This election year, it’s quite obvious that the two mainstream candidates are about as opposite as you can get. They also seem to have gone back and forth on their political platforms, which quite frankly, is really annoying. One thing that both Clinton and Trump seem to excel at is mudslinging. The basic concept of mudslinging is that opponents in a political or professional field will insult each other to gain an advantage with the public. All we have to do is go to Twitter to see some good ol’ slinging between Trump and Clinton. I’m positive that everyone is familiar with Donald Trump throwing out the phrase “Crooked Hillary." He’s also stated that Hillary Clinton is a pathological liar without any consistent views. On the other hand, Clinton is no saint either. In media coverage, she’s stated that Trump cannot comprehend any differentiation between reality and fantasy. If you went on the Internet today, you could probably find attack ads everywhere.

My issue with the attacks on both sides is, well, what are these candidates actually trying to do? Do they even have a solid, comprehensive platform? I have seen absolutely no feasible information in any media outlet. Every time either candidate appears on television, even the debates, no policy information has been provided or explained. On the two websites, the policies do have data, but the information given is quite vague. It annoys me that as a whole, Americans have strayed away from critical topics in favor of sensationalism. So many people will vote based on random polls with sample groups that do not truly reflect our population. I’ve even heard people say that they’d vote for Clinton simply because she’s female - without even considering performing research on what she says she’ll accomplish in the White House. In short, I’m afraid for our future because we’ve lost the ability to sensibly make decisions for the public’s benefit. What ever happened to healthy bipartisanship?

If you cannot remember any time where political opponents treated each other with respect, therein lies the problem. We’re desensitized. Yes, I know some people, including myself, think that both candidates are absolutely bonkers. You should, however, note that I am not acting as a public official or a person seeking public office. I am a teenager inside the confines of my private house. If you are seeking to represent a large population in the public sphere, there is no excuse for such belittling behavior. A proper candidate should behave with respect in patience. That’s what the public wants: a representative that can work with other officials that may or may not have conflicting views. Compromise is also a facet of our public offices that seems to have faded out. To any candidate for a government position: buckle yourself down and act like a proper adult. Power isn’t something you can squander for publicity, and I am really tired of invading other sovereign nations for the sake of revenge (and popularity). As Dolly Parton stated recently, “it’s like watching the OJ Trial."