School must remain politically active in time of division

By Michael Beeli

Copy Editor

The electoral college selected Republican Party nominee Donald J. Trump as the president-elect of the United States on Nov. 8. The votes from the presidential election presented the majority of Costa students with an unexpected reality and emphasized the necessity of political activism and consciousness in order to move toward unity in a time of deep national partisan divisions.

The results of the 2016 presidential election, alongside those of 2000, showed one of the most divisive elections in modern history. Trump was able to secure the presidency by winning 290 of 538 electoral votes, while Democratic Party nominee Hillary Clinton claimed 232 votes with Michigan’s 16 votes not yet finalized, according to the Associated Press.

View the Electoral College Results

Despite winning the electoral college by a reasonable margin, Trump lost the popular vote, 47% to 48%, to Clinton. Americans’ votes in the recent election display the nation’s deeply polarized state and present new challenges to the future cohesion of our nation’s political system as evidenced by the disparity between the electoral college and popular vote.

Students at Mira Costa, in particular, showed a substantial disparity with the national electorate. In Costa’s mock election, which collected responses from 1,515 students, or approximately 60% of the student body, Clinton received 55% popular support opposed to Trump’s 29%, according to Costa’s website. Even through this was just a local vote, it still shows how the community differs from the nation as a whole.

According to the transcript of a Nov. 9 speech by Republican Party Leader and Speaker of the House of Representatives Paul Ryan, “Trump heard a voice out in this country that no one else had heard” and earned a mandate from voters. Although Trump may have lost the popular vote, he did earn the presidency through the institutions that this country was founded on. Therefore, the people must give him a fair chance to act as the leader of our nation.

Photos: President Trump’s inauguration.

President Barack Obama echoed Speaker Ryan’s words on Nov. 9 as he stressed the importance of a smooth transition of power and keeping faith in the political process. These words of wisdom are necessary for our nation especially, because a nation runs more smoothly when unified.

According to the transcript of Obama’s speech, he stressed that young people cannot get discouraged or cynical and that the election is as good a reason as any for those who were disappointed to keep fighting for what they believe in. Obama explained the significance of the electoral process that defines the strength of this nation and wisely made the case for why those who were disappointed need to remain politically aware.

Read the transcript of Obama’s election night speech.

Regardless of our values, convictions and political beliefs, the United States, including our very own community, owes President-Elect Trump a fair chance to lead this country. Looking toward the future, the Costa community must remain aware of the partisan divisions present in this nation and never cease participating in the political process