Wake up, folks, it's an election year. In less than 12 months, the American public will be voting to elect a new president of the United States. And as of right now that's a pretty scary thing to think about, because a vast majority of voters in this country are uneducated on the issues surrounding our nation.
Just the other day, I asked a friend of mine for his thoughts on the recent terrorist threats to the U.S. and what the current administration should do about it. He responded, "I'm not educated enough on the issues, so I don't think that I can make an insightful comment." Unfortunately, he's not alone.
In recent months, the American public has been captivated by the presidential candidates for the 2016 election. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, among others, have contributed to the campaign season that has truly turned into a circus. It seems to be that this has become a popularity contest, rather than an opportunity to find our nation's next commander-in-chief.
I'm all for a woman to be our next president. I don't care if you're black, white, female, male, Cuban American, Protestant, Catholic, etc. All I care about (and what the rest of America should be worried about), is if this person can be the true leader that makes America the best country in the world.
Americans have fixated on the possibility that Clinton could potentially become the first woman president of the United States. If you believe her polices are the best option for progress, then I respect that. However, some honestly believe that Clinton deserves the presidency based on the mere fact that she's a woman.
(Hey, we need our next president to be a woman because that will solve all our problems. Remember when the nation fixated on President Obama becoming the first black president? Wasn't he supposed to solve all of our race-related issues?)
The ABC tonight show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" proved this point to be more than true. In this segment from Sept. 30, ordinary citizens on the streets were asked if they first would support Trump, and they all said they would not. Then, the people were asked if if they supported Clinton's tax plan. But, here's the kicker: the questions concerning the tax plans came from Trump's tax plan, not Clinton's.
One gentleman was asked, "Are you a Hilary Clinton supporter?" He proudly responded, "Yes, I am." A follow - up question read, "Would you support Hilary Clinton's plan to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent?" The man responded with his support for the plan, but you can tell that he had no idea what was going on. Turns out that the plan is in fact Trump's, not Clinton's.
Watch the video below to see more hilarious, yet scary, responses:
Unfortunately, this is the reality in America. Citizens are either misinformed about the issues at hand, or they don't find it important enough to care.
Americans aren't necessarily to blame, however.
The mainstream media has been more focused on whether or not Trump acknowledges a deranged supporter at a rally rather than the actual policies that make up Trump's campaign. To our own fault, though, this story is classic "click bait." News producers know that the public will watch/click on this story instead of, for example, an analysis of Marco Rubio's foreign policy plan or how Bernie Sanders will help college students.
In a Republican debate on Oct. 28 in Boulder, Colorado, instead of asking questions that invoked a challenging response to policy and questions which promoted debate, CNBC moderators asked whether or not Trump's campaign is a "comic book campaign" and if Dr. Ben Carson "can do math." Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, was highly critical of the CNBC moderators, calling for questions that beg for more "substantive answers."
Media bias is all around. NBC, CNN, Fox News, etc. all take part in the prejudice that engulf the mainstream media. It has paralyzed voters in a way that inhibits their ability to take hold of the issues that really surround our nation. It's time that Americans understand what is important to them as citizens, and the media needs to take us seriously.
The citizens of the United States will elect a new president next November. There is still a lot to be decided until then, but it's never too early to educate yourself on the issues that are meaningful to you. Get to it, America.
