I recently wrote a blog entitled "Hillary Clinton and the State of American Politics." In it I wrote of the implications of having a Clinton and a criminal (those words almost seem redundant at this point) as the Democratic front-runner. In the interest of being balanced, allow me to do the same thing for Donald Trump. It may sound pretty familiar, as there is little qualitative difference between the two candidates. Here are 3 implications of the fact that Donald Trump is the presumed candidate for the Republican party.
Firstly, Americans are pretty dumb. Pretty much every argument in favor of Trump has a commonsensical rebuttal. "He's a businessman," they say. Yeah, he's gone bankrupt multiple times. "He says what he means!" they insist Yeah, so does my four-year-old. They fall back on, "He's not part of the establishment." Right...he has just financially supported the establishment for decades. I don't want to sound proud and I'm not trying to offend anyone, but this idea that we have to continue choosing either Candidate A or Candidate B does not make us look very smart. I'm just saying.
Secondly, it is a sad commentary on the moral state of American people. The Republicans were always supposed to be the wholesome, conservative party. They championed the values of the Judeo-Christian worldview--hard work, character, liberty, etc. They have consistently been identified with family values, the right to life, and the 2nd Amendment. There has been this meshing of conservative fiscal policies and traditional American Christianity that the Republicans have epitomized. If anyone was wondering, we can now definitively say that that day has passed. The party that allegedly represents family values has chosen as its candidate a man who is a known philanderer who has questionable business practices and a potty mouth. They have chosen a man who, up until this election cycle, made no attempts to seem remotely religious or conservative. "We're not voting for a pastor," you say. Well, you are voting for a leader, and if honorable character is not something you want in a leader, then you get what you deserve. Regardless, when the conservative, Christian-friendly party picks Donald Trump, what does that say about the morality of the country as a whole?
Thirdly, it tells us that people really, really hate the establishment. When I was given the choice between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, I chose to write in Tim Tebow. "Tim Tebow?!" you might say. Yes, not only because I felt that a football player with zero political experience would actually do a better job of running this country than the two establishment candidates I was being offered, but especially because I wanted to tell the elite in this country that I've had enough of their crap. That seems to be the same reasoning that has caused many people to choose Donald Trump. They would rather watch Trump light the White House on fire than watch another elitist pawn continue our downward progression into economic and social oblivion. At least Trump would make it interesting! The only problem is that Trump is not nearly as anti-establishment as people think. Only time will tell, but Trump seems like just another character in the charade that is our political drama. I don't think he would be any different--certainly not in a good way--than any other candidate, his caustic speech and nontraditional haircut aside.
Those of us who see the American political landscape for what it is are left trying to figure out how to combat it. Apathy seems to be the choice of many Millennials. Third parties seem to be a popular landing spot, as well. Some of us just sit back and pray. These options may not seem appealing to others, but they're better than being enslaved.
Firstly, Americans are pretty dumb. Pretty much every argument in favor of Trump has a commonsensical rebuttal. "He's a businessman," they say. Yeah, he's gone bankrupt multiple times. "He says what he means!" they insist Yeah, so does my four-year-old. They fall back on, "He's not part of the establishment." Right...he has just financially supported the establishment for decades. I don't want to sound proud and I'm not trying to offend anyone, but this idea that we have to continue choosing either Candidate A or Candidate B does not make us look very smart. I'm just saying.
Secondly, it is a sad commentary on the moral state of American people. The Republicans were always supposed to be the wholesome, conservative party. They championed the values of the Judeo-Christian worldview--hard work, character, liberty, etc. They have consistently been identified with family values, the right to life, and the 2nd Amendment. There has been this meshing of conservative fiscal policies and traditional American Christianity that the Republicans have epitomized. If anyone was wondering, we can now definitively say that that day has passed. The party that allegedly represents family values has chosen as its candidate a man who is a known philanderer who has questionable business practices and a potty mouth. They have chosen a man who, up until this election cycle, made no attempts to seem remotely religious or conservative. "We're not voting for a pastor," you say. Well, you are voting for a leader, and if honorable character is not something you want in a leader, then you get what you deserve. Regardless, when the conservative, Christian-friendly party picks Donald Trump, what does that say about the morality of the country as a whole?
Thirdly, it tells us that people really, really hate the establishment. When I was given the choice between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, I chose to write in Tim Tebow. "Tim Tebow?!" you might say. Yes, not only because I felt that a football player with zero political experience would actually do a better job of running this country than the two establishment candidates I was being offered, but especially because I wanted to tell the elite in this country that I've had enough of their crap. That seems to be the same reasoning that has caused many people to choose Donald Trump. They would rather watch Trump light the White House on fire than watch another elitist pawn continue our downward progression into economic and social oblivion. At least Trump would make it interesting! The only problem is that Trump is not nearly as anti-establishment as people think. Only time will tell, but Trump seems like just another character in the charade that is our political drama. I don't think he would be any different--certainly not in a good way--than any other candidate, his caustic speech and nontraditional haircut aside.
Those of us who see the American political landscape for what it is are left trying to figure out how to combat it. Apathy seems to be the choice of many Millennials. Third parties seem to be a popular landing spot, as well. Some of us just sit back and pray. These options may not seem appealing to others, but they're better than being enslaved.
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