The AARP Reports that senior citizens powered Donald Trump’s President 2024 election. “President-elect Donald Trump has the power of older voters to thank for his victory in Tuesday’s election. Voters 50-plus put their weight behind Republican Trump over Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris. These voters favored Trump over Harris, 52 to 47 percent, according to AP VoteCast.” Click Here.
First Day of Classes August 29
Paula Jane Davis, 78, says she has studied history, English, anthropology and religion. She is very passionate about politics in America. She’s a senior auditor and lives in Brooklyn. Although Davis has been studing at Hunter for 15 years, she has neither a degree nor current enrolling year.
She presides in Room 114 of the Thomas Hunter Hall building. The interview took place via email. Davis wore a ‘Cats Hate Trump’ shirt when first approached about an interview.
She expressed passionate views regarding Donald Trump on the early day of the election. “Today’s election is the culmination of months of stress for me and many others. It seems blatantly obvious that Agent Orange [Trump] is not competent to lead a herd of goats, let alone a great nation. He needs to resolve his insecurities but if he couldn’t manage that in 78 years than he needs to step back, shut up and sit down … before he slips on that goose poop.”
Paula Jane Davis.
“My primary concern is that 50 percent of voters believe his obvious lies and vicious diatribes,” Davis said. “It breaks my heart to realize the ignorance and rage they promote. I believe he despises [Kamala] Harris because she is competent, experienced, insightful, and truly relevant. He behaves as if he’s literally afraid of her strength.”
Davis was also asked about who she voted for, “I voted early to avoid long lines on Election Day. My 48-year-old daughter joined me along with her 7-year-old daughter, who is learning about the process and importance of exercising our rights. I voted for Kamala Harris and so did my daughter.”
“Not only do we support her, but I also really like her running mate Tim Walz. He is an insightful and serious representative of the qualities our nation purports to admire. This includes honesty, humility and commitment to his values.”
“On the MAGA side, there is JD Vance, a racist liar just like his boss but young or cruel enough to do irreparable damage should he acquire the executive authority that he is obviously navigating toward. Vance actually alarms me more since he has sold his soul for the perceived power he seeks to inherit. So yes, I voted for Kamala.”
Davis was also asked about her views on New York politics – “New York City and New York State are very different entities. I believe the internal conflicts compromise the city.”
“The Governor does her best but is alienating upstate communities and Long Island suburbs too. The suburbs seem to have a far more conservative perspective than the Urban communities do. The consequent compromises are doubly disappointing. Urban taxes support many suburban projects that contradict liberal values. In the recent migrant crisis, the city requested relief from upstate towns which either refused to accommodate immigrant families or established very limited quotas.”
Asked about Eric Adams’ indictment, she said, “Eric Adams was targeted by both parties because of several factors. He appears to have compromised his reputation as a former law officer by association with disreputable personal colleagues and more importantly his exposure to alleged foreign influences for personal benefit. Although I voted for him, I dislike the way he communicates. His vocabulary, grammar and presentation are unworthy as mayor of a great international cosmopolitan city. He can do better.”
“I hesitate to condemn him alone since he’s not the first New York politician to make questionable choices since he is hobbled by the opposing gridlock and his limited communication abilities. He speaks like a 10th grade dropout, not a college graduate. Does he do that intentionally to cajole the blue-collar constituency?”’
Picture of students on the third-floor crosswalk.
Walter Weis, 69, is majoring in media studies with a focus in journalism. He has a very introspective view on politics in America. He’s a junior and lives in Queens. The interview took place via email.
Weis was asked about his views days before the presidential election results. “It is unfortunate that we vote for our president through the Electoral College. By not basing our election on the popular vote, we have outsourced our decision-making to seven swing states,” he said. “I find it upsetting that a few thousand older white people in western Pennsylvania have a bigger say in who is our next U.S .President than we do here in New York City. Since this happens, we continue to say fracking is permissible when actual studies have shown that it poisons the local drinking water. We need a system where there is one person, one vote.”
Weis was also asked whom he was voting for. “I will vote for Kamala Harris because I do not want to live under a dictatorship [from Trump]. Additionally, I think Donald Trump’s idea of replacing our income tax system with tariffs is stupid. The federal government will take in much less money, which will lead to spending cuts in programs like public transportation and education. In addition, to being inflationary.”
“Trump’s idea of mass deportations is cruel and inhumane. Although I support Harris, I am not happy with the genocide going on in Gaza, Lebanon and now the bombing of Iran. I hope that when Harris becomes US President and Commander-in-chief that she will reign in Israel, stop this senseless murder, starvation and start rebuilding people’s lives. The Palestinian people deserve to have their own sovereign nation.”
Weis was also asked about his view on New York politics. “I think there are good and bad [things] to New York state politics. On the positive side, it leans Democrat which I think is better overall for working people,” he said. “One example of this is Medicaid. New York state has one of the more generous Medicaid programs in the country. This allows more people to enroll and protect themselves or their families from disease and injury. However, compared to other states in the Union, New York has very limited early voting and does not allow for same day registration or voting on Election Day.”
The Hunter campus is alive with political discourse.
Asked about Eric Adams’ indictment, he said, “With respect to Eric Adams, I believe he should be presumed innocent until he has a fair trial. Nonetheless, it does not surprise me that a New York City politician is corrupt. We lack transparency when it comes to the lawmaking process and to campaign donations.”
Katheleen Cummings, 76, is very direct about politics in America. She’s a senior auditor and lives in Manhattan, New York. She has neither a degree nor current enrolling year. She presides in Room 114 of the Thomas Hunter Hall building. The interview took place via email.
Cummings said, “I am fine with Kathy Hochul [as Governor] since I think she does the best she can with what she deals with. Eric Adams makes terrible mistakes, but I feel like his heart is in the right place. I am not voting for him as a first-choice next year.”
Cummings also expressed her views post-election. “The election was disappointing as we are in for a dictatorship with Donald Trump. Kamala Harris spent too much time on curbing his autocratic tendencies and not enough on the U.S. economy. Of course, I voted for Harris but on the Working Families Party as a reaction to the way the Democrats treated Biden,” she said.
Assistant Editor LaMont Jackson can be reached LAMONT.JACKSON20@myhunter.cuny.edu