The upcoming 2016 presidential elections have many people wondering what the political situation in the United States will look like come January of 2017. What does this mean for the newly registered voters such as myself? How can I make a decision now that I have the right to vote? Well, let's look at it from a short variety of perspectives.
1. It’s been a long road for a lot of us.
The decisions that I will be making are going to be based on my previous experience from these last three gentlemen. I don’t fully remember Clinton as president, but I still know of his reputation as a president from the early days of the Bush administration. Having said that, my limited experience of what our modern political system looks like stems mostly from the decisions that Mr. Bush and President Obama made while in the Oval Office. This political picture really makes it difficult to paint an image in my head of who I should place my vote for.
What about Congress? They haven’t been all too nice about handling major political issues either. While viewing polarization of Congress in recent years, it is pretty obvious that a person who has a reasonable mentality can see that Congress has been steadily pulling apart since the Reagan administration. In this case however, Congress will not be a major factor in my decision for electing a president.
2. The political landscape is changing from what it used to be.
Both the Republican and Democratic parties have evolved since President Obama first ran in '08. From Obama’s recent political tactics as president with dealing in internal and external issues to the infamous reputations of some of the Republican candidates, the current image of the respective parties hangs in the balance. Also, what is going on with the Republican party? There are 17 candidates running for the GOP and it seems baffling in my mind to not see the Republican party's actual views reflected amongst the applicants. From Trump’s outlandish hair and fiery commentary, to what Ted Cruz and Chris Christie also are advocating for, it seems that everyone has their own opinion of what the Republican party is. Mind you, any person can run under the Republican name tag. There is literally no one stopping them from doing it. Therefore, the Republican party isn't quite a cohesive group, but more of a collection of a broad spectrum of conservative ideals.
3. Are the issues that I care about being addressed?
I should also add, “Are they being addressed seriously?" This is my first time voting in a free democracy, so I find it first of all as a privilege, knowing that I wasn’t born in a country like Venezuela or North Korea, where elections are seen as a joke, or as a hopeless dream. Democracy is both a privilege and a right, a right that I wish to use. Therefore, I want to know how these candidates are addressing issues that are pertinent to my generation.
How will they address rising college tuitions and families' ability to pay for them? College is often seen as a necessity but priced as a luxury, and too often many families who land in that lower middle class rung of “Too-rich-to-get-financial-aid, too-poor-to-pay-for-college” or other families with financial difficulties find it difficult to pay for the one thing many employers require for employment.
How will the 2016 candidates also tackle the growing 21st century civil rights situation that seems to be spreading all across the United States? It seems that there have been accusations landing left and right against Obama for turning a blind eye towards these kind of issues and leaving behind his own people with the whole “Black Lives Matter” movement, so it will be interesting how the next person will handle the issue.
Also, along with ongoing issues with the deficit, foreign issues with other countries, the topic of immigration reform has been rising and has been putting all of the candidates in a real tight spot with respect to how they will be tackling the issue of so many immigrants being in the country at this day and age. Also, it is also worth saying, all immigrants aren’t just Mexicans who cross the border and have to swim across the Rio Grande. They are people of many descents and ethnicities who come here in search of the American Dream.
In conclusion, it will be only a matter of time and what the candidates will do and say in the coming months leading up to the election, and how I will have to take my decision come Election Day 2016 based on the issues that they address.
