Hello America. Here we are again, four years have passed and the American public has fallen back under the unbreakable spell of a presidential election. The glitz and glamour of 2016 is unlike anything we have ever seen. In an age where we are more concerned with how many memes a candidate is a part of, the number of “likes” they have on Facebook, or who they converse with on a private e-mail server versus their stances on real issues is deeply concerning. Presidential primary debates have turned into reality TV and candidates respond to criticism with the attitude of a toddler who did not quite get their way – or perhaps, like a 69-year-old billionaire. No longer do candidates portray values of true leadership, but instead, temporary viewpoints aimed at satisfying a popular stance on a particular day. Voters have become so enthralled with social perception that the race for the highest office in the land looks more like a middle-school popularity contest. We have entered a political age where a response by a candidate on a social media forum is headlining the evening news. No longer are candidates focused on speaking about real issues, but are instead determined to scream the loudest. Parties are substituting facts for fiction and the integrity of American politics has gone missing.
The candidates, Ben Carson and Hillary Clinton, who lead the most recent polls, stand behind slogans such as “Heal. Inspire. Revive.” and “Everyday Americans need a Champion. I want to be that Champion.” Americans do not need to be healed or revived. Nor do they need a champion. Americans need a leader who will focus on what needs to be done, not what they could do differently. We need someone who will unify this great nation and not a political bully focused on the suppression of others.
As a college student studying politics, I can say with utmost sincerity that I have never been more disappointed and upset with the direction 2016 is headed. You may be asking; who is to blame? The answer is simple. The burden of blame rests with the American People. I believe that we as Americans have become so consumed with political labels that we have forgotten our roots. Those very roots being that we are all Americans and that we truly are in this together.
These are trying times in America. Our debt is at an all-time high of $18 trillion dollars, American citizens still continue to be judged by the color of their skin and not the content of their character. Moreover, there is a legislative gridlock in Washington beyond the scope of reality. Americans cannot afford to entertain candidates who run because they have a billion dollars or are running to check off the last office in American politics that has eluded them for so long. Educate yourself on the issues and be engaged. Do not stand by with an apathetic attitude geared toward indifference. For too long, Americans have taken political liberty and confused it with a political guarantee. Most American citizens take for granted the political autonomy and freedom that so many around the world fight for everyday.
So, my fellow Americans, go out and get involved! Focus on fruitful debate and discussion, not partisan bickering as espoused by our “leaders” in Washington. The citizens are the heart of this great nation, not Washington insiders and career politicians. We have the power to make a change. As Mahatma Gandhi said, “We must become the change we wish to see in the world.” Become that change. Democracy fails when placed in the hands of unconcerned citizens. Ronald Regan accurately portrayed America as a “Shining City Upon a Hill” in his 1989 Farewell Address. It is up to the citizens to maintain that vision of prosperity and hope through 2016 and beyond. I have the utmost confidence that Americans will step up to the challenge, as we always have. Fight the good fight, America and the rest will take care of itself.
