Summer is generally considered to be the dry spell of American politics. When there aren't major elections to occupy your attention, there isn't a whole lot going on for political observers like myself. In spite of this, I thought I'd take some time to discuss what I consider to be the most interesting narratives that have come about since the 2012 elections. When I say most interesting, I don't mean most important or most pressing. There are important issues that are being dealt with right now, such as the immigration reform fight and looming fiscal fights in Congress, but there's more going on than just the most immediate battles. So without further ado:
1. 2016 Gossip is Hot and Thriving
General tradition dictates that most media outlets, political commentators and talking heads don't really start talking about the next presidential election until about the day after the midterm elections. However, despite the 2014 election still over a year away, the political gossip is already working full throttle when it comes to 2016. While hardly anything is definite at this point, there is still talk over who has national ambitions and how current events will shape the 2016 fights. In my experience, when media pundits or political commentators talk about a person who seemingly has aspirations for higher office, whatever they're doing is often framed at least partially in a "How will this affect them in 2016?" kind of context. For example, the recent feud between NJ Governor Chris Christie and Kentucky Senator Rand Paul (both Republicans considered to have 2016 aspirations) was almost always approached as a fight that will manifest on a primary debate stage. There's also the question of how the Benghazi issue might affect a potential Hillary Clinton re-attempt for the nomination/White House. Once you throw in the other seemingly aspiring political characters such as Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan and Florida Senator Marco Rubio, it can be fun to talk about things that these people do as indications of what's in store for the future. The whole 2016 context might be appealing because of the gossipy nature of discussion right now, but it might be a more worthwhile discussion to have once there is some more definite information on who is considering running for their party nominations.
2. There is a serious divide in the Republican Party
While most in the conservative media will say that everything's fine, from where I'm standing there definitely appears to be a divide between Tea Party far-right Republicans and the more moderate establishment. The Tea Party types attack the establishment for not being conservative enough, while the establishment is stuck fighting for their political lives against not only Democratic challengers, but also against much more conservative Tea Party-based challengers from the right. The divide can also be seen in messaging conflicts and the paradox between primary and general election battlefields. Whether it's the Obamacare funding infighting, immigration reform wavering or general lack of cohesion on pressing issues, the national Republican brand has yet to establish a unified message or demonstrate that they are able to come together from all sides in opposition to Obama and the Democrats. This might not seem like a big issue right now since (as I said before) the midterm elections are over a year away, but problems like these left festering can come back to bite you in the future. In my opinion, the infighting and divided nature of the Republican party reminds me of the similar struggles that Democrats had in the 60's, 70's and ultimately coming to a head in the 80's. The new breed of Tea Party Conservative is clashing with the Establishment in such a way that currently sitting Republicans in office have to move out of the acceptable mainstream in order to win a primary. This drastic movement to the right prevents them from making the necessary move back to the center for the general election. This happened to Mitt Romney in 2012 and it can certainly happen in 2014 and beyond. I will go into the current state of the Republican party in another blog post. For now, rest assured that the divide between the Tea Party and the establishment will cost Republicans elections if they do not unify as Republicans against Democrats.
3. Hillary Clinton is making Republicans feel defeated already
Pretty much from the day Hillary Rodham Clinton left her job as Secretary of State under President Obama, everyone in the political sphere has pretty much concluded that she is GOING to run for President in 2016. Even though she's avoided answering the all-encompassing question since she left the Obama administration, that hasn't stopped commentators on both sides of the aisle pushing her likelihood of re-running for the White House This assumed inevitability has led to a wave of defeatist feelings in some parts of the Republican sphere. For example, Newt Gingrich has gone on record saying that Clinton would be a very formidable opponent in a general election. However, the most telling example comes from Myra Adams (a lifelong Republican) at The Daily Beast. She wrote up an article explaining 16 reasons why Clinton will win in 2016. While she laments the fact that she feels the urge to write up her list, she nevertheless has done it. You can read her full article here: 16 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Will Win 2016. While I don't like the amount of inevitability people are lending to a Hillary 2016 run, I can't deny that it's having an impact among Republicans. It almost worries me to think what will happen if she does decide to run. Will she just demolish all competition in her way, or will she actually face a good fight along the way? With Chris Christie still unclear on what he plans to do, Clinton is maintaining a strong lead against all other potential challengers regardless of party in early polling. There's plenty of time between now and decision time for running for president, but as of right now Republicans are already dreading a Hillary Clinton run.
