T

he latest meeting of the 
Conservative Political 
Action 
Conference 

(CPAC) last month revealed 
that 
Republicans 
around 

the 
country 
continue 
to 

enthusiastically support former 
President Donald Trump. In 
a straw poll of hypothetical 
Republican candidates, nearly 
60% 
signaled 
they 
would 

back Trump in the rapidly-
approaching 2024 presidential 
election. Coming far behind 
in second place was Gov. Ron 
DeSantis, R-Fla., who secured 
just over a quarter of the tally.

With 
the 
Republican 

presidential 
primaries 
less 

than 
two 
years 
out, 
and 

campaigning likely to begin 
around a year before that, 
many signs point to Trump 
launching a bid for a second 
term in the White House. If 
strong levels of support for 
Trump 
among 
Republicans 

hold, it’s highly likely we’ll 
be witnessing another face-
off between Donald Trump 
and Joe Biden. Americans 
won’t 
cast 
their 
next 

presidential ballots for more 
than 30 months, but with a 
number of polls now putting 
Trump ahead of Biden in a 
hypothetical matchup, there’s 
a reasonable chance Trump 
could end up back in the Oval 
Office come January 2025.

When 
Trump 
departed 

the White House only two 
weeks after a group of his 
rioting 
supporters 
stormed 

the Capitol, the idea of Trump 
returning 
and 
mounting 

another 
run 
for 
president 

seemed wild and ridiculous. 
According to Quinnipiac polls 
taken in the final days of the 
Trump presidency, almost 60% 
of voters said Trump should be 
barred from holding any kind 
of elected office ever again, 
while 53% said Trump should 
resign from office before his 
term ended. 

Seven Republican senators 

voted to convict the former 
president 
in 
his 
second 

impeachment trial over the 
January 
6 
insurrection. 

Republican leaders like then-

Senate Majority Leader Mitch 
McConnell, R-Ky., were widely 
and publicly critical of Trump. 
Multiple 
loyal 
officials 
in 

the 
Trump 
administration, 

including 
Attorney 
General 

William 
Barr 
and 
the 

Secretaries of Education and 
Transportation, resigned.

But the picture is entirely 

different only a short year later. 
Too many Republicans seem to 
have turned a blind eye to the 
ugly final days of the Trump 
administration, 
threatening 

to destroy any conservative 
who stands against Trump. 
After Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., 
and Rep. Adam Kinzinger, 
R-Ill., joined a Congressional 
committee probing the events 
of 
January 
6, 
Republicans 

censured both representatives 
and 
declared 
the 
Capitol 

violence 
was 
“legitimate 

political discourse.” The GOP 
also removed Cheney from 
House Republican leadership 
last spring over her opposition 
to Trump. 

These recent trends within 

the GOP illuminate Trump’s 
extreme popularity within the 
party and the headwinds most 
mainstream Republicans face 
in opposing him. Republicans 
must change course quickly. 
It’s time for the GOP to reset, 
turn away from Trump and 
support 
candidates 
who 

reflect the values of not only 
the Republican Party but of 
America at large.

Not too long ago, Republicans 

threw their support behind 
presidential 
candidates 
like 

former Sen. John McCain, 
R-Ariz., 
a 
Vietnam 
War 

veteran 
who 
exemplified 

America’s democratic values 
and 
promoted 
conservative 

principles 
like 
smaller 

government 
and 
lower 

spending. 
Republicans 
like 

McCain 
had 
reasonable 

policy 
disagreements 
with 

Democrats, 
but 
they 
were 

always firm advocates of the 
American people, and were 
respected on both sides of the 
aisle.

President 
Trump 
surely 

had positive accomplishments 
during his term, like signing 
the First Step Act, a bipartisan 
initiative focusing on much-
needed criminal justice reform. 

But by and large, it’s become 
readily apparent that Trump 
lacks the qualities Americans 
need in their president. After 
he lost the election in 2020 
to 
Biden, 
Trump 
launched 

an unprecedented effort to 
discredit the election results 
and 
overturn 
the 
will 
of 

the people so he could stay 
in 
power. 
Those 
efforts 

thankfully failed, but if not 
for the loyal Americans who 
stood in Trump’s way, we 
could 
have 
experienced 
a 

serious constitutional crisis. 
Nevertheless, Trump’s election 
lies continue to persist to 
this day. A poll from last 
November found only a third of 
Republicans believe American 
elections are fair. Over 70% of 
Republicans said in a shocking 
December 
poll 
that 
they 

doubted the legitimacy of the 
2020 
presidential 
election. 

Trump’s election rhetoric is 
completely false as well as 
dangerous.

