When I heard of a third party candidate being talked about, my reaction mimicked that of most: hopeful. Given the current presidential nominees and the vast differences between them, there are people who 110% abide by Hillary Clinton and 110% who aide by Donald Trump. However, a majority of Americans don’t abide by either of them. At this point, they are trying to pick the lesser of the two evils and voting for the candidate less likely to make the country worse. So who is this third party candidate? His name is Gary Johnson. Many people, including myself, didn't know much about him but the recent news has given us a glimpse of how up to date Johnson is on foreign policies. Here are some quick facts about Gary…
- Former Republican Governor of New Mexico
- Businessman
- Libertarian
- 63 years old
- Ran for president in 2012
On paper, he seems like an average candidate, one to at least consider in this upcoming election. However, when asked about his take on Aleppo, Syria and what he plans to do to better the situation, he responded with “What is Aleppo?”. You mean the major city in Syria that serves as the country’s industrial and financial center. The city that has been under attack numerous times since mid 2012 in attempts to oust the current government. The city where rebels hate the government so much that they kill their own people in the process of trying to out the government. The city where more than 18,000 people have been killed because of the violence that comes with living there, the brutalities that have somehow become the norm. Johnson, how can you be so politically unaware as to what is happening? And secondly, how can you have the nerve to run for president when you can’t even identify a city that has reached multiple media platforms, as well as a photo of a little boy that has gone viral. Shame on you, Gary Johnson. I think you need to brush up on your knowledge of foreign policy because your lack of knowledge about Aleppo is quite frankly, alarming.
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Sure, some may argue that everyone makes mistakes and we should dismiss him as a qualified candidate but I for one, can regard him as unqualified solely on this account. He didn't have knowledge of a city that has had national news coverage on, a city that has been in turmoil for over 4 years. If he doesn't know what Aleppo is, how can we expect him to obtain knowledge of more minor situations. We instill our trust in the President of the United States not to have all of the answers, but to at least know what is going on, domestically and internationally. Foreign policy is vitally important to the success of our nation.
I’m not saying this man is a terrible person. I’m simply saying don't get your hopes up. To my knowledge, we haven't added any outstanding competitors to the mix of candidates. Gary Johnson isn't someone who stands out when placed besides Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. With the nominees being who they are, it’s hard to have full faith in our decision of who to vote for. As this is the first election where I can vote, I can only say that it’s not going to be easy casting my vote.
We need a smart, dedicated, and trustworthy person to lead this country to greater success and I’m sure I can speak for most when I say one thing: I wish we had different options to choose from. Neither the Democratic nor Republican candidate fulfills all three of those requirements. I won’t even put Johnson in the mix.
All in all, think thoroughly before casting your vote and if you don't normally vote, use your right and cast your vote. If you choose not to vote for whatever reason, don't complain about who the President of the United States ends up being.