To me, politics is all about stories and deep intriguing storylines that have many different threads and points of view regarding the directions this country is taking. Out of those many storylines come larger narratives that tell a story over time regarding different issues. I might have found 3 narratives that are incredibly interesting to me right now, but there are so many more stories and events out there that are worth reading into. Hopefully you will find something in the realm of politics that interests you, and maybe what I have to say will interest you as well.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Sunday, August 4, 2013
Top 5 Tips for Incoming College Freshmen
With the month of August upon us, the infamous Back To School season has begun. Kids are getting ready to go back to school and most high school graduates are getting ready to head off to college for the first time. For kids heading off to college, being away from home for the first time and tackling college-level classes full-time can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. It can also be hard for new students to adjust to college life and the college-level workload. It was as much of a challenge for me as it was for anyone. Now, I'd like to take some time to give incoming freshmen some tips (in no particular order) on how one can survive their first year of college, particularly their first semester based on my own experience. This is by no means a perfect list and each person's experiences will be different, but I hope that you can apply some of these tips to help you adjust and enjoy this important milestone in your life.
1: Make friends on your dorm floor
Since you're going to be a freshman, it's pretty much inevitable that you will end up in a dorm with a whole bunch of people you don't know. These people could be from all over the country or all over the world depending on what school you're going to. I will be the first to tell you that dorm living is one of those experiences that will never be easily replicated again any other time in your life. You will be living in close proximity with people who have the potential to become some of your closest friends. Your advisers and orientation leaders will always tell you to make friends with people in your major and network with others, but a lot of learning takes place outside of the classroom and labs. When you need a break from the papers you have to write and the tests you have to study for, it's nice to have friends nearby on your floor that you can go to for some fun and relief from the freshman grind. The people on your floor, if it's a good floor, might be the people that you hang out with the most. If you make some friends that are close to you, it'll make the time you spend outside of class more bearable and fun.
2: Don't get carried away partying
One of the biggest draws of going off to college away from the parents is that you can go to parties. I'm not about to say you shouldn't party. Everyone wants to have a good time and enjoy their free time. What I am going to say is that you need to keep your partying under control, especially in your first semester. Nobody wants to be that guy that failed all their classes because they were too busy partying and getting drunk to go to class. There is a balance you can maintain between class, homework and fun. When you do find that balance, you'll find that you can do all three things and still keep your grades up. Everyone wants to have fun in college, but the fun stops when your grades suffer. Remember, you're at college to work and make the enormous debt you'll have worth it when you get a good job.
3: If you're going to drink, go somewhere else
When you live in a dorm, you might be on a floor where there are harsh penalties for having alcohol and drugs. Even most general floors have strict penalties for such things. One of the rules that my RA set was that if you were going to drink, you need to go somewhere else to do it. This is a rule that can apply to every dorm floor. Drinking is one of those things that is a mainstay of college life, and while you can avoid it, it's still there even though you're underage. You don't want to get caught with drugs or alcohol in your room and risk getting thrown out of your housing and further disciplined depending on your school's policies. I'm not going to start preaching about how you shouldn't drink because I know it's going to happen, but you need to be smart about it so you can avoid getting in trouble and have a place to sober up in.
4: Don't feel pressured to join clubs or sports
Clubs and sports are great ways to enjoy your hobbies and make friends that have similar interests to yours. However, regardless of what your orientation leaders, admissions officers or advisers say, don't every get the feeling that you HAVE to join clubs or sports in order to have fun in college. If you want to, by all means do it! If you don't want to, there are other ways to have fun. If you manage to make friends on your floor, in your major or elsewhere, then you can have plenty of fun with those friends without ever setting foot at a club meeting or sports practice. I'm not saying you shouldn't join clubs or sports, but I am saying that you shouldn't feel obligated to do some out of some fear of being isolated and deemed anti-social. I made friends on my floor and managed to have all the fun I could ever ask for without worrying about clubs or sports. As long as you make the effort to make friends, you can decide for yourself if going out for clubs or sports or other organizations is right for you.
5: Leave your cocky senior pride at the door
We all know that feeling. When you're a senior in high school, you feel like you're on top of the world, especially if you're on a sports team. Everyone looks up to you and respects you because of your senior status. However, that status at the top of the totem pole quickly goes away once you're in college. You have gone from the top of the pile all the way back to the bottom. That can be a hard reality to accept, but you have to if you want to make good first impressions to your older peers. If you humble yourself and accept that there are now people with more seniority and higher status, then you will gain respect from others by showing that you're not annoying and cocky. If you are cocky and arrogant, then people will grow tired of you and not want to be around you anymore. This can go for people on your floor, people in your major, clubmates and teammates. When you show that you are a friendly, humble person who can accept that they are back to being freshmen, you take your first steps toward enjoying your freshman year experience
Hopefully you've gotten some value out of these tips, some of which helped me to survive freshman year and enjoy myself while doing it. If you can remember why you're in college in the first place and make an effort to make friends, you will find that you will adjust to college life and enjoy your time there. After you adjust and get into the groove of college living, you'll be ready to tackle any challenge that comes your way no matter what year of college you're in. Enjoy college life and work hard toward your degree and career goals!
