Packer: The Great Coalition of 2016
When discussing the polarization of American politics, pundits often act as if the categories Democrat and Republican reflect deep ideological divides, and that the truth lies somewhere in the center.
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When discussing the polarization of American politics, pundits often act as if the categories Democrat and Republican reflect deep ideological divides, and that the truth lies somewhere in the center.
If you are like me, you have long known at a base, emotional level that the whole policy cycle — agenda setting, development solutions, decision-making and implementation — does not involve you. Wars are started, poverty ignored, the climate thrown out of balance and the police/prison system develops without anyone asking you — no survey, phone call, vote or post card. Not only were you not consulted, but in all likelihood no one you have ever known has ever had any impact on any policy outcome (though this is less true at Dartmouth).
Although administrators have framed Dartmouth’s policies in terms of student safety, this is not the bottom line for the College. They calculate their decisions in the interests of the institution itself. I assume most readers already have an understanding of some of these interests, centered on things like institutional financial stability and college rankings. Last April, then-Dean of the College Charlotte Johnson responded to the criticism of College President Phil Hanlon during the Freedom Budget protests by characterizing the his primary responsibility as fundraising. Despite Hanlon’s newfound passion for student affairs, we have no reason to believe that his priorities have changed in the past few months.