Above: Choral director and music professor, Nathan Windt, who previously majored in Political Science, has a few concerns with how the economy may be impacted under Trump’s presidency. Photo courtesy of Sami Kelting.
With the election results finalized, there are varying feelings of both hope and concern throughout St. Ambrose’s campus.
SAU music Professor Nathan Windt, who majored in political science prior to majoring in music, hearkened back to a famous economic maxim in the 1992 election between then candidate Bill Clinton and President George H.W. Bush during the recession at that time.
“What made this election interesting is that…despite how starkly different the candidates were from each other, it still came down to how most presidential elections are decided: to use that 1992 campaign maxim, ‘It’s the economy, stupid!’ This election, Trump’s campaign was able to tap into many voters’ dissatisfaction in how they felt the economy was working for them, and Harris’ campaign was unable to use the actual positive numbers in the economy.”
In 1992, the incumbent president, George Bush, lost to Clinton on the issues of the economy. Clinton’s strategies tapped into voter’s discontent on the economy emphasizing “change vs. more of the same.”
Fast forward two decades. Windt says the economy continues to be on voter’s minds in any given election. “Trump’s economic policy tends to favor larger business and stockholders, which is why the Dow Jones Industrial Average had a huge day the day after the election.”
He does note the concerns Trump’s economic plans might cause as well: “…there are some worries that the increased tariffs that Trump proposes that could be similarly harmful to those employed in the Hoover administration in the late 1920s, which in part led to the stock market crash and Great Depression.”
Read more about Biology Professor Amy Blair’s concerns about the environment in this Buzz story.
Sarah Dennis (SAU English Department Chair) also shared how she is reacting towards the election: “One point that I’ve kept coming back to is that I can’t predict or see into the future…Who could have foreseen that a pandemic would halt the world? Who knew when (or how) people would be able to build community again?”
She also mentions the importance of remaining unbiased as a professor, saying: “The election is a big social change…As a faculty member, I am charged with not bringing personal politics into the classroom and I will continue to observe that.”
Many major policies are being addressed this election. But by hearing about these concerns from faculty who have been studying in these fields for years, we can gain insights as Trump begins his second term as president, and what his policies may bring to the table.
Sami Kelting is a staff writer for The Buzz.
