Divisive presidential candidates harmful to America’s future

By: Dylan Brennan, Columnist

Whether or not you believe what President Donald Trump usually says, it doesn’t take a single thought to know that the state of the union is not good. With partisanship blowing out of proportion, that alone should show that the ‘United’ States are anything but. And yet, with the election far closer than you’d think, more and more divisive figures are entering the race with unattainable hopes of uniting us once again.

The problem with the Democratic Party these days is that they want to become the absolute antithesis of what Trump stands for. When Trump wants more nationalized borders, many on the left call for no borders at all. When Trump wants to preserve the coal and oil industries, some Democrats have created The New Green Deal, which calls for the complete gutting of America’s infrastructure to be more eco-friendly.  When Trump supports the NRA, potential candidates like Eric Swalwell make remarks on threatening nuclear annihilation on American gun lovers, however ‘lighthearted’ it was intended. Perhaps they are trying to beat Trump at his own game of extremist rhetoric leading to more active conversation, but the longer they play the game, the more they become like Trump.

As the Democrats move their party’s agenda farther left down the spectrum, people in the middle have a hazier view from where they’re standing. While I certainly will never vote for Trump, I expect to see many people in the field that I would also not support as president, such as the aforementioned Swalwell of California. What the Democratic Party fails to realize is that while they have to choose the best candidate to represent them, they also have to pick a candidate that appeals to the whole nation. We need to focus on what positives these candidates can do. Personally I’ll be looking out for Tulsi Gabbard, due to her opposition to her party’s deference to Hillary Clinton without giving any other candidate much chance last election (which I certainly focused on during my election coverage), but I fear she may fall to such fate herself.

Make no mistake: no matter how toxic Trump is rhetorically and institutionally, many will refuse to vote for the pendulum to swing in the opposite position, including myself. What this nation needs is the pendulum to be placed squarely in the middle. I know this is not the most exciting or pressing conversation, but I do think it’s a very important one for people to consider, especially since many are filling the airwaves with droll hot button issues like the inconsequential State of the Union speech or mocking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s political ideologies. If you thought the 2016 presidential race was vital, this one is many times more so. With Elizabeth Warren and Amy Klobuchar being the first to enter the race and with a dozen or more pledging to join in, I can only wish for cooler heads to prevail, rather than a boiling hot fever infecting our country even more. Pay attention to the upcoming race for people who are honest, consistent, and align with your beliefs. Make sure that they focus on facts and not sensationalism. Make sure they are a good person and aren’t just telling you what you want to hear. This is what makes a great leader, and this is the person who will truly make America great again.

 

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