A publication of the AHI Undergraduate Fellows ENQUIRY Free thought and discourse VOL. IV .... No. 7 | CLINTON, NY. MONDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2016

1 GOP: Forget Trump, Save the House 2 O’Connor Takes Us For A Ride 3 Actions Speak Louder than Words & Senate

a swing state. President Obama GOP: Forget Trump, won it in 2008, the first time a This Week’s News in 140 Characters Save the House & Democrat won since Lyndon B. Johnson defeated Barry EDITORIAL REPORT Senate Goldwater in 1964. Obama went By ALEX KLOSNER on to win there again in 2012. STAFF WRITER Following the release of . Trump’s 2005 lewd comments The greatest reality televisionabout women, a number of show in human history is over. prominent Republicans have The overwhelming majority of data withdrawn their support for him. reveals that has His former primary opponents virtually secured the presidency. Carly Fiorina and Governor John The latest polling data from the Real Clear Politics average shows Let’s be practical: its Clinton leading nationally 48.1 time for the Republican percent to ’s 41.4 percent: a gap of 6.7 percent. National Committee Just one month ago, Trump has to stop devoting it’s gotten within striking distance precious time, money, and was trailing by only one point. Additionally, the current Real and resources to Trump’s Clear Politics electoral college hopeless campaign map has Clinton solidly with 256 Electoral College votes and only Kasich no longer endorse him. 170 for Trump, while 112 votes Senators John McCain, Kelly remain a toss-up. Pennsylvania Ayotte, Lisa Murkowski, and and Virginia, two crucial states Rob Portman, and Congressman for Trump, both lean in Clinton’s Jason Chaffetz, have all retracted favor. She leads Trump by 6.7 support shortly after the release FLANNERY O’CONNOR cont. percent in Virginia and 8.4 percent of the tape. Former Secretary of weak and the faithless. She wrote Actions Speak in Pennsylvania. In order to be State Condoleezza Rice put out a about unbelievers, lukewarm competitive, Trump would need to statement expressing utter disgust souls, narcissists and the spiritually Louder than secure victories in Florida, North with Trump: “Enough! Donald illiterate. She wrote about racists, Words Carolina, and Ohio; Clinton Trump should not be President. He white trash, busybodies, snobs, currently leads by about 2-3 percent should withdraw. As a Republican, fake intellectuals, poor folks, and By ALLISON ZUCKERMAN in all three states. According to New I hope to support someone who beaten down and marginalized STAFF WRITER York Times data from The Upshot, continued on back page African Americans. Above all, Americans are in the throes Clinton now has an 89 percent O’Connor wrote about the of a national conversation about chance of winning compared with unraveling of faith in America. sexual assault, and yet somehow just 11 percent for Donald Trump. Flannery O’Connor O’Connor’s works reveal that they are collectively missing Unless Wikileaks’ Julian Assange Takes Us For A she believed America, particularly the point. Earlier this month, releases further incriminating the South, was haunted by President Obama signed into law information or she has another Ride religion, but that its people were a sexual assault survivors’ “Bill major medical episode, we’ll have experiencing spiritual mediocrity, of Rights,” meant to formally a President Clinton in January. By CLAIRE ANASTASIA KITZ cynicism and emptiness – a rough- acknowledge survivors’ rights Interestingly, Trump has ceased STAFF WRITER and-tumble nihilism. She argues concerning sexual assault evidence campaign activity in Democratic The percentage of peoplethat people might attend services collection kits. This piece of vice presidential nominee Tim who say they believe in God, pray, or preach that their faith matters, legislation establishes the federal Kaine’s home state of Virginia. go to religious services, embrace but that many are just lying to their standard that survivors do not have Trump’s former Virginia campaign religious practices or find theirneighbors and to themselves. To to pay for their sexual assault kits, chairman, Corey Stewart, expressed faith meaningful has declined her, they are just checking the box that they must be notified of any outrage regarding the decision over the last 50 years. A growing with a faith bordering on the tepid test results from these kits, and to concede the state: “I think it’s group of Americans do not believe or the pathetic. God is deemed that the kits must be preserved for totally premature for the campaign in God or any organized faith the length