In the year 2016, it seems as though propaganda would be a thing of the past and that candidates would run for the title of ‘President’, solely on platforms. Sadly enough, and not surprising to most people, the propaganda is still rampant in American’s daily lives. The rallies are full of empty gestures and hateful comments towards the other candidate. Both Hillary Clinton, 68, and Donald Trump, 70, are starting to reach a point where voters question whether or not either one can do a job as stressful as the Presidency. There are however, people who are die-hard supports of each candidate. Many of these people are only supporters of these candidates because they hate the other candidate so much.
Now, just from my perspective and observations, I’m not saying everyone who is a supporter of Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton is only doing it because they would not vote for the other one but this is often the case. Some people are firm believers in their choice to vote for either one. This belief seems to be lost more and more with every election. Many people do not know why they hate a candidate. Many people will argue against one candidate based around one thing that they have seen on television. The judgment of candidates has devolved into whether or not a candidate is worse for the nation than the other instead of which candidate is more qualified.
Take a look at the election of 2008. Barack Obama’s election to office was a huge step for the United States as a country and it was also a huge controversy for much of the nation. An African American man had never been elected as the President of the United States. As a 14-year-old millennial, I could not vote. On the other hand though, I heard many people say they were voting for John McCain simply because they did not want Barack Obama as President. This was the first time I heard of this mindset.
Fast-forward four years to the 2012 election of Barack Obama. I could vote in this election but as an 18-year-old, I did not have strong political views. I was raised republican when I was a kid so I simply voted republican to keep a democrat out of office. At the time, I did not realize how many people felt the same way as I did. There were many voters, young and old, voting for Mitt Romney simply because he was republican or because he was not Barack Obama.
This mindset has carried through to the election of 2016. People are voting against a candidate, not for one. This epitomizes the level to which the United States has fallen. Have we reached a point where no one can be confident in his or her vote? Votes will be cast on November eighth and many of them will be towards what the voter feels is the lesser of two evils. Sadly, many voters will not be happy regardless of whether their candidate wins. Many people feel as though they cannot win, no matter whom they vote for in this election.
This election, make sure your vote goes towards someone you are confident in and believe that they can run the country. Go down the rabbit hole of research and find out the facts to back up your argument for your candidate. Even if you feel that they are the lesser of two evils, make sure you know why you feel that way. The country’s future is up to you; make sure it’s the future you want.
