On October 18th, Hamilton College hosted its first Common Ground, with David Axelrod and Karl Rove. This unusual mashup was put together in an effort to demonstrate how those of extremely differing views could still sit down and discuss the current state of our nation.
It would certainly be difficult to find two men with more differing views than Axelrod and Rove. Axelrod was Barack Obama’s chief strategist, and the man largely responsible for his election. In addition to this, he has worked on hundreds of political campaigns, for such prominent individuals as Hilary Clinton and Italian prime minister Mario Monti. In addition to touring the country alongside Karl Rove, he currently works at the University of Chicago and is a senior political commenter for CNN.
It’s quite clear that Axelrod would clash with Rove in terms of ideology. Both White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, and Senior Advisor to the President under George W. Bush, Rove worked closely with the bush administration and was a major player in his gubernatorial and presidential election campaigns. Possessing little understanding of nuance, he helped sell the Iraq war to the public, and enabling the eventual invasion.
Despite the vast policy differences, the two men had a relatively relaxed discussion. Both cited the other as having good ideas, and Rove worked hard to win over a crowd of liberal college students. Axelrod, aware of the home field advantage, expended less effort, but occasionally made little quips when Rove attempted to dodge a question. Moderating the debate was Susan Page, Washington Bureau chief of USA Today. While she was not a particularly active moderator, in reality the discussion needed little prodding.
The two men discussed the current political polarization, free speech on campus, and of course our current president, Donald Trump. While Rove did not expend much effort defending Trump, he did try to cast him in a better light by explaining how he held certain causes in high esteem, such as defending Americans against undocumented criminals and protecting the flag. Axelrod was quick to point out that these were both polarizing, targeting causes which should not the priority of the president. He also pointed out that when democrats advocate for responsible immigration reform, they are not advocating for the integration of undocumented immigrants convicted of violent crimes, which is a common republican strawman.
Overall the discussion was interesting, if not particularly lively. We here at Her Campus are excited to see what other speakers Hamilton brings to campus.