BY ANTHONY RAMIREZ ‘16
With a presidential election coming up in November that may include some very controversial candidates, politics is a big subject of conversation at Saint Ignatius. Most seniors will be able to vote in the election, so it is easy to see feuding camps in support Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio, and even Donald J. Trump. From calm conversations at lunch to heated debates between the democratic and conservative caucuses, students are really showing a vested interest in the race for the presidency.
This race is different from others in the past because of the way the candidates interact with each other and their immoderate views. I hate to give credit to Donald Trump for anything, but he seems to be primarily responsible for this shake up on the Republican side. He has pulled the Republican party farther right than even the party heads such as Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan desire. Talking to conservatives at Ignatius about Trump has garnered pretty consistent responses. “Traditional republicans want someone who can represent their views, not a extremist and a racist” says Connor Reilly ‘16. Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz seem to be more favored by more traditional republicans and by Saint Ignatius students I interviewed.
On the Democratic side, Bernie Sanders has pushed the Democratic party even farther left than usual, claiming to be a “democratic socialist.” “I think all the other politicians don’t care, but Bernie actually cares about the welfare of the nation and the people” says Matthew Walcutt ‘16 echoing the sentiments of many like-minded democratic Ignatians. Though Sanders has a lot of support by young liberals and has even upset Clinton in many state primaries, he is behind in delegate count (especially when taking into account superdelegate support). Hillary Clinton represents the more moderate liberal constituents, though she seems to lack support on our campus. Patrick Gleydura ‘16 stated that “Generally young people seem to be more idealistic and lean farther to the extremes, that’s why Bernie seems like the more appealing candidate.”
Saint Ignatius hosts a good mix of views of social, economic, and political, so choosing a candidate as a “frontrunner” for the entire student body would be a difficult task. Catholic social teaching has a large influence over many students which causes many views to transcend parties lines. I wish all those who are voting the best of luck trying to discern which candidate they should vote for and I hope that everyone takes the time to understand their candidates views before making an informed decision.
