For those of you who are adult ducklings (as in, brand-spanking new to the adult stage of life), I would first like to welcome you and in the same breath, offer my deepest and sincerest condolences. It all goes downhill from here. One major part of becoming an adult is exercising your right to vote, especially for the election of the President of the United States. You remember the economic arguments and “this guy is better than that guy” tirades from your parents while you watched Sesame Street. Well, there are more candidates than the one Republican and the one Democrat we remember from our youth. See, first there are preliminary debates for each party. These debates determine which candidate will lead the party to victory (or defeat).
On August 6, 2015, the first GOP (Grand Old Party) debate took place, and it was very interesting. It reminded me of a reality show, but I laughed too much to remember to get my popcorn. Even if you are not a Republican, the debate is still important to watch, if not entertaining. You get a deeper understanding of the candidates who, whether you like it or not, have a very real chance of becoming president. You might even find yourself pleasantly surprised. For instance, I wouldn’t mind too much, if there wasn’t any other choice, for Ohio Governor John Kasich to become president. Don’t get me wrong, I really don’t want him to be, but he did have good stances on issues I care about.
That being said, if you don’t want to watch the two-hour long debate (and I get it, believe me), here are some highlights:
It began with businessman Donald Trump raising his hand to say that he couldn’t pledge not to run an independent campaign if he didn’t win. “I cannot say I have to respect the person, that if it’s not me, the person that wins. If I do win, and I’m leading by quite a bit, that's what I want to do. I can totally make that pledge if I’m the nominee. I would not run as an independent,” Trump said.
It continues on with big questions such as abortion, the attack on terror, and health care.
Trump furthers raises eyebrows when he blames reporters for not fully reporting what he meant to say with concerns about illegal immigrants. He believes there should be a wall with a door in the middle for those who wish to legally enter the country. All candidates seemed to agree that a tracking and an e-verification system would provide the answers to immigration.
Neurosurgeon Ben Carson received some chuckles when he began an answer to a question with a “thank you.” He wasn’t sure he was going to talk again during the night. The question was regrading whether or not he would bring back waterboarding and the various torments used to extract information from enemies of state.
“What we do in order to get information is our business. I wouldn’t necessarily be broadcasting to everybody what we are going to do,” Carson responded.
Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush could be seen reiterating that he is his own man, hoping to separate himself from the sins of his brother. He noted his work in Florida. He balanced budgets, cut taxes every year, and created 1.3 million jobs.
Florida Senator Marco Rubio, when questioned on his lack of experience, stated, “This election cannot be a resume competition. This election better be about the issues we face today.” He talked further about our changing economy and how to balance the fact that companies like Amazon make the most money, but do not have any storefronts.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie stated that the condition of New Jersey was worse before he got there. He said he balanced an $11 billion deficit (excess of spending) on a $29 billion budget. He cut over 800 programs under the state budget. He vetoed five tax increases and cut business taxes.
All in all, the 2016 hopefuls provided America with entertaining spiels and lively, aggressive banter. I, for one, look forward to the outcomes.
