American politics can be a difficult thing for someone to wrap their head around. In 2016, however, it seems that politics can be boiled down to one word. Attack.
Attack may seem like a strong word to use, but it’s, unfortunately, accurate. Not that it hasn’t always been this way, but it feels as though, in this presidential race more than any other before. there have been constant waves of personal attacks laid upon each candidate by the others. The goal of these candidates does not seem to be as much about explaining why they should be president, but why their opponents should not be.
Unfortunately, the candidates' attacks are not always just targeted towards each other, but some are also targeting certain groups. Whether it’s Bernie Sanders telling voters that big businesses are out to squeeze voters dry or Donald Trump claiming that Muslims traveling to the U.S. should be banned, each candidate is attempting to create a sense of fear, and it’s dividing America like never before.
In defense of the candidates, the strategy of exploiting fear seems to work. People around the nation are screaming for free college or the increased policing of Muslim neighborhoods (which aren’t a thing) as though either of those are legitimate ideas. The fact that some people are buying into these ideas, however, is creating massive conflict between political parties as well as within the republican party.
People are going to new lengths to attempt to stop their opposition from gaining support. Some examples can be seen in how Trump was blocked by protesters in Arizona, who ended up causing him to miss the event he had planned for that day. The actions go both ways, however, as protesters at Trump rallies have been forcibly kicked out before. Even the Republican Party is hoping that they can make it to an open convention so that Trump could potentially be ousted there. Several high ranking republicans have spoken publicly against Trump, saying that he is not a true republican and would be a major setback for the party.
In a democratic system where the American voters are supposed to be the ultimate voice in who becomes the leader of our nation, it seems strange that the republican party is trying to go against the voters and force a candidate out of the lead. Perhaps this should scare us as voters that party leaders are going to such great lengths to try and make us see that a candidate is wrong for republicans. In the end, no matter which candidate ends up being elected president, there will be major controversy and a lack of trust which will result in more conflict between parties and the American people. This is a result of a political system that is designed to give people options, but will inevitably create conflict and discourse.
