Election 2016
I'll save the GOP for next week, but I have been doing a lot of reading and watching the campaigns so far, and I do have a lot to say. I think there's a TON to consider in every election, so I'll try and break it down. There are all kinds of aspects that need to be considered and it's very early in the process, and a lot is going to change in the next month or two. But so far, there are two democratic candidates, Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton, and a host of GOP candidates that pose problems to them. There is a chance of an independent candidate, but for now we should focus on what we know.
So with that, I will dive into the candidates.
Hillary Clinton
In many ways, I think she is the better candidate. I trust her foreign relations more, and believe in her ability to work with congress. Furthermore, I think she would definitely win in the primary. These are three very strong positives and this alone gives me faith in the Democratic party. However, she is not perfect. A large portion of our country does not trust her, and this is a problem. When it comes down to it, I would definitely support her in the general election, but I like Bernie more.
Bernie Sanders
He's pretty old, and that is something that worries me. However, if he is elected, and he manages to stay in good health, I think he has the potential to do amazing things for our country. Voting reform is one example- most presidents promise it, but after they're elected they have no reason to actually fix the system. This issue is critical to his view, democratic socialism, and because of that I think he would attack voting reform, institutional racism, wall street fraud, all things which really bring down the quality of our nation.
Democratic socialism is an interesting concept. The government system stays the same, but the economy flips upside down, or at least takes a hard turn. Taxes would be raised, but not by much, for most people. And with higher taxes, we would get better services: health care, higher education, veteran care, etc. Bernie has a very progressive agenda. It's crazy that he's a serious candidate while calling for "political revolution" at the same time. If he wins, it could be a roller coaster of a ride. I really think democratic socialism could be a great thing- it could slingshot the U.S. forward- but we must proceed with caution.
My biggest concern is that even though I think that Bernie could beat Donald Trump, I fear most other Republicans would beat Bernie. But if Bernie picks up momentum, and the GOP somehow doesn't unify around a candidate soon enough, I would be enthralled for a Bernie vs Trump faceoff, and though terrified of a Trump victory, I would be esctatic with a win for the ol' Jew.
