SARATOGA SPRINGS — Two renowned political experts visited Skidmore College Wednesday night to discuss how America’s major political parties have changed and what might happen in the upcoming presidential election.

Matthew Continetti, director of domestic policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a conservative think tank, said the Republican Party “has been rocked over the last decade by the rise of the populist movement that did not exist within the institutional structure of the Republican Party until 2010.” 

Continetti compared the Make America Great Again (MAGA) populist movement to the rise of conservatives that began with Barry Goldwater in the 1960s and was cemented with Ronald Reagan in the late 1970s. “MAGA is owning the Republican Party and if Donald Trump wins in November, there really is no going back,” he said.

Continetti said that the Trump MAGA movement has forced the Republican Party to become more centrist on a host of issues, such as abortion, entitlements, and foreign policy. Despite this, Continetti said the election results of 2018, 2020, 2021, and 2022 showed that Trump “is clearly bad for the Republican Party’s electoral chances.”

Ruy Teixeira, a former senior fellow at the Center for American Progress, said the Democratic Party has been “steadily shedding working class voters and steadily gaining college educated, cosmopolitan voters.” Attempting to reclaim those working class voters, Teixeira said, would be a tricky proposition.

“If you’re really going to launch a populist appeal to the working class that is starting to move out of the Democratic Party, you would have to combine not only some sort of populist economic approach, but to get people to take it seriously, you’d also have to move to the center on cultural issues,” Teixeira said.

Teixeira spoke about the rising influence of young women in the Democratic Party, which he said may not necessarily be helpful electorally. “It’s going to push them on these sociocultural issues even farther to the left than they already are,” he said. “That’s probably not good for them, objectively, in terms of appealing to the median voter in the country as a whole.”

Continetti said that reputable polling data showed that polarization was a troubling issue on both sides of the political aisle. “As a consequence of this sharp polarization of the last generation, we have heated rhetoric, we have the idea that each election may be the last election in the United States,” he said.

Both Continetti and Teixeira offered some thoughts on how the upcoming presidential election might turn out, and how the results could impact the future of American politics. 

“If Harris wins, Trump will say that the election was stolen and Republicans will believe him,” Continetti said. “Trump will say that the election was stolen because Democrats switched out the candidates after the primary had been closed.”

Teixeira said that if Kamala Harris wins, she’ll likely win by a narrow margin and be forced to work with a Republican Senate. If she loses, Teixeira said, Democrats may need to do some serious rethinking. “If they do lose, it’s going to be because they shed even more working class voters than they could possibly make up by doing better with college educated voters,” he said. 

Regardless of the 2024 election’s outcome, Continetti was bullish on Vice Presidential nominee JD Vance’s future. “JD Vance is like Richard Nixon in many ways,” he said. “Richard Nixon was 40 years old when he was elected to the Vice Presidency and he was a major figure in American politics for the next 24 years. I think we could see that with JD Vance as well.”

The panel discussion, “Left, Right, & Center: American Political Parties & the Electorate,” was held at the Tang Museum and moderated by Skidmore Political Science Professors Ron Seyb and Natalie Taylor. The event was part of the college’s ongoing Election 2024 exhibition. 

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Central Catholic School raised $12,600 worth of renovation funds at their Oktoberfest block party last weekend. More than 250 tickets were sold.

The event featured drinks from Druthers Brewing and bites by Franklin Square Market. On the menu: German mac and cheese, perogies, and grilled Bratwurst. Revelers took home custom-made Saratoga Oktoberfest steins.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — On September 26, the Saratoga Springs City School District celebrated employees who have devoted 25 years of service to the school community.

Those employees were: Michelle Baldani, Christopher Caro, Shelley Collier, Tina Damiano, Laura Downey, Amy Elsworth, Laura Endieveri, Michael Goodwin, Gregory Goering, Rana Hughes, Anthony Klick, John Kreis, Carl Luciano, Timothy McGuiggan, Lisa Nettesheim, Barbara Omaggio, Benjamin Peck, Susan Pennock, Jill Perry, Lynda Redman, Thomas Reilly, Tracy Sanders, Karen Swift, Debra Tallman, and Dawn Talley.

In recognition of their service, each individual received a certificate of appreciation and chose a book to be placed in one of the district’s school libraries.

HERKIMER, NEW YORK — Sixth grade students from the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs celebrated the end of their Geology block with a trip to the Herkimer Diamond Mines in New York.

The children learned to identify the pocketed dolomite limestone and how to break it open, discovering various forms of these special quartz crystals, from drusy to pure Herkimer Diamond.

The Waldorf School emphasizes hands-on learning in low-tech classrooms and aims to enhance their intensive studies, or main lesson blocks, with relevant and engaging field trips.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — Saratoga Springs High School has earned the National Banner Unified Champion School status for the second time. The school is one of only 36 National Banner schools across New York State.

The distinction marks the highest level of achievement for Unified Champion Schools in the nation, recognizing their ability to create inclusive school communities where all students are accepted and celebrated.

In Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools, students with and without disabilities play on the same sports teams and take physical education courses together. Students learn inclusive leadership skills and lead campaigns and activities that engage the entire school community to encourage inclusion among their peers.

To earn National Banner status, schools must meet 10 standards of excellence, demonstrating their commitment to Unified Sports, inclusive youth leadership, and whole-school engagement. Schools must also show that their inclusive programs are sustainable for the long term.

SARATOGA SPRINGS — According to data from the website moveBuddha, Saratoga Springs is currently the tenth most “sought-after” college town in the country. The Spa City just barely cracked the top ten, edging out Savannah, Georgia.

The rankings were compiled from 190,000 searches on moveBuddha, a relocation aggregator that helps users sift through different moving companies. Saratoga Springs had a relatively high move-in to move-out ratio (1.70), meaning that there are nearly twice as many users looking to move into the city than move out. Saratoga also scored well due to its unemployment rate (3.8) being lower than the national average (4.2), its walkable downtown, and its bountiful supply of outdoor space. 

However, the Spa City was dinged for its high home prices, which were the fourth highest overall among college towns researched by moveBuddha. 

The top ten most “sought-after” college towns were as follows:

SARATOGA SPRINGS — The Saratoga Springs City School District and Saratoga Shredders officially launched the Bikes in Schools program at Maple Avenue Middle School on Monday. For the first time, mountain biking is now part of the middle school physical education (PE) curriculum.

Maple Ave received a full donation package from Saratoga Shredders, which included 30 bikes, 30 helmets, a cycling-focused PE curriculum, professional development for teachers, and a brand-new set of mountain bike trails right behind the school.

“We are thrilled to partner with the Saratoga Shredders to bring this program to life,” said John Goodson, the district’s athletic director, in a statement. “Because of the Shredders’ generosity, our students now have mountain biking as part of their PE classes across all 6 Saratoga elementary schools and Maple Ave Middle School, promoting physical fitness, mental wellness, and a love for the outdoors.”

“By bringing bikes into schools, we’re removing barriers to this often cost-prohibitive sport, creating an equitable experience where every kid has access to mountain biking,” said Anna Laloë, executive director of Saratoga Shredders. “Not only are we getting more kids on bikes, but we’re also teaching bike safety, empowering students to ride confidently in their neighborhoods and around town.”

The Saratoga Mountain Bike Association (SMBA) planned and built the new trails, while Grey Ghost Bicycles in Saratoga assembled the bikes.

The Bikes in Schools initiative at Maple Ave is part of a broader goal to bring cycling to all K-12 students in the district by fall 2025. Saratoga Shredders has already donated more than 200 bikes in the last year. Saratoga Springs High School is next in line for the program.