A Conversation with Republicans and Democrats

Utah State University has its first pair of women elected to serve simultaneously as presidents of the USU College Republicans and USU College Democrats.

Republican Anna Marchant, a senior dual-majoring in political science and social work, and Democrat Hilary Webb, a senior majoring in English teaching, answered questions concerning national issues, the swell of women in politics taking the national stage and the issues which they feel affect USU directly.

What led you to your party?

Marchant: There was a lot of things that led me to my political affiliation, I grew up in a fairly conservative home and even for those who don’t like to admit it, our family background plays a large part in our politics. But after I left home I tried to grow my own ideas. That along with my time working in the court system led me closer to Republican ideologies.

Webb: I also grew up in a pretty conservative community. I grew up thinking that was the only way people thought, and now I look back, I’m surprised at how conservative my teachers were. When I came to Utah State, it was really important to me to know how I felt. I read everything I could about candidates, and I started to realize that I didn’t really agree with anything Republican candidates said at all. And I had to look at what most aligned with what I believed, and the Democratic Party lined up with my thought most closely.

How has the role of women in politics changed in your opinion?

Marchant: It excites me. I think the role of women in politics are rising in both parties. Definitely since the previous generation, the role has grown. I feel like women are becoming more informed and educated. As a Republican, I’m thrilled that the number of Republican women is increasing. With those expanded roles I feel that the discrepancies between men and women in politics are decreasing.

Webb: I agree. I think that people are recognizing the importance of women’s voices in leadership and politics. We have a great example of that with the record amount of Republican women who were elected this year and how the first thing the new congress discussed was abortion legislation, and it’s so important to have women’s voice on that issue because men will never have to make that decision, which makes it critical to have more women there. We have a long way to go, but I’m very optimistic that the roles will improve as people will see that women are effective leaders.

There seems to be political apathy in Utah. With such a heavy Republican majority, people tend to stay home on election day. What can your clubs do to raise political activity?

Marchant: I believe that the responsibility is on the people. I think something that would make a big difference would be to put more pressure on our politicians and then watch them more closely, which will create more candidate competition, which in turn will create an interest in voting and to not feel helpless. Something that I think most people don’t realize with a two-party system is that you aren’t suppose to agree with your party completely. You’re suppose to decide on your own ideologies and then align with a party that agrees more with your ideology but put the individual ideology before party loyalty.

Webb: That’s something I worry about and I’m very aware of. My fiance and others close to me tell me that they don’t want to vote because they feel like their vote doesn’t matter. It bothers me and drives me crazy, but I understand why they feel that way. So if there’s something we can do, it’s showing students that while it’s understandable that they feel that the election will turn out the same way no matter what they do, it’s that attitude that leads to the low turnout we’ve had in the past few elections. So I think giving evidence and example of why their votes matter is the biggest thing we can do.

What would you say is the biggest issue that faces USU and the Logan community?

Marchant: I think it’s the lack of equal education. That might sound odd coming from a Republican, but I feel that state and local communities need to do more to educate. As of right now the wage gap is increasing, and we aren’t competing with other nations on the global level, which affects future generations. I do want to clarify that we for the most part are blessed with great education. I’m just concerned with the increase in college tuition and how the Utah legislature has reacted to it.

Webb: I agree, and I’m a little bias because I’m going into education. Right now I think education is improving in general but not so much in Utah. There are huge national curriculum changes that Utah hasn’t adopted. I think a huge issue that Utah State students can get involved in is the large amount of legislation involving women’s rights, and I think it’s important for our generation because we have an opportunity to make decisions about those issues. Wherever you stand on them, there hasn’t been a generation yet where so many women can be involved in making them.

What was your reaction to the LDS Church’s statement in favor of state-wide non-discrimination legislation?

Webb: I think something that I see in Utah culture that’s frustrating is that there is a debate about whether the church makes a decision on current social circumstances or based on faith, and I don’t think it has to be one or the other. If you believe that your leaders are going to God for answers, there’s nothing wrong with that, but I think we need to realize that the questions they ask are based on social circumstances, and those circumstances are going to change things, which is alright. So my response to the announcement is that it’s progress, and I think it’s okay to say that the church is changing and that it’s okay to think it’s a good thing. But what most people were concerned with was that there were exceptions or stipulations to their acceptance of others, which I think will lead to great discussions about the issue.

Marchant: I think it will have a positive impact on gay and lesbian students and Utah State. It might have still seemed a bit harsh, but I feel like it was fairly tolerant and explained the position of the church well. Over our lifetimes that stance of the church on homosexuality as softened. And where students are so predominantly surrounded by a Mormon culture, I think the softening of such standpoints will have a positive impact on their lives.

Anita Sarkeesian stated that the main reason for deciding not to speak at USU was due to police not being able to guarantee that people wouldn’t be concealing firearms. Do you feel that Utah gun laws are fair and reasonable or does there need to be a change?

Marchant: In general I don’t feel there needs to be a change. I’m not naive to the fact that we sacrifice a lot to have such laws in Utah. But in general I think that the gun crime rate in Utah is extremely low, which makes those laws conducive to our culture, and changing the gun laws would do more harm and good. Ultimately those things should be up to the state to decide. I can understand where her fear was coming from, and I don’t blame her for canceling the speech, but as dangerous as it would seem to have so many people carrying guns, it would have been more dangerous to leave people defenseless in a situation where someone was trying to take a life.

Webb: I’m glad we brought this up in this way because I felt a lot of students were confused about (it). I think it was represented as if she canceled due to the threats, but she actually had spoken at events where she had death threats as well. I have strong feelings about this issue, and I think that it’s a little scary to have so many guns in a place of education. Even teachers in secondary educations schools are allowed to carry guns. I just refuse to believe that Americans are more naturally prone to violence and homicidal behavior than other countries, and our gun violence is out of control. And since I believe that, I think we have to attribute that to our gun laws.

The 2014 mid-term elections didn’t fare well for Democrats. How do you think that effects the 2016 presidential election?

Marchant: Of course I was pleasantly pleased with the election. Obviously our country has had some unique circumstances over the last few years since Barack Obama was elected. Most specifically, in foreign policy where I feel that Democrats have taken a hard hit, especially within the last few months, which from what I can see swayed voters from Democrat to Republican. Our history shows that people vote in a wave from the two parties, and when people feel disenfranchised with the party in the White House, they tend to vote for the other party in the next election. So if the Republicans can compromise and not be to extreme and put people before interest, I would assume that according to that history a Republican will be elected to office.

Webb: I’m really optimistic for 2016. In the State of the Union, the President put forth an aggressive agenda even while having a Republican-controlled congress, who will make those things difficult for him. I think that we’re in a good position for 2016 because if this Republican congress wants to succeed and create change that there’s going to have to be a lot more compromise and cooperation. And if Congress doesn’t budge on anything then I think it puts the Democrats in a good position for 2016.

Who do you want to see elected in 2016 and why?

Webb: This might be expected, but I’m a big Hillary Clinton fan. I think she has proven herself as a Secretary of State. She’s a capable candidate, and she’s demonstrated how important it is to have women in leadership positions. I’m behind her, and I think she has the best chance of winning among any Democratic candidate, and I’d like to support that.

Marchant: Unrealistically, I would love to have Condoleezza Rice to be the next President of the United States for a lot of reasons. Although I know she isn’t running, I think she proved herself extremely capable during her time in President Bush’s cabinet, and I feel that she has a clean career record and has worked hard to get where she is in life. I also feel she would be a good example to minorities and be a good face for the Republican Party.