In a national election season that brings out polarizing figures on both sides of the political aisle, student activists are following suit — ASU Young Democrats handed out flip-flops on the Tempe campus on Sept. 7 to show its dislike for what group officials called inconsistencies on U.S. Sen. John McCain's (R-AZ) platform concerning higher education.
The flip-flops said “Donald Trump and John McCain, two flip-floppers who are bad for Arizona’s students.”
“We think (McCain) hasn’t been entirely genuine about what he says,” ASU Young Democrats President Austin Marshall said. “He goes in front of students and says that he supports Pell Grants and funding them, but then he goes and votes for some of the largest cuts to the program in history.”
In March 2015, McCain voted against an amendment to the federal congressional budget, which was aimed at increasing federal Pell Grants and expanding the list of groups that can apply for them.
During an episode of the Dan Bickley Show in March, McCain was asked by a college student why he chose to spend money on stadiums rather than funding Pell Grants.
McCain deferred the question by saying he didn’t vote against Pell Grants. Rather, he said that he felt the amendment was not a viable approach to affordable higher education.
“I voted against an omnibus appropriations bill that had all kinds of unnecessary spending,” McCain said in the forum.
McCain's office was not available for comment.
Kevin Calabrese, ASU Young Republicans president, said he would like to see the Young Democrats members speak on behalf of their own nominees, rather than disparaging Republican nominees.
“The event is creative on their part,” said Calabrese. “I think that Sen. McCain is doing his best to represent the interests of all Arizonans, not just the left.”
Business law senior Sage Allen said she thinks it’s ironic that the Young Democrats are protesting Sen. McCain’s supposed "flip flopping" on issues.
“Hillary Clinton has flip flopped on a lot of issues, like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP),” Allen said. “She hasn’t taken a firm stance on a lot of things, so I think it’s a little ironic the Young Democrats would say that about the Republican nominee.”
In October 2015, Clinton held an interview with PBS’s Judy Woodruff. In the interview, Clinton expressed her worries about the TPP.
“What I know about (the Trans-Pacific Partnership) as of today, I am not in favor of what I have learned about it,” Clinton said in the interview.
This statement contradicts a statement she made in November 2012 while serving as Secretary of State under President Obama’s administration.
“This TPP sets the gold standard in trade agreements to open free, transparent, fair trade — the kind of environment that has the rule of law and a level playing field," she said in the interview.
Creative writing masters student Marvin Gonzales said McCain’s ideology may be outdated.
“A lot of people on the Democratic side of the issues are trying to make community college and public schools like ASU free and affordable to anyone who’s eligible to get accepted, while McCain and Trump are trying to combat that,” Gonzales said. “I think McCain is out of touch for the simple fact that his thinking is 1990s at best.”
On the other hand, political science senior Daniel Guirguis said politicians ultimately have to follow ideology which gets them elected.
“Politics is politics," Guirguis said. "At the end of the day (politicians) follow whatever is going to make them win. I don’t think (McCain) is out of connect or anything — I think it’s all about money and it’s all about politics."
Reach the reporter at vkeys@asu.edu or follow @VKeys1231 on Twitter.
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