Every semester, the Kevin B. Harrington student ambassadors of the New Hampshire Institute of Politics present events entitled “Finding a Common Ground”. The objective, as the name implies, is to start a conversation and to encourage Saint Anselm College students to discuss issues impacting both local and national politics. The ambassadors have hosted “Finding a Common Ground” events related to mandating the COVID-19 vaccine, changing the national drinking age, and other issues pertinent to today’s politics. On Monday, October 23, the Institute welcomed Governor Chris Sununu to begin the conversation surrounding political polarization.
The Events Committee Co-Chairs, Hannah Ross ‘24 and Caroline Mara ‘24, introduced Governor Sununu to begin the discussion. Governor Sununu began by presenting a brief background regarding his history of politics and then pivoted to discuss government in his home state of New Hampshire specifically. Governor Sununu explained the importance of becoming involved in politics and how he believes this high level of involvement is one of the state’s strengths. Whether it is for the school board or President, he emphasized how many people in New Hampshire truly embrace the notion of civic engagement. The Governor also described how the state is an important factor in the primary season as New Hampshire citizens are important in embodying the idea of grassroots politics.
The event then moved to a question-and-answer format where Governor Sununu described how “partisan stonewalling” is a problem in Washington and that it is occurring on both sides of the table. He emphasized how this is not how the government is supposed to function. This idea of hatred and refusal to listen to and compromise with the other side “doesn’t have to happen”. This extreme partisan divide is making politics much less productive and a much more negative space. There was also discussion about the role the media plays here. One student highlighted the fact that social media for example, only feeds information that the viewer would want to see. Governor Sununu further explained how, oftentimes at night, social media will feed information that will confirm the viewer’s beliefs, so they go to bed feeling validated about their beliefs. This idea of reaffirming beliefs without acknowledging other perspectives is further contributing to the notion of polarization.
Governor Sununu also presented the idea of setting term limits in Congress as this would be a way to have new voices and opinions at the forefront. He explained how his role as a Governor is not meant to be a forever job. He has served four terms and believes it will soon be time for someone else to step in.
The last question asked to the Governor was about what advice he has for individuals looking to become involved in politics. His reply was “Get a real job! Everything I do in politics stems from what I learned working in the private sector”. Governor Sununu explained how he was a business owner before he served as governor. He describes how his experience owning the Waterville Valley Ski Resort in New Hampshire taught him a number of skills that made him better equipped to serve in his role as Governor.
Recently, Sununu announced that he will not be running for re-election in 2024. Despite the love of his job and the opportunity to run again, Sununu declined the fifth term. Sununu wished Washington had the same mentality as him. He hopes he has done a good job as Governor but believes it is time for someone else to take his place. He said, “It’s a public service, not a public career.” Sununu criticized politicians for being “out of touch with the real world.” Sununu described that politicians and representatives should have careers in fields free of politics. Sununu, an engineer and entrepreneur, began politics from an interest in changing business regulations he disagreed with. He continued, “If you want to change the rules, run for office and change the law, change the rules. That’s the process.” New Hampshire’s historically purple voting history correlates with Sununu’s claim of the “New Hampshire way.”
Sununu fears the deteriorating respect for journalism and “news media becoming more like entertainment” is also causing political discourse in the U.S. Sununu made the point that the disruption caused by the political divide is all the more reason for why “the nation needs to heal.” Sununu acknowledged that the Nation “will never be able to go back…but we have to move on.” If America can shift to this mindset, the “middle ground will come.” According to Sununu, what the United States needs the most in these times is empathy.
The New Hampshire Instute of Poltics takes pride in ebing an open forum for democratic discussiion and debate for everyone. As election season ramps up, candidates up and down the ticket will stop at the college to engage in civil discussion.