PEA Responds To Presidential Election Results
Late Tuesday night, students and faculty members gathered in dorm common rooms, awaiting the announcement of the winner of the 2016 presidential election: Donald Trump. Around campus and into the early hours of Wednesday, people reacted in both celebration and tears. For all those watching, regardless of political affiliation, it was an extremely emotional night with an end that few, if any, pollsters predicted.The differences in reaction on campus highlight the political divide that became increasingly clear over the course of Tuesday night. On a campus where faculty members and students tend to be liberal, lower Ashley Lin said that “[p]eople are afraid to say their views.” She said that in the wake of the announced results, students are being “intolerant” to conservative ideas. On Wednesday, Lin stood up to defend a prep at cross country practice who was yelled at for sporting a “Make America Great Again” hat.As adviser to Exeter Democratic Club, mathematics instructor Catherine Holden has encouraged students to “behave respectfully toward each other regardless of political affiliation.” She stressed the value of being open to discuss differing opinions.But still, the surprise of the night’s results hit many students. “Frankly, I am still in disbelief,” senior Bonnie LaBonté, who is a co-head of Exeter Political Union (EPU), said. On Tuesday evening, she attended several watch parties and assumed that Clinton was only behind because the votes in urban areas had yet to be processed. However, as the night progressed, she was surprised to see Trump still in the lead. She said she wasn’t ready to accept the results until midnight.
“I understand he won, but I don’t think that anybody, Republican or Democrat or third party, looks at this as a win.”
LaBonté hoped that, as president, Trump will return to his “more moderate views,” as she thinks he “went rogue” during his campaign and the election season. “But I think I am being optimistic,” she said.“This victory is popping the Exeter bubble in a sense,” upper Anzi DeBenedetto said. While he couldn’t vote in the election, DeBenedetto supported Trump throughout the election. He thought the results of the election have forced progressive, left-leaning Exonians to “confront the fact that plenty of Americans are not satisfied with America.” For DeBenedetto, and, in his opinion, “lots of people,” economic and foreign policy matter more than social issues.Lower Christine Baker agreed that some liberals are treating Trump’s victory with too extreme of a reaction. “They think Trump is going to bully America, but these people are bullying Trump supporters,” she said. Baker also pointed out that Trump will need to go through many steps before he can pass any laws or make significant decisions.LaBonté agreed that Trump’s “irrational” ideas can not pass easily through the system. While Republicans won the majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives, she does not think that they will always agree with or help Trump. “I understand he won, but I don’t think that anybody, Republican or Democrat or third party, looks at this as a win,” she said. She hopes Democrats will take back the senate at midterm elections in two years.According to the exit polls conducted by CNN, the majority of Trump’s supporters are white males and females above the age of 45 and nearly 75 percent of Clinton’s supporters are not white. Over 50 percent of white women voted for Trump.According to senior Kelvin Green, the election result revealed “a truth in America” that most minorities and marginalized groups already knew. “A large percentage of white America, albeit white men who can vote, are willing to fight for who and what they want even if it means that it comes at the expense of others,” he said. “This is white privilege.”On Wednesday morning, math instructor Sami Atif, who is an adviser to the Afro-Latino Exonian Society, posted a statement on his classroom door. It began with “this how WE felt after,” and then listed the names of around twenty people of color who died under the responsibility of law enforcement, bolding Mike Brown, Tamir Rice, Freddie Gray and Trayvon Martin. Atif concluded his statement by providing his email preceded by, “Hurts? If you’re ready to build I can be reached at...”The result of Trump’s victory was particularly stunning to some of the feminists in the Exeter community. Senior Charlotte Sununu, a co-head of Feminist Club, expressed her disappointment in the outcome of the election, “not just because we missed the opportunity to elect our first woman president but because of who the country chose to elected in her place,” she said. Sununu was especially surprised at the demographic of white women who voted for Trump. “I think it’s astounding that a majority of white women are content not only to overlook Trump’s misogyny but willing to be silent on issues of race that disproportionately affect women of color,” she said.Senior Sydney Yoon, another co-head of Feminist Club, agreed with Sununu that “a Trump presidency is a massive setback.” She articulated, “specifically in terms of feminism, all of us must support those most at risk from a Trump presidency: women of color, LGBT+ women, immigrant women and women seeking reproductive and/or religious freedoms.”Although Yoon expressed her fear for the fate of these minority groups, she also proposed a plan for how the Exeter community can move forward and treat this news with proactivism. “Trump has appealed to many through fear mongering and resentment. Exonians cannot allow the same sentiments to infect our campus and our peers,” she said.In addition to the presidential race, Exonians were also staying updated on the outcome of the races in New Hampshire for governor, U.S. and state senate elections. There were two members of the Exeter community who ran for public office in New Hampshire. Governor Maggie Hassan, wife of former principal Tom Hassan, won the senate seat against incumbent Kelly Ayotte. Hassan won a close race, edging out Kelly Ayotte by fewer than 750 votes in a count that took a full day to count. Alexis Simpson, wife of religion instructor Thomas Simpson, lost in the race for State Senate of the 23rd district of New Hampshire to Republican William Gannon. Colin Van Ostern was also a competitive nominee in the race for NH governor. Labonte commented, “I very much supported Colin Van Ostern and am disappointed to see him lose, but I am happy for Maggie’s victory in the senate.”Thomas Simpson congratulated his wife, praising her “selfless and bridge-building campaign.” She gained the approval of many groups who advocated for LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, teachers, social workers, police and firefighters. “Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough this time,” he said.In the late hours of this election, PEA has been divided in its political views, but united in the knowledge that we will face whatever the future brings together. Around campus, students exchange hugs, tears and conversations about the coming years. Yoon encouraged students to avoid letting these conversations become tainted with with anger and rhetoric, as they only generate an unhealthy political community for Exeter. She urged students to “speak our minds, but do so intelligently; articulate; do not dive into opposition blindly.”