Skip to main content

Democrats Shouldn’t Panic Over Hillary Clinton

By U.S. News & World Report

New York Magazine’s Jonathan Chait sent Democrats into a panic Monday by saying it’s time to panic. He yowled over tightening polls on the eve of the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Yes, Democrats must not be complacent, but panic?

This was never going to be cakewalk. Only those who did not take seriously the power of polarization said it would be. Polarization means the Republicans could run a hamster against the Democrats and still post threatening polling numbers.

Polarization is the lens through which we should see the election. It is why #NeverTrump people — like Texas Sen. Ted Cruz — are rationalizing their way to supporting Trump. It is why the opinions of the Republican elites, many of whom have come out against Trump, are not having the same impact on the party’s base that they would have had 20 years ago. It is why split-ticket voting is a thing of the past. It is why evangelical Christians can support a serial philanderer who until recently supported a woman’s right to an abortion. It is why third parties, though popular with reporters writing stories about unpopular major party candidates, are mostly impotent.

Polarization is the reason the debates are going to be of little consequence. This is not to say they won’t have some impact on polling. They will. We can expect polls to fluctuate now, just as they did after the party conventions. But all things being equal, that impact should be short-lived — unless Trump’s performance reminded a very small slice of white suburban Republican women that he really, truly, really is repulsive.

But that too should be short-lived. Since the Republican National Convention, Trump has in the main acted “normal” or avoided aggressive press scrutiny. In laying low, he’s allowed the power of polarization to push his poll numbers up.

Compounding the effects of polarization is the media. It has been overly hard on Clinton, pushing her numbers down. It has been over-the-top permissive with Trump, the result of which is his poll numbers rising to a point where they would not be if any other GOP candidate lied as prodigiously as he does. The media’s double standard is why more people say they trust Trump over Clinton even though others in the media have empirically demonstrated that Trump lies every four minutes.

But polarization may help Clinton in this regard. Even as the press fetishizes her missteps while paying glancing attention to Trump’s, polarization may be the force that mitigates the electoral impact of Clinton’s “dishonesty” on her campaign.

Headlines regularly remind us Clinton is “vulnerable” in terms of honesty, but the same polls show her being given high marks on virtually every other criteria. From this we can deduce that the very word “honesty” has been polarized in the minds of voters, especially Republicans, to mean a specific thing applied to a specific person. The reasons for this are complex but are related to the lingering effects of sexism (she has to be twice as good while he merely needs to be good enough) and 30 years of right-wing attacks on hers and her husband’s credibility.

Polarization is why we shouldn’t be too concerned about Clinton’s so-called “enthusiasm gap” with young voters and with African-American voters. “Enthusiasm” was a problem briefly for Obama in 2012 (CNN in July: “Is Obama taking black vote for granted?”), as it is for Clinton this year. But Obama’s support among youth and black voters bested expectations, in part because Obama was a black incumbent and because of polarization. Those voters would not choose Mitt Romney.

If anything, we are likely to see youth and black voter turnout to be at least as robust as Obama’s in 2012 for two reasons: Clinton’s immense turn-out-the-vote organization in key states (Trump has no equal counterpart), and the deep antipathy toward Trump by women and minorities. Polarization has been the prevailing political force since 2000, and it will intensify owing to Trump’s unprecedented power to polarize even some Republicans.

Polarization is why the so-called Obama coalition is holding — minorities, women, youth and white liberals. Those people are not drifting over to Trump’s side the way dispossessed Republicans have drifted to Clinton’s. In this regard, Clinton is outperforming Obama by expanding her base of power.

Chait is right in one regard. Democrats should be worried. They should always have been. No matter who the candidates, no matter how disqualifying Trump’s antics have been, it was always going to be close.

Even so, Democrats have a knack for breaking late. As of this writing, Clinton is ahead of Trump in polling averages by four points (47.7 to 43.7 percent). This time last year, Obama was ahead of Romney by 3.2 points (48 to 44.8 percent). The president went on to win by about 5 million popular votes.

More from U.S. News

Editorial Cartoons on Hillary Clinton

Editorial Cartoons on the 2016 Presidential Elections

Clinton Is Winning as Media Finally Calls Out Trump Lies

Democrats Shouldn’t Panic Over Hillary Clinton originally appeared on usnews.com

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote