The Politics Corner – 04/22/16
By Christopher Motola
Harriet Tubman to Replace Andrew Jackson on $20 Dollar Bill
Famous Civil Rights Activist Harriet Tubman will be replacing President Andrew Jackson on the front of the $20 bill. The news arrived on Wednesday when Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew announced new designs for several different denominations of bills. The new $20 bill will feature Tubman on the front, with President Jackson being moved to the reverse side of the bill, possibly portraying the likeness of his statue in Lafayette Square. In an online post, Secretary Lew told Americans that “the decision to put Harriet Tubman on the new $20 was driven by thousands of responses we received from Americans young and old. I have been particularly struck by the many comments and reactions from children for whom Harriet Tubman is not just a historical figure, but a role model for leadership and participation in our democracy.” However, the $20 bill will not be the only bill being redesigned. Lew announced that the $5 and $10 bills will also be redesigned. The $5 will keep President Lincoln on the front, but the traditional background of the Lincoln Memorial on the reverse side will be replaced by depictions of several “ historic events that have occurred at the Lincoln Memorial,” such as Marian Anderson’s performance and Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous ‘I Have a Dream’ speech. After speculation that Alexander Hamilton would be removed from the $10 bill, it was confirmed by Secretary Lew that he would be remaining on the bill. The reverse of the new $10 bill will be dedicated to icons of the Women’s Suffrage movement, including Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul. The redesigned versions of the $5, $10, and $20 bills are expected to be placed into circulation soon.
Trump and Clinton Take New York
Tuesday’s Democratic and Republican Primaries in New York saw important victories for both Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, who defeated their respective opponents decisively. Donald Trump outperformed expectations in New York, winning all but one of the state’s 62 counties. Ironically, the losing county for Trump was his home county of New York County, where he lost by 3% to John Kasich. Trump used the victory as an opportunity to celebrate, as well as take a shot at his opponent Ted Cruz, whom he declared was “just about mathematically eliminated” from the race. “It is really nice to win the delegates with the votes,” Trump said. “You know, it is really nice… nobody should take delegates and claim victory unless they get those delegates with voters and voting. And that is what is going on…the people aren’t going to stand for it. It is a crooked system. It is rigged and we are going to go back to the old way — it is called ‘You vote, you win.’ ” Trump also looked forward to his future anticipated victories throughout the Northeast in states like Connecticut, Delaware, and Pennsylvania: “no matter what happens, and I think we are going to get so strong over the next couple of weeks.”
Hillary Clinton’s victory in New York was also of note, as Clinton won 139 of New York’s 247 delegates. Clinton’s victory ended Bernie Sander’s previous victory streak of Primary victories, and making his path to the nomination even more difficult. During her victory speech, Clinton thanked voters and attempted to reach out to Sanders supporters: “Today, together, we did it again and I am deeply, deeply grateful. I want to thank everyone who came out and voted, and to all of you across New York who’ve known me and worked with me for so long. It is humbling that you trust me with the awesome responsibilities that await our next president. And to all the people who supported Senator Sanders, I believe there is much more that unites us than divides us.” The next Primary contest for Republicans and Democrats will be in Connecticut on April 26th.
