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Thursday, May 3, 2018
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
OPINION
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Edited and managed by students at
the University of Michigan since 1890.
W
ith
many
people
expecting Democrats
to take back the U.S.
House of Representatives — and
even the Senate — in 2018, it is an
opportune time to go over the way
Democrats can continue to win
and make gains going forward.
Let me preface this by saying that
I am not a Democrat. However, I
do think they are preferable to the
Republicans, and changing the
party from within is a realistic
way to achieve positive change
in this country.
The
Democratic
National
Committee has made it clear
there is little room in the
party for socially conservative
candidates. Yet, somehow, they
seem to always find a place
for
corrupt,
warmongering,
corporate
stooges.
Take
their failed 2016 presidential
candidate
Hillary
Clinton.
Despite voting for the War in
Iraq and being the architect of
the intervention that has turned
Libya into a failed state, she was
fully embraced by the DNC.
Or
what
about
Chicago
Mayor Rahm Emanuel? Despite
campaigning on a platform of
strengthening the public school
system, he has since met privately
with Education Secretary Betsy
DeVos, and is currently leading
the largest mass public school
closing ever in one U.S. city. The
DNC still fully supports him.
Where do we draw the line?
If these characters have the
DNC’s full endorsement, why
is it considered beyond the pale
to get behind a candidate who
just so happens to be pro-life?
Something is not right here.
If Democrats want to not
only win but usher in positive
populist
change,
they
must
rebrand themselves as a more
fiscally liberal and more socially
conservative party. Now, when
I say socially conservative, I do
not mean they should campaign
on
failed,
unpopular
and
immoral policies such as being
anti-gay marriage and pro-War
on Drugs. However, accepting
those who are pro-life, skeptical
of marijuana legalization or talk
about “family values” would not
be such a bad thing.
Rather than putting too much
emphasis on social issues and
refusing
to
endorse
pro-life
candidates, wouldn’t it be better
if the DNC ostracized those who
took PAC money and did not
support universal health care,
free college and a living wage? At
the end of the day, it’s all about the
economy. While the Republicans
push ever further right toward
oligarchy, the Democrats could
really separate themselves by
morphing into a party pushing
for a government that is created
by and for the people.
Social
conservatism
mixed
with
economic
leftism
is
a
winning
strategy.
For
example, it fills a previously
unfilled niche. Take the four
biggest political parties: the
Republican Party, Democratic
Party, Libertarian Party and
Green
Party.
Republicans
are both socially and fiscally
conservative.
Democrats
are
more socially liberal but frankly,
generally fiscally conservative.
Libertarians are socially liberal
and fiscally conservative and
the Greens are both socially and
fiscally liberal.
If you didn’t notice, only one
quadrant remains untouched.
Finding this niche and running
with it would help Democrats
not just to do better in red states
but nationwide as well. What so
few people realize is the biggest
crossover vote in America is
those voters who are socially
conservative and fiscally more
leftist. This makes sense, as
they often feel as though there
is no party that really represents
them, and they’re right.
In
the
2016
presidential
election, the vast majority of
these people voted for someone
other
than
the
Democratic
candidate. If the Democratic
Party embraces this philosophy,
they could not only break up
Republican hegemony in the
heartland
but
become
the
dominant
political
force
for
years to come. Sounds like a good
idea to me.
EMMA CHANG | SUMMER EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
EMMA CHANG
Editorial Page Editors
EMMA RICHTER
Managing Editor
Emma Chang
Joel Danilewitz
Samantha Goldstein
Elena Hubbell
Emily Huhman
Tara Jayaram
Jeremy Kaplan
Sarah Khan
Magdalena Mihaylova
Ellery Rosenzweig
Jason Rowland
Anu Roy-Chaudhury
Alex Satola
Ali Safawi
Ashley Zhang
Sam Weinberger
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.
ASIF BECHER
Editor in Chief
EDITORIAL BOARD MEMBERS
ELIAS KHOURY | OP-ED
A new way forward
Elias Khoury is a n LSA sophomore.
Save student newsrooms
T
he
press
has
always
played a significant part
in
American
society.
Whether it was when our found-
ing fathers called for freedom
of speech or President Trump’s
condemnations of liberal news
outlets as “fake news,” the
importance of news outlets has
never wavered. Similarly, col-
lege newspapers should have an
equally secure role on campus-
es. However, recently, student
newspapers are facing ever-
growing challenges that have
forced them to either shut down
or reaffiliate with their uni-
versity. Reaffiliation not only
takes away valuable indepen-
dence from students, but it also
reduces the integrity of the
news and reporting that comes
from the publication.
University
campuses
are
microcosms of the real world,
and what would the real world be
like without the media? An unin-
formed mess. Or, at least, more
of an uninformed mess. Student-
run publications provide a plat-
form for students to voice their
concerns about the school as
well as shed light on the issues
that may or may not plague their
campus.The paper provides an
environment in which students
can express their opinions and
learn about their campus with-
out fear of being shut down or
shunned by the university. How-
ever, as more and more campus
papers lose funding, the voice of
the students becomes weaker.
Additionally, a student paper
that is funded by its university
has a conflict of interest. How
are student journalists supposed
to criticize the organization that
is funding them? Independence
from their corresponding uni-
versity allows student papers to
objectively look at the decisions
of the university, much like inde-
pendence from the government
allows media outlets such as The
New York Times or The Wash-
ington Post to judge the actions
of our government. We all know
that the University of Michigan
has had issues in the past with
addressing their actions and
decisions and had the Daily not
been an independent student
organization,
these
problems
might have been ignored and stu-
dents would not be able to voice
their anxieties about the Univer-
sity. Without student criticism
and curiosity, how is a college
campus supposed to improve?
The University of Michigan is
not a campus free from scandal.
In just the past year, we have had
racist messages plague both cam-
pus landmarks and our residence
halls while the University does
little in the way of clear action
towards change. The Michigan
in Color section, MiC, provides
a place where students can dis-
cuss campus climate and call
out the University for surface-
level solutions and actions. The
paper is a place where students
can find support and informa-
tion about the more-suspicious
behavior of their school.
The importance of indepen-
dent college newspapers isn’t in
just content, though. Students
create a tight-knit community
when they hold the sole respon-
sibility of representing their
organization; there is no paren-
tal figure in the university loom-
ing over their heads, threatening
a “grounding” of sorts should
things go wrong. The unique
experience that comes from this
autonomy should be something
that students and alumni alike
should work to give their peers
and future generations.
College newspapers are also
another way to help students
feel comfortable on campus, and
with more shutting down, there
are fewer spaces where new peo-
ple can find their way. My first
year on the Daily, I met interest-
ing people with diverse opinions
and experiences in our Edit-
board. I learned how to move
past the discomfort of having
someone else read my writing.
The Daily created a space where
I could learn about the goings-on
at our university in an accurate
and objective way, without hav-
ing to sift through the nonsense
of Twitter and Facebook groups.
It should be no question
that student newspapers are
important parts of universities.
They’re needed to not only main-
tain but also create conversation
surrounding issues on campus.
Saving student newsrooms is
a pivotal movement that we
should all care about and sup-
port. If you want to learn more
and read about other universi-
ties, check out the movement at
savestudentnewsrooms.com.
Emma Chang is a Business
sophomore and the Summer Editorial
Page Editor.