1: Make friends on your dorm floor
Since you're going to be a freshman, it's pretty much inevitable that you will end up in a dorm with a whole bunch of people you don't know. These people could be from all over the country or all over the world depending on what school you're going to. I will be the first to tell you that dorm living is one of those experiences that will never be easily replicated again any other time in your life. You will be living in close proximity with people who have the potential to become some of your closest friends. Your advisers and orientation leaders will always tell you to make friends with people in your major and network with others, but a lot of learning takes place outside of the classroom and labs. When you need a break from the papers you have to write and the tests you have to study for, it's nice to have friends nearby on your floor that you can go to for some fun and relief from the freshman grind. The people on your floor, if it's a good floor, might be the people that you hang out with the most. If you make some friends that are close to you, it'll make the time you spend outside of class more bearable and fun.
2: Don't get carried away partying
One of the biggest draws of going off to college away from the parents is that you can go to parties. I'm not about to say you shouldn't party. Everyone wants to have a good time and enjoy their free time. What I am going to say is that you need to keep your partying under control, especially in your first semester. Nobody wants to be that guy that failed all their classes because they were too busy partying and getting drunk to go to class. There is a balance you can maintain between class, homework and fun. When you do find that balance, you'll find that you can do all three things and still keep your grades up. Everyone wants to have fun in college, but the fun stops when your grades suffer. Remember, you're at college to work and make the enormous debt you'll have worth it when you get a good job.
3: If you're going to drink, go somewhere else
When you live in a dorm, you might be on a floor where there are harsh penalties for having alcohol and drugs. Even most general floors have strict penalties for such things. One of the rules that my RA set was that if you were going to drink, you need to go somewhere else to do it. This is a rule that can apply to every dorm floor. Drinking is one of those things that is a mainstay of college life, and while you can avoid it, it's still there even though you're underage. You don't want to get caught with drugs or alcohol in your room and risk getting thrown out of your housing and further disciplined depending on your school's policies. I'm not going to start preaching about how you shouldn't drink because I know it's going to happen, but you need to be smart about it so you can avoid getting in trouble and have a place to sober up in.
4: Don't feel pressured to join clubs or sports
Clubs and sports are great ways to enjoy your hobbies and make friends that have similar interests to yours. However, regardless of what your orientation leaders, admissions officers or advisers say, don't every get the feeling that you HAVE to join clubs or sports in order to have fun in college. If you want to, by all means do it! If you don't want to, there are other ways to have fun. If you manage to make friends on your floor, in your major or elsewhere, then you can have plenty of fun with those friends without ever setting foot at a club meeting or sports practice. I'm not saying you shouldn't join clubs or sports, but I am saying that you shouldn't feel obligated to do some out of some fear of being isolated and deemed anti-social. I made friends on my floor and managed to have all the fun I could ever ask for without worrying about clubs or sports. As long as you make the effort to make friends, you can decide for yourself if going out for clubs or sports or other organizations is right for you.
5: Leave your cocky senior pride at the door
We all know that feeling. When you're a senior in high school, you feel like you're on top of the world, especially if you're on a sports team. Everyone looks up to you and respects you because of your senior status. However, that status at the top of the totem pole quickly goes away once you're in college. You have gone from the top of the pile all the way back to the bottom. That can be a hard reality to accept, but you have to if you want to make good first impressions to your older peers. If you humble yourself and accept that there are now people with more seniority and higher status, then you will gain respect from others by showing that you're not annoying and cocky. If you are cocky and arrogant, then people will grow tired of you and not want to be around you anymore. This can go for people on your floor, people in your major, clubmates and teammates. When you show that you are a friendly, humble person who can accept that they are back to being freshmen, you take your first steps toward enjoying your freshman year experience
Hopefully you've gotten some value out of these tips, some of which helped me to survive freshman year and enjoy myself while doing it. If you can remember why you're in college in the first place and make an effort to make friends, you will find that you will adjust to college life and enjoy your time there. After you adjust and get into the groove of college living, you'll be ready to tackle any challenge that comes your way no matter what year of college you're in. Enjoy college life and work hard toward your degree and career goals!
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