Republicans are feeling more isolated than ever on Millikin’s campus.
Millikin is a Liberal Arts college, with its students largely Democrats or left leaning; this isolation is to be expected, at least to an extent.
However, the extent to which it has grown on Millikin’s campus is striking. There are clearly Republicans on Millikin’s campus, but many of them do not feel comfortable speaking out on issues and beliefs that they have.
Take a class I took last year, Media and Politics. This was one of my favorite classes I have taken, and it was also one of the scariest. As a conservative myself, I felt like I was on an island. I was not the only one in the class, but I was the only one who was willing to speak my mind. And when I gave my beliefs on abortion, every single hand shot up in the class, except for the other Republicans who did not want to speak out and be subject to the spotlight. Although every single member of the class was mostly respectful to my beliefs, which I was relieved about, it was extremely intimidating nonetheless.
So, in response to this isolation that Republicans feel, what does Millikin do?
Millikin brings in a speaker who is a conservative, but a conservative who will be voting for Kamala Harris in the upcoming election. This is likely not an intentional slap in the face to conservatives on Millikin’s campus by any means, but it is definitely an interesting choice for a speaker.
Now, don’t get me wrong, Adam Kinzinger is absolutely fascinating.
Why did a man who supports so many conservative beliefs, such as fighting hard for the second amendment and securing the border now seemingly switch sides and support Kamala Harris?
He did this because of January 6, 2021.
He did this because of Donald Trump, a man Kinzinger says “suffocated the soul of the Republican party.” A man that Kinzinger voted to impeach.
I would be interested to see if Kinzinger would be voting with the Republican party if Donald Trump was not the candidate. My gut instinct and Kinzinger’s voting record tells me no. I would imagine he would not be speaking at the Democratic National Convention or endorsing, although he doesn’t totally see eye to eye with, a candidate who is seen as one of the most liberal candidates for president in United States history.
And this is the struggle that I and several other conservatives are having. We are being told that voting for Donald Trump is an extremely dangerous decision and that Donald Trump is a danger to democracy, a man who is such a danger to democracy that he has had assassination attempts on his life multiple times in an extremely short period of time.
Donald Trump is an extremely polarizing figure, there is no question about that. However, how could I vote for Kamala Harris?
When I watch Donald Trump in a debate, I become quite frustrated at times, because he cannot avoid getting into arguments. He can’t let go of grudges. This was clear in the most recent debate that he had when even I will admit that Kamala used his desire to win against him well.
And then I sat down and watched Kamala Harris’ first solo interview with MSNBC. I was disappointed and confused, to say the least. She talks about the “dreams, aspirations, and ambitions” of Americans, but after I watch her interviews I am left more confused than before I watched. She has flip-flopped on several important policies, such as fracking, the border wall, and gun rights. I don’t care if she owns a gun or not, but I get so lost in trying to keep track of what her tangible policies are. Perhaps this is my own fault, but I am simply left confused when I listen to Harris speak about dreams that seem so incredibly distant at times.
I am being told not to vote for Donald Trump. But I cannot vote for Kamala Harris. I cannot make the pivot that Kinzinger is choosing to make. However, I have lots of respect for a man who stands up for what he believes in and is willing to take criticism for it. I look forward to meeting and talking to Kinzinger, and I look forward to learning why he was willing to come under such scrutiny and stand up for a cause that he believed in.
