This election is one for the books. Not only could it go down in history considering a woman is running and has at least a 50/50 chance of winning the presidency, but this is probably the first time that the two major party candidates are mostly hated by the general population.
If the scandals were not enough, the policy ideals of either candidate seem to rub the other side the exact wrong way. Not only that but the polarization of Congress at this point in time creates a vacuum for either candidate. Because much of the last 8 years has seen a Democratic president and a Republican-controlled Congress, there has been little legislation passed. This could all change in 2016 if Republicans lose the majority and a Democratic president has the opportunity to appoint Supreme Court justices.
No matter which side you are on, there has been a clear issue of fact checking. This has created a demonization of the candidates in a way that has led to vandalism, attacks on people, and an outright call for the civility of either candidate from the public. When visiting sites such as PolitiFact.com and FactCheck.org it seems that there is an overwhelming tip to one side, but that does not mean that people are actually checking these sites to see where the errors lie.
Another disconcerting issue within this election is the undermining of a political process that has been in place for 240 years. One example that was provided this week was the release of George Bush's letter to Bill Clinton the day Bill was inaugurated. This came after Donald Trump announced that he may contest the election results if Hillary Clinton won; this would not be the case if he won, obviously. These confessions will ultimately lead to further distrust in the government, something that will do immense damage to the already low political efficacy.
This entire election has lent its hand to any third-party candidate to reign supreme over Trump and Clinton. When observing the two third-party candidates, however, it seems that the options are even more limited. Gary Johnson, whose slogan is "Our Best America Yet Live Free #TeamGov Be Libertarian with me You In?" according to Google.com, and Jill Stein who has been called for arrest for vandalism and civil disobedience, calls for there being another choice than the two major parties. When getting right down to the nitty gritty, is there really a good choice between these two possible candidates?
The biggest advice that this politics-loving, substitute teacher can give is to really fact check what is being said in the media. Defamation is a huge part of the campaigns of the two major parties, demonizing each candidate for the worst. What I tell my seventh graders is something I would like to tell the two presidential candidates: be good human beings.
