Baala Shakya, Contributing Photographer

Yale College Dean Pericles Lewis hosted a conversation on Sept. 18 exploring the effects of polarization and persuasion on the upcoming U.S. presidential election. 

Jacob Hacker, co-director of the Ludwig Program in Public Sector Leadership at the Yale Law School, and Cristina Rodríguez, professor at the Law School, were invited to speak in the latest installment of the “Dean’s Dialogue” series. 

The ongoing series invites faculty members to speak with Lewis and students in an intimate forum, intentionally encouraging candid conversations about contemporary and often contentious topics within their field of study. 

“[The Dean’s Dialogue] series is designed to be a sort of social scientific analysis of what’s going on, and also provide students an opportunity to ask questions and discuss issues in a relatively low stakes environment but with leading experts,” Lewis said. 

At Wednesday’s talk, “The U.S. Presidential Election in Perspective,” Lewis, Hacker and Rodríguez discussed the policies and issues that polarize voters and which have come into focus this electoral cycle.

Lewis said the topic was chosen to highlight the challenge of grappling with weighty political issues, not only in ways that might appeal to political science majors but that would inform students studying in any field.

The dialogue began by focusing on the role immigration has played in past elections.

According to Rodríguez, the 2020 election between Joe Biden and Donald Trump was an “immigration” election. The issue played an integral part in Trump’s populist appeal, and he utilized it as a wedge issue to unite his voter base. She noted that both presidential candidates in the 2024 election have used the issue to garner support for themselves, especially in swing states like Ohio.

Hacker added that immigration plays a decisive role in turning public opinion and is a major liability for the Democratic candidates.

Turning away from immigration, Lewis raised the question of the legitimacy of presidential immunity, particularly whether the role of a presidential conviction would affect voters’ decisions in the upcoming election.

Hacker found the Court’s ruling that former presidents are entitled to some degree of immunity from criminal prosecution to be “shocking.” He believes that presidential immunity for sitting presidents is out of character with what is written in the Constitution. 

He explained that while Richard Nixon, who resigned from the presidential seat after the Watergate scandal, and Trump faced different outcomes, today’s political climate has made such a controversial case possible.

Rodríguez added that while the Constitution was written in the context of believing that the general populace — and its leaders — would have the ability to rise above faction and serve the greater public good, the Constitution is perhaps unprepared for today’s hyperpolarized society.

The conversation then moved to the issue of polarization and whether constitutional law and written law can continue operating as safeguards.

Hacker and Rodríguez agreed that while the Impeachment Clause of the Constitution serves as a protective measure in the natural state of checks and balances within the government, hyperpolarization has rendered it almost completely void. 

After questions from the audience, Lewis capped off the conversation by emphasizing the importance of actively encouraging respectful, candid discussions amongst peers and for students to engage in the upcoming election through voting.

Hacker told the News that “democracy is at stake” and that this is a very important election that will decide society’s survival.

“Students are not just people learning about our democracy but active participants in it, and they should be engaged,” Hacker said. “[They] need to get out there and vote and be active in other ways that both improve the health of our democracy and also allow for the voices of a segment of the population — young people — that doesn’t get heard enough.”

The conversation was the first of the Dean’s Dialogue Series events this semester. The series returns on Oct. 1.

Correction, Oct. 8: The article has been updated to correct misspellings of Rodríguez’s name.