Should we be afraid of Donald Trump? How about Hillary Clinton? Maybe we should be more afraid of their supporters. The past few months, we have seen many videos and read many reports of supporters lashing out against people that do not think like they do. We have heard the insults. We have seen the acts of violence. We have heard the threats. It’s angering. It’s disturbing. It’s downright scary. Why is it happening at all? All in the name of a presidential candidate? When support turns into groupthink, things can become dangerous. People who may be very nice individuals, turn into extremists.
Hatred and vitriol seems to be what is driving this election into absurdity. Honestly, hatred and vitriol may be what led to how we have the two most disliked candidates in history running for the Democrats and Republicans. On both sides, we have very intelligent and logical people who are setting their morals and values aside. Why? Because they don’t want either Hillary or Trump in the White House. What is their strategy to keep their most loathed presidential candidate out of the White House? They back a candidate who’s views don’t align with theirs. They support a candidate that they don’t believe in. Worse yet, they don’t take the time to do research on the issues and all the options that are available. Many of the people today are choosing candidates solely on hearsay and nothing more. It is hugely discouraging and it is probably what is going to lead to one of the darkest chapters in the history of the United States.
In this election season, we have seen the flaws of both the Democrats and the Republicans completely exposed. We are seeing a split in both parties of the extremists who are wanting to go to the far side of the political spectrum and the moderates who are trying to keep in touch with what is left of their identity. The establishment are looked at with distrust and the new challengers are looked at as champions of the people. Although the two groups belong to the same party, they don’t even trust each other and are willing to attack one another at any given moment. Today, we now see that the Democrats and the Republicans are barely shells of what they used to be. Nowadays, they are only Democrats and Republicans in name alone.
The encouraging thing is that there are still people that are wanting to vote with their morals. Research on third party candidates are higher than ever before. As of right now, support for both Gary Johnson of the Libertarian Party and Jill Stein of the Green Party is hovering at around 20 percent. Yes, you read that right. 20 percent of Americans are discontent with the bi-party system and are looking elsewhere. As the RNC and DNC pass by, don’t be surprised if support continues to climb. However, don't be surprised if hatred begins to be spewed at third-party supporters especially if the race turns into a tight one. This is shaping up to be a very weird election year. Be prepared and watch your back.