In the end, it’s astonishing 

that one of America’s two 
major political parties is so 
supportive of a figure who tried 
to subvert the Constitution 
and overturn fair, democratic 
processes. 
This 
country 
is 

built on democratic values that 
have guided it for hundreds of 
years. Russia’s blatant assault 
on freedom and democracy 
in Ukraine exhibits just how 
fragile democracy truly is, 
even in 2022. Trump’s attack 
on democracy here at home 
should drive every American 
— Republican, Democrat or 
independent 
— 
to 
support 

people up and down the ticket 
who believe in democracy and 
support 
it 
wholeheartedly, 

even when it’s not in their own 
political interest to do so.

With 
time 
running 
out 

before 2024, it’s imperative the 
GOP does a hard reset, and fast. 
Republicans must return to 
promoting American values and 
firmly reject misinformation 
and propaganda. Rather than 
vote for a candidate who has 
done 
much 
to 
undermine 

American 
democracy, 
it’s 

time 
Republicans 
throw 

their support behind people 
with proven track records of 
defending and celebrating our 
precious democracy.

A

merican intervention”: two 
words that represent a very 
loaded 
topic. 
Revisiting 

any part of our history shows that 
debate over intervention is present 
at every turn. From the beginning 
of our country’s history, President 
George 
Washington 
famously 

believed that the US should avoid 
any foreign entanglements. Then, 
during the 1800s into the 1900s, 
as the U.S. was strengthening its 
economic influence, it involved itself 
aggressively in other countries. After 
World War I, America adopted an 
isolationist policy for a time, but by 
World War II it had switched gears 
again to join the fight against the 
Axis powers. Throughout the 1900s, 
U.S. involvement in foreign affairs 
turned controversial with its fight 
against communism during the 
Cold War. Though the Korean War 
is considered a success as it stopped 
communism from taking root in the 
country, the Vietnam War is mostly 
viewed as a mistake. 

Such a complicated past in 

foreign policy has proven that when 
addressing this question, there is 
no easy answer. Now, as Russia 
continues its invasion of Ukraine, we 
are entering a new period of history 
that has raised the question once 
more. Yet, for me, the answer seems 
quite clear.

Throughout 
the 
centuries 

America has taken extreme steps 
to protect their economic exploits 
across the globe. Though it is 
clear that the U.S. is an economic 
powerhouse in our current global 
stage, its journey to get to the top 

wasn’t the most ethical. From 
overthrowing 
Hawaii’s 
Queen 

Liliuokalani when she wouldn’t 
succumb to U.S. economic desires, 
to leading several military coups 
against leaders — such as Guatemala’s 
democratically elected president — 
that were simply uncontrollable, the 
U.S. was everywhere. Considering 
the variety of ways America has 
influenced other countries’ affairs, 
often in a negative manner and for its 
own benefit, I have started to doubt 
the wisdom of intervention. I mean, 
why should one country be allowed 
to have that much power over the 
rest of the world? So for a very long 
time, I thought America should keep 
to itself instead of back-handedly 
controlling the world.

But recently, with the conflict 

between 
Russia 
and 
Ukraine 

steadily worsening, I have been 
forced to rethink. Specifically, I find 
myself thinking a lot about bullies. 
In school, if there is a child being 
bullied, I would consider it wrong for 
any bystanders who have the power 
to help the child in need to just stand 
idly by; some would even go as far 
to say that those bystanders are just 
as bad as the bully. And I can’t help 
but think of bullying when I think 
about our current global crisis. For 
those who may be unaware, though 
Russia recently invaded Ukraine, the 
tension between the two countries is 
one that has been building up since 
the fall of the Soviet Union. After 
the USSR fell, Ukraine became its 
own country, but Russian President 
Vladimir Putin never let go of his 
desire to rebuild the old Soviet Union 
empire; in his words, Ukrainians and 
Russians “were one people — a single 
whole.” 

That is why he has already 

invaded Ukraine once before, back 
in 2014, and annexed Crimea in the 
process. Experts think the reason he 
has chosen to continue his mission 
now is because of the strengthening 
relations between Ukraine and 
NATO. Though Ukraine will not 
be joining NATO anytime soon, it 
is working to gain admission into 
the European Union and is the 
fourth-largest recipient of U.S. 
military funding; in some ways it 
has become an informal member of 
NATO, which threatens Russia. As 
a result of his fears, Putin decided to 
invade Ukraine to take back what he 
believes is Russia’s rightful territory, 
and make sure NATO doesn’t inch 
closer. 

