Former Congressman Beto O’Rourke announced his intent to drop out of the 2020 presidential race on Friday, Nov. 1. He writes, “It is clear to me now that this campaign does not have the means to move forward successfully,” likely in reference to fundraising issues and being dominated by candidates like Senator Elizabeth Warren and Mayor Pete Buttigieg.  Although he is no longer in the race, he promises to support the “eventual nominee of this party.”

Buttigieg is gaining momentum after a convincing performance at The Liberty and Justice Celebration Dinner, during which he promised to “stand amid the rubble, pick up the pieces of our divided nation and lead us to real action to do right by Americans who have waited far too long.”  He used this event to portray himself as a younger alternative to Joe Biden, who is struggling to regain momentum. Buttigieg maintains a strong fourth place in the national polls, and, after a survey of potential caucus voters by Iowa State University, he was moved to second place with 20% popular support.

Elizabeth Warren (22%) is leading the polls in Iowa while Bernie Sanders follows in second place at 19%. Biden’s support has dropped to 17%; Buttigieg’s has surged to 18%.

Biden’s national poll numbers have plateaued around the mid-20% scope. Although Warren almost overtook Biden in September, she dropped by a few points over the course of October, and she is in second place in the national polls at 21% popularity. As of Nov. 1, Sander’s support has dropped to 14%, and Buttigieg’s support has risen to 8%. Sanders is leading in financial support with Warren a close second and Buttigieg in third.

No candidate in particular seems to be in control of the presidential race at the moment. Biden is not as far ahead as he was in the middle of the summer, and he is not leading the race by significant ground ahead of Warren and Sanders. Warren has gained the most momentum by far, although her numbers have dropped slightly since the October debate. Though both have gained a few points recently, neither Sanders nor Buttigieg are close to taking the lead. Buttigieg’s gains in Iowa have not significantly affected his progress in the other states. According to The New York Times, it will become harder for Sanders and Buttigieg to progress any further if Warren or Biden emerges as “the dominant standard-bearer for the Democratic Party’s populist wing” in the early states. Both Warren and Biden entered the race with a head-start on funding and “enthusiastic political organization.”

Upon the announcement of Warren’s $20 trillion healthcare plan, a primary point of contention, Sanders said his plan would not require an increase in middle-class taxation. Such issues will be central in the election.

Sources: New York Times, CBS NEWS, Independent

Although Valley Forge Military Academy is right up the road, William Livezey is the only freshman at Eastern University who is apart of ROTC. When asked what inspired him to join, he said that he was greatly influenced by his grandfather and his robotics team leader in middle school to consider the army as a possibility for the future. Livezey grew up in a very patriotic family. His grandfather designed military helicopters, and, because of this, “the military was always on my radar,” says Livezey. His grandfather was an immensely influential figure throughout his childhood and teenage years, and growing up with the exposure to the military pushed in that direction. His middle school robotics team leader had been apart of ROTC, and Livezey described him as being “a man of character, funny, confident without being arrogant, and an overall great guy.”

The security that joining the military provides is also desirable to Livezey. After he graduated from Eastern University, he would immediately enter into four years of active service.

Livezey is specifically apart of the army branch of ROTC. When asked why he chose the army he said, “I wanted the action and also a facilitator role. You’re not special [in the army].” Livezey likes being a facilitator who helps his teammates succeed but he does not want all the credit because he sees how all members of a team work together to accomplish a task.

Livezey says that balancing ROTC and college classes is not easy. He is a mathematics major and a part of The Templeton Honors College. It takes discipline. Like most things, the amount of effort Livezey chooses to put into ROTC shows. If he slacks in his workout routine, he will not be able to pass the PT test. The effort he makes is also seen by his peers and superiors; they can all tell when he or anyone else is not putting the effort in. He wakes up early to go to PT twice a week at Valley Forge, and, to pass the occasional PT tests, he works out every day to keep up with the ever-increasing standards. He needs to be conscious of his health and maintain a certain weight. On top of his ROTC PT, field labs, and leadership class, Livezey also takes six classes and must find the time to complete all of his assignments and maintain a certain GPA. The classes in the honors college are demanding and require a lot of time due to the extensive reading and writing. Balancing health, fitness, and homework takes discipline, and it is exhausting for Livezey, but he is deeply passionate about a future military career and greatly enjoys ROTC.