of the applicable statute to be pulling out of Virginia after whatsoever. In many communities, many people would not of limitations, whether or not so much work and all the hundreds unbelief is even considered smart: survivors pressed assault charges. ... of hours of volunteer time religious conviction is perceived as recognize a theophany, For the first time, sexual and thousands and thousands of strange, burdensome and outdated. or sign from God, if it assault survivors now have clearly volunteers.” Historically, Virginia This is the context in which slapped them in the face enumerated rights under federal has been a solidly Republican state American Southern Gothic writer law. Admittedly, this bill does for every presidential election from Flannery O’Connor penned her not go very far in the short term. the 1970s until the re-election fictional books and short stories, irrelevant. She suspects that many But it establishes a precedent for of George W. Bush in 2004. many of which are set in the people would not recognize a handling evidence kits that will, However, changing demographics 1950s and 1960s rural South. theophany, or sign from God, if it hopefully, influence sexual assault and urbanization in Northern O’Connor wrote about the human slapped them in the face, and that laws at state and county levels, Virginia have transformed it into condition and the state of the countless souls are existentially thereby effecting concrete change

STAY CONNECTED Please recycle this issue of Enquiry @ENQUIRY_AHI SAVE THE HOUSE & SENATE cont. has the dignity and stature to prostitutes and con men – the past actions concerning women. slowness in testing this evidence run for the highest office in the grotesque, the ignorant, the Unfortunately, the majority of potentially allow rapists to roam greatest democracy on earth.” humorous, the marginalized and discourse about this scandal centers the country free. American Let’s be practical: it’s time the saved, sometimes one and on what it means for the state of schools could also introduce sexual for the Republican National the same. Reading Wise Blood is American politics or the fate of assault prevention education, Committee to stop devoting akin to watching a Mad Hatter the Republican Party. Those areamong other courses of action. it’s precious time, money, and with Southern, fundamentalist serious concerns, of course, but Donald Trump’s disgusting resources to Trump’s hopeless tendencies hold a revival, or an what of the women whom Donald comments and actions should campaign. Instead, top GOP Alice stand-in slither down the Trump sexually assaulted, who felt not be just another excuse to officials should direct all resources rabbit hole while running an silenced by his power, money, and talk about him or to bemoan to maintaining the Senate illegal moonshine operation. Her celebrity status? What of other the state of American politics. majority. The Real Clear Politics characters are bigger than life, sexual assault survivors across the Instead, Americans should use polling averages indicate that the sometimes amusing, sometimes country, men and women, who this opportunity to address Democrats and Republicans each violent, and downright biblical their prevailing attitudes about have 46 Senate seats that are safe in their ability to fail over and It is time, however, to sexual assault and to have open or not up for election, leaving over again in a multitude of ways. shift the spotlight from conversations about consent, eight toss-ups, seven of them Her characters are more than respect, and prevention. It would currently held by the Republicans. memorable; they are unforgettable. Donald Trump and be irresponsible to let this moment It appears Republicans will In Wise Blood, as in all her instead focus on bringing become just another of the many maintain control over the House writing, O’Connor asks her readers justice to sexual assault instances of public outrage over of Representatives. 