On the evening of September 26th, news stations across America aired the 2016 Presidential Debate, hosting only the republican, and democrat nominees. Not only was this debate lacking enthusiasm, but it was also missing a prime candidate: Governor Gary Johnson, our Independent candidate.
On Thursday night, civilians throughout the country witnessed what I, and many others, considered a sad excuse for a debate. In any style of debate, it is common courtesy to allow the person being asked the question, to answer it however they choose, without interruption. Neither candidate could stay quiet for more than a minute, before cutting in and explaining how the other was wrong, or how the other’s view was not going to change anything. Out of the two, Trump was worse. He interrupted Hillary every single time, yet when she interrupted him with a rebuttal he shouted “excuse me,” and continued on with his rambles. Not even an hour after the debate concluded he tweeted “Nothing on emails. Nothing on the corrupt Clinton Foundation. And nothing on #Benghazi,” highlighting his tendency of deception. Towards the end of the debate, the topic of his tax returns was mentioned. Instead of keeping the focus on himself and answering the question, he says something along the lines of “I will go against my lawyers’ suggestion and release my tax return if Hillary releases her 33,000 deleted emails.” Correct me if I am wrong, but the word email did indeed surface, despite the original comment/question being in regards to his tax returns.
What I cannot fathom is why either point was mentioned. Sure, Hillary did a major injustice to America many years ago, and made matters worse by destroying all evidence. Sure, Trump could be concealing the truth of his income, or lack of tax payment. None of that matters. Being knowledgeable of either point is going to change the fact either individual is running to become the next president of the United States. If either one of them earns the opportunity to live in and run the White House, they will have their secrets; every president had their secrets whether we liked it or not. The mere fact that neither of the two are letting this go shows America what kind of person they are; they are not the kind of people that I want to see running our country.
Monday night proved itself to be more comical than informative. This debate should have had one main focus: America. As John F. Kennedy, one of my favorite former presidents said, “ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” Unfortunately, neither Trump nor Hillary put brought that to mind.
September approached, and that marked the transition from summer to fall, along with the beginning of Governor Johnson’s push to the finish line. During the beginning of the month, Governor Johnson was given the opportunity to appear on live television, communicating to American civilians why he believes he would be a better candidate for the presidency over Trump and Clinton, who have recently seen a decrease in supporters. Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico, in my opinion, is an excellent alternative to any other candidate for the presidential race.
Here is the difference between him and the others according to Inside Gov: Gary Johnson has been an elected official for over eight years. He joined the elective office in 1995, and served as the governor of New Mexico from 1994-2002. Johnson’s perspectives on the issues differ from the others. Johnson believes that abortion is a woman’s unrestricted right, he is comfortable with same-sex marriage, understands that stricter punishment will not reduce crime, holds strong our second amendment, wishes to privatize social security, and prefers that the United States avoids foreign entanglements unless we are directly involved. Hillary, who has a similar background to Johnson has also served over eight years as an elected official, being the Secretary of State, and the First Lady. She differs from Johnson in the following ways: she against the second amendment, does not want to privatize social security, and believes the United States should be involved with foreign entanglements. Lastly, Trump, who has no political background whatsoever-- which should be a red flag for a potential president-- is against abortion, he believes women should have restrictions with receiving one, is against same sex marriage; and let’s face it, it’s 2016. People are going to love and marry whoever they want. Trump thinks stricter punishment will reduce crime, and wishes to make it more difficult for immigrants to gain citizenship, i.e. "The Wall".
As far as we are concerned, Governor Johnson has no skeletons in his closet that can affect America. He has an ample amount of political background allowing him to understand his role and duties as a president, and has not made any promises that he knows he will not be able to keep. He thinks, talks, and listens intelligently. What more could we ask for?
If you are apprehensive to vote either Republican or Democrat, the Third Party is ALWAYS a viable option. I am not going to tell you who to vote for because every individual is entitled to their free will, and quite frankly, who am I to tell you what to do. I am simply here to inform you that there is another option, a possible superior option. Be smart this electron period, and vote in favor of America as a whole.