There is no doubt that this is an 

extremely complicated situation. But 
breaking it down to its core, the way I 
see it is that Russia is using its power 
to bully Ukraine and as a result, we 
are witnessing hundreds of innocent 
and unnecessary deaths. There are 
many debates going on pertaining 
to what the U.S. should do. The 
Biden administration has remained 
firm on keeping U.S. soldiers out 
of Ukraine, which is something 
the majority of Americans agree 
with. However, 83% of Americans 
have also said they favor increased 
economic sanctions against Russia. 
So people do think America should 
intervene, but are afraid of getting 
involved in yet another overseas war; 
and honestly, who can blame them? 
However, though I do understand 
people’s 
hesitation 
to 
escalate 

involvement in Ukraine, I believe 
that if all else fails, we might not have 
any other choice.

 The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com
Opinion
10 — Wednesday, March 16, 2022 

Intervention or isolation

PALAK SRIVISTAVA

Opinion Columnist

EVAN STERN
Opinion Columnist

Building a more diverse, equitable, 
and inclusive U-M community 
takes the will and work of all of us. 

Learn about our transition from 
DEI 1.0 to DEI 2.0.

2021-22
Evaluation

2022-23
Planning

2023-24
2.0 Launch

LEARN MORE: 
diversity.umich.edu/dei-2

It’s time for a Republican reset

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com

E

ach 
of 
the 
roughly 

50,000 students at the 
University of Michigan 

has their own story of how they 
became a Wolverine. Some of us 
were dressed in maize and blue 
practically from the moment we 
were born. Others discovered our 
love for Michigan on a campus 
visit led by a Michigan student tour 
guide. Some of us were the first 
in our families to receive higher 
education, beginning a brand new 
legacy. 

No matter what our pathway 

to becoming a Wolverine was, 
the moment we accepted our 
offers we accepted a list of various 
stereotypes. In general, university 
students are perceived as lazy, 
reckless and wealthy.

In addition to this general 

stereotype, 
every 
university 

seems to come with even more 
specific versions of these traits. In 
a study performed by researchers 
Andrea Abel and Amy Binder, 56 
Harvard University and Stanford 
University students were surveyed 
regarding their perceptions of 
other highly respected campuses 
such as The University of Chicago 
and Princeton University. They 
criticized the other universities as 
being too social, not social enough 
or 
overly 
career-minded 
and 

uptight. 

Abel 
and 
Binder 
reported 

that 
these 
micro-comparisons 

students draw between different 
universities are a result of the 
universities’ highly competitive 
nature. They report that this is 
largely due to working your whole 
life to be admitted to a selective 
university and then, once admitted, 
doing all you can to elevate your 
university’s status in order to 
bolster your own self-confidence. 

My two cents? Competition is 

ingrained in the system. To get to 
these top universities, students 
not only need an exceptional 
application, but also one that is 
better than that of their peers. 
This rigorous college admissions 
process has primed students to 
carry their overly competitive 
sentiments 
into 
their 
higher 

education endeavors. 

In Abel and Binder’s study, the 

University of Michigan was not 
mentioned by any of the surveyed 
students. However, it is fair to say 
that we have spun our own web of 
reputations, some ugly ones and 
some not so ugly ones. Many of 
these perceptions are fairly earned. 

Our 
competitive 
mentalities 

translate into the process of 
applying 
to 
the 
University’s 

selective clubs and rushing its 
professional fraternities. These 
actions could be considered feats 
of bravery, as they sometimes feel 
even more difficult than getting 

into the University itself.

Many of these clubs hold 

networking events where students 
who are already in the club can 
meet with those who are looking 
to join the club. Unfortunately, 
this can become a demeaning 
experience — existing members 
could flout their accomplishments 
in the club or speak down to 
nonmembers. 
Semester 
after 

semester, club after club, rejection 
after rejection, we begin to feel 
beaten down by the process. 
Despite our hopelessness, we 
continue to put ourselves through 
the endless stacks of applications. 
Sometimes, this draining process 
is less about the desire to join the 
organization and more about the 
idea that extracurriculars are 
necessary for success in the future.

Additionally, seeing our peers 

doing more than us — posting 
about 
their 
new 
internships, 

exclusive clubs or special programs 
— ultimately leads to constant 
comparison. Comparing ourselves 
to others, and feeling behind 
because of it, is very damaging 
to our mental health and self-
confidence. To cope with these 
damages, students ramp up their 
competition, creating an even more 
cutthroat environment. As you 
can see, this is a self-perpetuating 
cycle. 

ANNA TRUPIANO

Opinion Columnist

It’s time to break down the stereotype 
of a University of Michigan student

Design by Tamara Turner, Opinion Cartoonist
Slava Ukraini! (Glory to Ukraine!)

Read more at 
MichiganDaily.com