218 seats are to pay attention to their intentions. Trump’s actions, which resulted needed to for a majority, and At the time, religious understanding survivors in neither change nor solutions. the GOP now has 231 safe ones. and conviction were already on the There are 15 toss-up seats, 11decline and indifference abounded. are fighting to be believed by their held by Republicans. It’s unlikely But O’Connor was staunch in her families, by society, and by the law? CONTINUE THE the GOP will lose control of the belief that apathy and nihilism Exposing Trump’s repulsive CONVERSATION House, but current polling shows wouldn’t give a person any hope, acts and rejecting his “locker that their majority will weaken. just a bucket of despair/Wise Blood room talk” about pursuing A spokeswoman for House and the rest of her works were her women is incredibly important 1 Speaker recently stated: literary offering to those who found to ensuring that rape culture is GOP: Forget Trump, Save the “The speaker is going to spendthemselves like Dante: “In the not normalized in our society. the next month focused entirely middle of the journey of our life I It is time, however, to shift the House & Senate on protecting our congressional found myself astray in a dark wood spotlight from Donald Trump and #ForgetTrump majorities.” It’s also time for where the straight road had been instead focus on bringing justice more GOP elected officials tolost sight of” (Dante’s Inferno). to sexual assault survivors. This publicly denounce Trump in Not much has changed since scandal could be the opportunity 2 order to salvage the legitimacy O’Connor passed away in 1964. America needs to publicly address of the party going forward. Religious practices and church its sexual assault problem and Flannery O’Connor Takes Us attendance are still on the decline. offer meaningful solutions and FLANNERY O’CONNOR cont. For A Ride Perhaps there is also now a more help to survivors of sexual assault. lost and fumbling in the dark. virulent strain of atheism or According to the Department #OConnorNovels Through her works, O’Connor disdain for the demands of belief of Justice, 284,000 Americans are tries to show people what the flowing through American culture. sexually assaulted per year. This world would look like without Reading Flannery O’Connor, number does not even account for 3 faith and religion. Nothing would however, is still wildly popular. those crimes that go unreported. be of real consequence – beauty, She tapped into something, State governments could be Actions Speak Louder than truth, , love, history,then and now, of the American diverting more resources into the Words death, honor and sex wouldn’t dissatisfaction with what the handling of rape kits, the subject matter in the least. O’Connor culture and the cultural elites have of the Sexual Assault Survivors’ #ASLW was also determined to show the failed to offer – the mysteries and Rights Act, which wait in huge results of that prevailing attitude revelation of faith. She remains the backlogs across the country. The in the faces of the despairing, “voice crying out in the wilderness.” the fallen, the pretenders, the depraved and the lost. ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER cont. vol. IV Flannery O’Connor’s method for sexual assault survivors and in of accomplishing this is not subtle; ENQUIRY the treatment of their evidence kits. she knocks her readers over the Instead of becoming a Elizabeth Barry head and tries to open them national discussion on the future Editor in Chief up to the frozen depths of their of sexual assault legislation or Will Utzschneider lethargy through comedy, tragedy prevention, the conversation about Andrew Juchno Associate Editors and sometimes even violence. She this historic bill was overtaken by writes: “To the hard of hearing you the scandal of a leaked audio clip Helen Sternberg shout, and for the almost-blind from 2005 of an Access Hollywood Layout Editor you have to draw large and startling reporter and the future Republican STAFF WRITERS figures.” Throughout her life,presidential candidate, in which Alex Klosner Amy Elinski O’Connor was bent on making her Donald Trump bragged about Sam Benevelli Allison Zuckerman readers understand the importance his ability to sexually assault Claire Anastasia Kitz of faith by shocking them with women due to his celebrity status. outlandish characters, striking Since the breaking of this scenes and painful revelations, audio clip, at least fifteen women The opinions expressed in these articles are the views of their authors as in her book Wise Blood. have stepped forward to accuse and do not represent the views of Enquiry or the Alexander Hamilton Institute. She populates this work with Trump of sexual assault or an over-the-top cast of characters: harassment. Several celebrities Enquiry accepts articles of 500 to 800 words at [email protected] peculiar loners, false preachers, and politicians, notably Michelle and [email protected]. Please be aware that we do not accept rudderless souls, unabashed Obama, Robert De Niro, and anonymous submissions. skeptics, spiritual zombies, men Senator Mitch McConnell, in gorilla suits, killers, zookeepers, have also publicly condemned sex addicts, mummified dwarfs,Trump for his statements and