BY ERIK GAFFRON | Guest Contributor | Sometimes people post uninformed or misleading political things on the internet and I just want to correct them for being wrong. But then I realize how stupid it is to start a war I can’t handle. I don't publicly pick a side, but I do know that everyone who's fearing what will happen if certain candidates on both sides win need to stop worrying.
Our government and founding fathers created a wonderful system of checks and balances that would prevent either side to fully take over. We learned about this in middle school and high school and if you paid half a bit of attention you would understand that.
Stop comparing candidates to a certain leader from 1930s Germany. While Sanders is indeed a socialist, Adolf was a Fascist. They’re different. Donald Trump sits there and spews his stuff about hating certain groups, he has every right to say what he does unless he crosses the line into hate speech.
If you're voting based on party would you please reevaluate yourself? The Democrats and Republicans of yesteryear share very different values than that of today. In fact at one point the Republican Party and Democratic Party flip-flopped views. People love to talk about Ronald Reagan. He ran on the grounds of social freedoms while pulling classic conservative economics that would nearly ruin the middle class.
Trump wants to run the country as a business, and in that sense he might be a genius. He’s economically savvy compared to most and isn’t afraid to tell you so. However, he has yet to say anything about a legitimate plan on any front besides building a wall between us and Mexico...and deporting a large chunk of the population. He also may be a loose cannon and is the most likely to start another world war in many people’s opinions.
Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio continue their “Christian Nation” rhetoric that Reagan used to sway Southern Baptists in his 1980 presidential run and it’s good for a select group of people. But unfortunately for them, the ideals of “separation of church and state” have been lost in the shuffle as the Republican Party continues to beat the same drum for the last several years.
Hillary Clinton has piggybacked off of half of Bernie Sanders’ statements to make herself seem more progressive, but while she’s the “most qualified” candidate, she needs to find a way to unite the nation if she wants to be successful. She also has been in the middle of multiple state department lapses, and while we heard about Benghazi, it isn’t like it’s the first or last mishap on foreign policy our country creates. Do not forget that the Bay of Pigs invasion was JFK’s fault, but he’s widely regarded as one of the best presidents who has ever lived.
Bernie Sanders is a socialist trying to implement systems in a capitalistic country. He’s going to have a tough time getting people to buy into his economics. He’s also relatively old and if elected he may die in office. He wouldn’t be the first and probably won’t be the last to do so, however.
Notably, FDR was this nation’s leader in what is often called “The Greatest Generation.” FDR faced many of the same struggle that Sanders’ camp has faced trying to sell socialism during his campaign. Let us not forget that “Greatest Generation” is to be held accountable in part for the Korean, Vietnam and Cold wars. FDR ran on a “progressive” platform that created the New Deal and many social programs we have today (I’m sure you have heard of social security). FDR died in office, and people didn’t question him in his ailing years. Even when stricken with multiple health problems his leadership was widely respected.
Both parties have produced scoundrels and heroes. Both have seen great success and horrible failures. They both have their behind the scenes corruption and all are the nation’s powers just trying to promote their own values. But please if you’re going to vote don’t just read the labels. Read the politicians. Find the people whose values suit you. But remember they all have their up and down sides.
The bottom line is no matter who you vote for, be educated. Look at what you value most. Don’t fall into dumb-downed voting and party support. We are a better and smarter nation than that and there’s a way to do things still in the same system without hindering ourselves.