“Everything rotates around my faith,” says Livezey. He is a devout Roman Catholic, and his faith is exceedingly important to him. It gives his purpose in his busy schedule and numerous responsibilities.

ROTC cadet, mathematics major and devout Roman Catholic, Livezey is busy with juggling all of his responsibilities in both college and ROTC, all while not letting himself slack in his faith.

Dressed in grey sweats and his signature vibrant shoes, Simeon Walther describes his journey towards becoming a songwriter. He describes his discovery of the music world and the struggles and inner turmoil that inspired his lyrics.

Simeon Walther’s stage name is Uncommon. He calls himself this because “Uncommon” was the name of the Christian camp he attended in seventh grade that resulted in his salvation. “Uncommon” is defined as something that is out of the ordinary. Christ was out of the ordinary in the eyes of the world, and Walther desires to be uncommon, like Christ. In the world of music, he is Uncommon, but the Simeon Walther behind that name is someone who has wrestled with confusing emotions and passivity in his walk with Christ. The confusion in his role as a follower and servant of God heavily influenced his lyrics.

Walther is inspired to write his lyrics spur of the moment. He defines his lyrics as being raw; they are a condensed version of his emotions. He writes his songs in generally two ways. He outlines his confusing and conflicting emotions in lyric form, and, as he writes, he finds clarity. These songs show a process of finding clarity amidst the confusion. The second way he writes lyrics is by simply verbalizing his feelings.

Walther’s goal as an artist is to be “a participant in the conversation” of music, not an authoritative figure. His lyrics are aimed at calling others out and also “checking in with” himself and examining his own life. He attempts to portray what he thinks without being condemning or authoritative. “I am not super scientific with my lyrics. If they fit, they fit,” Walther said. He cares less about the verbiage and more about the “vibe.”

His first song, called “Departure,” which he wrote in his junior year of high school, laments the fact that nothing comes for free. He desired to be free from himself, his parents and his responsibilities. In high school, he deeply struggled with relying on his responsibilities and attempting to be perfect in every respect, and this resulted in an override in his mind.

His song called “Silence” is a representation of his lowest point. He recorded it while he was home alone, and it was pitch black. He was filled with feeling, and, in describing it, he said, “it was just me and my microphone.” He admits that it is the “most unattractive song” he ever wrote and ever will write, yet the lyrics display intense vulnerability. It was him giving up on relying on himself to honor God and complete his responsibilities. “I admitted that I am broken,” he said. As his mind-set changed, he slowly began the learning process of trusting God and living by that trust. He began to fight to actively love God instead of being in a passive relationship with him.

Walther desires for his albums to be paradoxical projects that “you need to contemplate to understand.” His goal is for his music to inspire wonder by encouraging people to think about his lyrics. In describing his ideologies, he says, “Art is meant to put someone in a state of wonder, not distraction.” He does not want his music to simply be background tunes but words that make people wonder and question. Giving people an awareness of reality is at the forefront of Walther’s mind as he formulates lyrics. A song he is working on now, called “Demons and Distractions,” is about distraction corrupting our minds in the same way demons corrupt our souls. He writes about people finding their identity in their phones, but he says, “The same things I use to make this song [since he uses Apple products to make his music] I call people out for.” He calls himself and other people out for the hypocrisy that we all are so susceptible to.

When asked about his future in the music industry, Walther says, “I do not want the profit to taint the message.” He feels as though his music is a means that God wants him to use to communicate a message, but he does not want it to be his livelihood. He does not want to live off his art, but he wants to use it to glorify God.

Scroll to Top