Ali Schonhoff, acting senior, shares her views on politics and the 2016 election. She said she has strong opinions that are very different from the average OCU student.
Q: On a scale of one to Hillary, how badly do you want to be president?
A: Even beyond Hillary. I would make a great president.
Q: What’s the biggest political concern right now?
A: For me personally, the issue of women in society is a really big problem because it affects every aspect of my life. For our country as a whole, I think we need to figure out our foreign affairs better. We keep getting involved in things that I don’t know if we need to be involved in.
Q: In general, do you think this country is going in the right direction, or have we gotten on the wrong track?
A: I definitely think we’re on a weird track right now.
Q: Have you voted/will you vote in the presidential election?
A: I gave it a lot of thought, and I decided that I’m voting for everything but the president because I don’t want to be responsible for either of them getting into office.
Q: Who is your favorite president ever, and why?
A: I’m a really big fan of the Gilded Age. Teddy Roosevelt overstepped his presidential bounds a little bit, but it kept businesses from screwing up our country. Getting rid of monopolies, yay!
Q: Did you watch any of the presidential debates? Did they sway your opinion at all?
A: I did. They did not sway my opinion. I was very disappointed with the first two debates because I feel like they weren’t about policy. It was all about them showing us how cool they could be, but neither of them are actually cool.
Q: Do you think your political views are similar to other students at OCU?
A: Not at all. My views are a lot more conservative than most students on this campus. I think that comes from my background and how much my religion impacts my life. There are things that I morally don’t agree with that a lot of people on this campus do because they don’t have those morals. And that’s fine, we’re just different.
Q: If you created a new political party, what would it be called? What would be its major goal?
A: “Everyone’s Stupid and I’m moving to Canada” would be my party. The major goal would be working with Canada to make it easier for us citizens to go work and live there.
Q: If you could automatically choose any person in the world to be president, who would you pick?
A: My father, mostly because he does not want to be president, and I think that’s honestly a quality we need. We need someone who will work for what they think is best for the country without pushing a personal agenda. Plus, my dad is really smart.
Q: How much effect do you think celebrity endorsements have on candidates’ votes? Did they affect you?
A: They didn’t affect me, but I feel like they affect a lot of other people because these are individuals that they not only know, but look up to in some way. It’s almost as if they’re offering a professional opinion
Q: What is your main source of political and election information?
A: I’m such a little researcher. I go to the candidates’ campaign websites and read those. Then, I read third-party, though still potentially biased, sources to compare the candidates.
Q: What’s the number one problem with the White House (I mean that literally)?
A: You know, I’ve heard they can have leaky faucets from time to time, which I feel like just really sets back the president. They shouldn’t have to deal with that.
Q: Would you rather be: a senator, a house representative, a Supreme Court justice, the president, or a secret service agent?
A: Well, I’ll speak realistically first. I actually thought about going to college to get a law degree and pursuing the Senate. But man, the secret service sounds cool.
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