
ago, (Trump) stood out here and
said ‘manufacturing is a disaster
in Michigan’ … that same week
we announced record auto sales
in the United States of America.”
Blanchard
added
that
he
thought life for workers during
Bill Clinton’s presidency was
much better than the view
Republicans paint.
“When
Bill
Clinton
was
president,
the
Republicans
have said it was a difficult era,”
Blanchard said. “They are playing
the American people for suckers:
When Bill Clinton was president
we had 24 million new jobs.”
Echoing
Blanchard’s
sentiment, Clinton acknowledged
manufacturing
workers’
frustration
after
the
2008
financial crisis He reminded the
crowd that his time in office was
one of the only times in history
when income rose.
“When I was president, it’s
the only time in 50 years when
we all rose together; the bottom
20 percent’s income increased in
percentage terms, even more than
the top 20 percent,” Clinton said.
“It was the first time since the
advent of trickle-down economics
when we grew the economy from
the middle out and the bottom
up.”
Clinton added that he thought
Trump’s rhetoric of anger and
division would only lead to
greater hurt for the middle class.
“I spent a lot of time doing
this. It worked out pretty well for
you when I was there,” Clinton
said. “I actually believe that
answers are better than anger,
that empowerment is better than
resentment, that cooperation is
better than endless conflict.”
He also charged that Trump’s
policies would be regressive and
would lower taxes for the wealthy
and
corporations,
contrasting
them with Hillary Clinton’s plan
to create jobs through investment
in infrastructure.
“What we need is first to create
a lot more jobs that pay above
average wage,” Bill Clinton said.
“We need a major infrastructure
program. Flint, Michigan is not
the only place in America that
needs new water pipes.”
Speaking to Trump’s tax plan,
he said the businessman would
cut taxes on big business, enabling
business owners, while Hillary
Clinton would impose penalties
on businesses that unnecessarily
move manufacturing jobs out of
the United States.
“(Donald Trump) wants to
cut taxes for all corporations;
(Hillary Clinton) says not so fast,”
Bill Clinton said. “I would not cut
taxes on people who are making
money and they leave the country
anyway, I would raise them … I
wouldn’t let them send stuff back
to America.”
Expressing
confidence
in
his wife’s record, Clinton said
he was confident the economy
would strengthen under a Hillary
Clinton presidency.
“I have been knowing this
woman a long time,” Bill Clinton
said. “She has never touched
anything she did not make
better.”
Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) visited
Detroit.
The high number of visits from
candidates the day prior to the
election is somewhat unusual
considering polls in Michigan have
consistently shown Clinton beating
Trump and the state has not voted
for
a
Republican
presidential
candidate since 1988.
Communications
Assistant
Prof. Josh Pasek said a few weeks
ago, following the presidential
debates and scandal surrounding
the tape recording of Trump
using lewd language speaking
about women, that Michigan
would not have been in play, but
due to the renewed Clinton email
investigation, the race in Michigan
is much closer.
“That shifted the map back in
many respects to where it had
been before the debates,” he said.
“From that perspective it is not too
shocking that Michigan is in play
because, given what we expect
in a traditional election between
Democrats
and
Republicans,
Michigan would be in play.”
Pasek said he thinks one of the
main reasons the candidates are
hosting rallies in the state so close
to Election Day is the lack of early
voting opportunities. Michigan is
one of 16 states that does not offer
no-excuse early voting, which
Pasek said means candidate visits
just prior to the election have a
greater impact.
“Those states are much more
dependent on the vote on Election
Day than any other vote that
happens before,” he said. “So
attempts to sort of reach out in
Michigan and Pennsylvania in
particular right before the end
have a chance to make a particular
impact.”
Pasek said for both candidates,
the state of Michigan’s electoral
vote is essential to securing victory.
“If Hillary Clinton wins in
Michigan, she is basically locked
in to win, save the possibility that
Pennsylvania goes the other way,”
he said. “But if Trump wins it then
he has a pretty good chance at
getting into this race.”
LSA junior Collin Kelly, chair
of the University’s chapter of
College Democrats, wrote in an
email interview with the Daily that
though he believes the surrogate
visits indicate the prominence of
Michigan in this election, Michigan
will still support Clinton.
“Michigan is a blue state — it has
been solidly Democratic for the past
two decades — and we don’t think
that will change,” he wrote. “The
amount of surrogates in Michigan
just
signifies
how
important
Michigan is to the election, but
the polls have been consistently
favoring Secretary Clinton and we
do not expect the results to be any
different.”
According to Pasek, the main
motivation for candidates this close
to the election is to encourage those
who support them but are less
enthusiastic to actually get out and
vote. Additionally, young people
traditionally have low voter turnout
rates and tend to lean toward
Democratic candidates.
Pasek said, given the popularity
of Obama, he has a notable ability to
encourage students to vote, which
would benefit Clinton.
“There is a substantial goal
around trying to mobilize a bunch
more students to try to vote than
might do so otherwise,” he said.
“Sending Barack Obama in, who
is very popular among the student
body, is probably a really good
surrogate move in terms of trying
to wring some more voters out of
the student community.”
DATA
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CLINTON
From Page 1A
SWING
From Page 1A
immigration, according to the
Detroit News.
“In two days, we are going to
win the great state of Michigan,”
he said. “We will stop the jobs
from leaving your state.”
Statewide polls previously
gave Clinton a comfortable lead
in Michigan, but the most recent
averages by RealClearPolitics
place her only five points ahead
of Trump.
Clinton’s drop in the polls
came at the same time new
information was disclosed by
FBI Director James Comey nine
days ago investigating possibly
classified emails that could
have included some of Clinton’s
emails. This information was
released
during
a
separate
investigation of former U.S.
Rep. Anthony Weiner, who is
married to top Clinton aide
Huma Abedin. Sunday evening,
however, Comey published a
new letter declaring the FBI
found no criminality in the new
emails, reaffirming the FBI’s
verdict in July exonerating
Clinton
of
any
criminal
behavior.
Nonetheless,
Trump
still
continued to criticize Clinton
on the email issue Sunday night.
“It’s a totally rigged system,”
he said. “You can’t review
650,000 new emails in eight
days. You can’t do it, folks.”
Trump
also
criticized
incoming
refugees
and
immigrants.
25
percent
of
Sterling
Heights
residents
were born in another country,
according to The Detroit News,
and Michigan was the top
destination for Syrian refugees
as
of
August,
NBC
News
reported.
“Here in Michigan, you’ve
seen firsthand the problems
caused
with
the
refugee
program,”
Trump
said.
“A
Trump administration will not
admit any refugees without the
support of the local community
where they are being placed.”
Trump’s visit comes amid a
flurry of last-minute campaign
events in Michigan by both
major party candidates. Donald
Trump Jr. will be in Detroit and
Warren on Monday on behalf of
his father, while Trump Sr. will
make a last stop in Grand Rapids
in his campaign’s last official
rally.
Democratic
presidential
candidate Hillary Clinton is
also focusing her efforts on
Michigan. Surrogate President
Barack Obama will be in Ann
Arbor today alongside Chelsea
Clinton, while Clinton herself
will be at Grand Valley State
University in Grand Rapids on
Monday afternoon in her first
visit to western Michigan in the
presidential race.
to those interested in donating or
committing to traveling out to the
protest site.
“Our two main goals are to get
bodies out there to North Dakota
from Michigan and to gather
supply donations, and then I guess
there’s a third aspect too and that’s
to get the word out there” he said.
“There are still people who don’t
know what’s going on out there.”
Ferland said they didn’t have an
exact number of committed names
of those interested in joining the
efforts in North Dakota, but said
he has personally spoken with
about 100 people who expressed
interest.
“We have had probably 30
people who were like, ‘I’m not
even waiting for the rally. I’m
heading out so get ready for us at
the host tent,’ ” he said.
He added that he returned to
Michigan to galvanize support
for the protests because he has
seen a decrease from the 8,000
protesters who were at the site this
summer.
Several people in the crowd
expressed their commitment to
travelling out to North Dakota,
including Zahra Ahmad, a senior
at Central Michigan University
who said she and five other
students who are planning on
raising money to take supplies
with them to the Standing Rock
site.
“A big part of it is that we just
want to deliver that money to
them, we want to show them that
we are standing with them, that
CMU is supporting them,” Ahmad
said.
Madison Clayford, a CMU
junior who is a member of that
group, said they are raising money
for heating equipment rather
than a more traditional clothing
drive because they were told
by organizers that was lacking
among the protesters.
“One of the challenges that
people face is probably the cold,
and that’s where the generators
come in to keep people warm,” she
said. “We were initially thinking
about doing a coat drive but they
said ‘Do not send clothes,’ they
have more than enough. ”
PROTEST
From Page 2A
TRUMP
From Page 1A
knocking on the windows and
yelling Palin’s name, prompting
her to respond directly.
“I wish you had the guts to
come in here and say that to my
face,” she said to the protesters
through an open window.
The
direct
engagement
between Palin and the protesters
led several patrons to leave the
establishment and confront the
protesters. One man at the event,
according to the eyewitness, used
pepper spray.
“The guys who were put outside
were beating on the window,
and some guys went outside,”
the eyewitness said. “Then the
protesters were trying to come
back in but then the next thing I
knew there was pepper spray. Me
and the rest of the people sitting
near the door couldn’t breathe all
of a sudden. Of course the man was
trying to spray it at the protesters,
but the wind took it back inside.”
Shortly thereafter, two police
officers arrived at the tavern and
dispersed the protesters. Palin
then conducted the interview in
front of a small crowd of about 50
supporters without further issue.
Palin also made stops in
Cheboygan, Alpena and Midland
during the weekend.
In her interview for “The
O’Reilly Factor,” Palin said she
was confident in Trump’s ability
to win Michigan given the state’s
industrial history.
“There is no reason why
(Trump) wouldn’t win here,” Palin
said. “There are these ‘Reagan
Democrats’ here, these blue-
collar, hard-working Americans
here. Maybe they are registered
as Democrats, but they so want
these positive changes for their
businesses and for that industry to
be ushered in.”
Palin
also
voiced
her
ambivalence toward polls, which
show
the
Clinton
campaign
maintaining their statewide lead.
“As I’ve said before, Bill, polls
are only good for strippers and for
cross-country skiers,” Palin said.
Following her interviews, Palin
left the Town Pump Tavern after
shaking hands and taking photos
with supporters.
PALIN
From Page 1A