By Anthony Cacciato
This Tuesday, millions of college students will cast their first ballot in a Presidential contest. Here in Pennsylvania, the stakes of the election aren’t unfamiliar to us; just about every piece of media we consume has a political ad appended to it. Organizations table on our campus and put up posters telling you that “the stakes couldn’t be higher,” and they’re right to say that.
That’s why we need to elect Republicans.
It’s a bold claim to make on a college campus, traditionally viewed as a reliable voting block for Vice President Harris and downballot Democrats. In fact, a cornerstone of the Harris campaign has been to market itself as the “campaign of the future,” positioning her as the candidate interested in the needs of young people. On the surface, policies like down payment assistance and capping costs sound like attractive solutions to the problems we face. But dig a little deeper, and you’ll find that these policies hurt the people they’re trying to help.
Many of us have felt the pressures of the cost of goods and housing increasing. While COVID encouraged unprecedented government spending, it pales in comparison to the fiscal damage brought about in the years following. In the first year of the Biden administration, facilitated by a Democratic House and the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Kamala Harris in the Senate, our country experienced record inflation due to trillions of dollars of reckless spending. The inflation they spurred caused the price of housing, food, and other essentials to skyrocket. Funding trillion dollar projects on a deficit doesn’t come without consequences, and eventually the bill comes due. Harris, Walz, and other elected officials won’t be the ones to foot that bill: We will.
Business leaders like Dave McCormick and economists like James Hayes who are running as downballot Republicans in Pennsylvania have outlined clear plans which ensure young people have the chance to experience the same American Dream that our parents experienced.
Throughout this election cycle, most Republicans have been the voice for fiscal responsibility, which we desperately need in light of the economic mismanagement of the current Democratic administration. For example, McCormick and Hayes have emphasized the need to pull back on massive spending increases which they cite as the driving force behind an exploding deficit and persistent inflation. With many of us facing uncertain post-graduation prospects due to the state of the economy, Republicans offer a necessary change in course that ensures recent college graduates can not only survive, but thrive in America.
Understandably, a large reservation young people have with Republicans is social policy, specifically surrounding abortion. Contrary to what many politicians have fearmongered, Pennsylvania candidates are not advocating for a federal abortion ban.
The Dobbs decision returned the issue of abortion to the states. Here in Pennsylvania, where the law on abortion is settled, abortion is allowed up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.
As much as Democrats have claimed that their opponents support a national abortion ban, candidates like Dave McCormick have made very clear that they have no intention of doing so. Ultimately, the efforts to paint the election as a referendum on abortion serve to distract from the dismal state of the economy, especially for young people.
As you prepare to make your mark in the most contentious contest in one of the most consequential elections in our history, remember the key distinction between the vision Democrats and Republicans offer: the pursuit of a fantasy at the cost of your future, or common sense policy which will protect your future.
Anthony Cacciato is a junior in CMIST studying Economics and Politics. He serves as President of the Carnegie Mellon College Republicans.
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