We’re at a pretty serious point in our election season, and the choices are anything, but simple.
We have Republican Trump, who constantly averts policy questions, babbles about ISIS, demeans people of color and immigrants, and as of recently has bragged about sexually assaulting women.
Next we have the Democratic Clinton, who says hopeful things, but is surrounded by a shroud of secrets: Benghazi, the email crisis, flip flopping on her stance on important issues, to name a few, leaving us all to ask: who is she, really? But this is not where the candidates end, oddly.
There’s also Libertarian Gary Johnson, known for being a marijuana company CEO, previous Arizona governor, and not knowing what Aleppo is (aka the central city in the midst of the Syrian turmoil).
So you don’t know who to vote for? Or so you say. Let’s take a further look into these candidates:
Donald Trump
His campaign has been built upon the idea that America needs a non-politician president. A president who sees the needs of the people and speaks honestly, no “politician promises.” It’s a nice thought. Except that it’s not a reality. Donald Trump is a millionaire, he is not the “people’s person” he wants to be seen as. From his safe tower, he has spoken about colored communities as if they are war zones, and have no education or promise for a future. To the police brutality issue, he actually promotes the stop and frisk, which racially profiled “dangerous looking” people, aka colored people. At his second debate with Clinton, a Muslim woman asked him what he would do to respond to Islamaphobia if he was elected, and he spoke for two entire minutes about how he wanted to end radical Islam, aka more Islamaphobia. As if all of these things weren’t enough, it has also come out that he made “locker room talk” comments about women so aggressive that I won’t repeat them, only that they were absolutely disgusting and offensive. Because of this, several women have actually come to the media and told their stories of being assaulted by Trump, disproving his allegations that it was an isolated event, and he has never acted on, simply spoke like “all guys speak”. In addition to this, many republicans including the GOP have denounced their support for Trump. So the real question, if this has all come out simply in the election season, is he really a “non-politician” or is he the very embodiment of what he states to hate so much?
Hillary Clinton
Again, so much controversy surrounds Hillary, but who is she really? The most obvious is a woman. It seems impossible, but Hillary Clinton is the very first woman ever nominated for United States President. After being a lawyer, First Lady, United States Senator, and Secretary of State, she has been officially nominated, and women everywhere are proud to witness this moment. But at the same time, she has been surrounded by so much controversy that many people have not been sure if she is trustworthy. At every turn she has seemed to stand against Trump and his opinions in that she would: continue to support planned parenthood, same-sex marriage, and nationalized healthcare in a much more sustainable way. She also has apologized for her mistakes, and has asked America to forgive her and move on, which is more than Trump has ever done; at his most apologetic he has screamed “WRONG” to allegations towards him. In addition to this she hopes to see gender equal wages and is promoting better mental health and racial education for police officers as a way to stop police brutality. Trump has painted her with two words, “crooked Hillary.” But, if you actually listen to her speak about what she hopes to do in her presidency, as opposed to building walls and separating people, she hopes to unite America once again, with her tagline “Stronger Together.”
As for Johnson? You could vote for him. Who knows, maybe by the time he’s elected he’ll have brushed up on his foreign affair facts and actually know what he’s talking about.
So the question remains: do you really not know who to vote for?