Duke’s student voters must choose between four sharply divergent visions of the future.
The Young Trustee selection contest is often portrayed as a tussle between different well-qualified seniors seeking to bolster their resumes. To some extent that’s true. But when we spent significant time talking with the leading candidates and then afterwards watched the latest Presidential Debate, the over-qualifications of the Democratic primary candidates for the Young Trustee role became striking.
Both the radical and the realist models of the Democratic candidates warrant serious consideration. If there were ever a time to be open to new ideas, it is now. If there were ever a time to seek stability, now is it.
That’s why we’re endorsing the most effective advocates for each approach for Young Trustee. They are Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar, who are both not even running for that position.
Senator Warren is a gifted storyteller. She speaks elegantly of how the economic system is rigged against all but the wealthiest Americans, and of “our chance to rewrite the rules of power in our country,” as she put it in a speech last month. She is also committed to reforming the fundamental structures of government and the economy. Who better to represent student interests as a Young Trustee?
Meanwhile, Amy Klobuchar promises to put the country on the path — through huge investments in green infrastructure and legislation to lower emissions — to achieve 100 percent net-zero emissions no later than 2050. She pledges to cut childhood poverty in half in a decade by expanding the earned-income and child care tax credits. A certified moderate like her is equally worthy of being the next Young Trustee.
When it comes time to vote for the next Young Trustee, forget Abrams, Skapek, Butt, and Asenuga, and instead cast your vote for both of the leading women of the Democratic Primary: Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar.