Penn students back Obama

Back in 2007, as his campaign to become mayor of the city of Philadelphia got underway, Michael Nutter received his first endorsement from the University of Pennsylvania Democrats. Today, when he bumps into members of the organization—better known as the Penn Dems—he likes to point out that they helped him win the election.

Pennsylvania governor Edward G. Rendell also has a strong relationship with the group, often showing up on campus and collaborating with the Penn Dems on political events. The Penn Dems have certainly made a name for themselves, and with good reason. With a membership of over 3000 students, they are the dominant political voice for college students in the city of Philadelphia.

The problem with all this is that the Penn Dems are supporting Barack Obama in the upcoming election, while Nutter and Rendell have aligned themselves with Hillary Clinton. Because of this, the group suddenly finds itself out of a synch with two of its major political partners.

Nutter, Rendell, and the Dems all benefit greatly from their relationship, so their recent differences have been a concern. These Democratic figures all rely on each other for success, and now their partnership has hit a snag.

This situation can best be explained by means of a theory put forth by psychologist Fritz Heider. According to his balance theory, people try to maintain a balance between beliefs, cognitions, and sentiments. Heider’s balance theory can also be referred to as the “P-O-X” theory, where P represents a person, O represents another person, and X represents an object. We seek balanced relationships among P, O, and X, and unbalanced states give us the desire to change them so they become balanced. For example, if Kevin (P) doesn’t like his new Uncle Mario (O), but Kevin loves the Mets (X), and Uncle Mario loves the Mets too, then Kevin’s triad is going to be unbalanced. This unbalanced state gives Kevin an uneasy feeling and makes him want to change something (luckily for Uncle Mario, Kevin is not going to stop liking the Mets, and will probably start to think that Uncle Mario isn’t that bad for his aunt after all).

Now back to the situation at UPenn. The Penn Dems (P) like Mayor Nutter (O). He does a lot for the school, he’s a pretty good guy, and, oh yes, he’s a Democrat. The Penn Dems like Barack Obama (X) as well. He’s focused, he’s a good speaker, and, oh that’s right, he’s a Democrat. But the Mayor Nutter does not like Barack Obama, thus causing the triangle to be unbalanced. It is this unbalanced state that has caused the Penn Dems to be “put at odds” with their beloved mayor and governor. If something doesn’t change—either Mayor Nutter starts to like Obama, or the Penn Dems give up their endorsement of Barack, then the triangle will remain unbalanced and tensions will continue.

But there is hope. When the dust settles and a Democratic candidate finally emerges, perhaps a discussion of their feelings towards John McCain will provide these two groups with the political equivalent of marriage counseling, and everyone will be friends again.

Source: The New York Times, 4/18/08