In any Presidential election, there are winners and losers. In the upcoming election, with Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan attempting to dethrone Barrack Obama, I feel that regardless of who wins, sadly America loses.
Voter confidence in this country has been at an all-time low since the debacle that was the 2000 election that saw George W. Bush, despite losing the popular vote, win the election due to the Electoral College system and some help from the Florida Governor who shares the same last name.
The 2008 election saw the largest voter turnout in history with 169 million registered voters, up from 142 million in 2004. Does this mean faith was beginning to be restored? Or was it just one charismatic candidate that got lower class and minority citizens, who had never been interested in politics or presidential elections before, to come out in flocks to support him? I believe it was the latter.
Voter confidence in this country has been at an all-time low since the debacle that was the 2000 election that saw George W. Bush, despite losing the popular vote, win the election due to the Electoral College system and some help from the Florida Governor who shares the same last name.
The 2008 election saw the largest voter turnout in history with 169 million registered voters, up from 142 million in 2004. Does this mean faith was beginning to be restored? Or was it just one charismatic candidate that got lower class and minority citizens, who had never been interested in politics or presidential elections before, to come out in flocks to support him? I believe it was the latter.
This election features that same charismatic candidate, but in 2012 Barrack Obama has lost some steam. After a promise for change, now four years later, we are still in the same recession. The unemployment rate is still close to the all time high. He has failed to gain the support of Congress or the Senate, which only makes his job harder. The stimulus package that Obama backed in 2009, worth an estimated $787 billion, caused short term growth, which we are now starting to see may not be sustainable. With another stimulus package in the works, voters are growing weary of government spending and are starting to pull away from the President. The one thing Obama promised that did come to fruition, though with much opposition, was the new health care bill.
Obama’s opponent in 2012 is Mitt Romney. Romney, the former Governor of my home state, Massachusetts, has come under fire for being part of the 1%. People say he lacks that “Common Man” appeal that Barrack was just full of. The average person has trouble connecting with Romney. In the past few months, Romney has only widened the gap. The Republican primaries saw Romney getting attacked from all angles. He was questioned about everything from his policies, his taxes, and even his marriage. If other Republicans, who now have to support him, were so opposed to his campaign, how can he expect to gain the votes of the people who are still undecided? After his tax returns were questioned, he said he would straighten it out. He still has not, which may be further alienating voters. His VP pick, Paul Ryan, may also hurt his cause. Ryan has developed a budget that would cut so many things that are the lifeblood of the American people. Also, Ryan’s strong stance on abortion, which Romney has given his approval, is starting to cause a disconnection with female voters.
Looking at this year’s presidential election made me wonder: Are these really the two best candidates to run this country? The answer, as sad as it seems, may be “Yes.” I heard somebody say that in this election, only 10% of the voters are actually voting for Mitt Romney. The other 90% are voting either for or against Barrack Obama. They feel that his promise of change has not been kept. I feel that with the mess Obama was taking on after the Bush era (or error), anybody that really expected anything to change in Obama’s first 4 years in office should lose their voting rights. If they believe Obama could miraculously turn the deficit around and fix unemployment all on his own, they obviously have no idea about politics or how this government is run.
It is the same with Mitt Romney. If he is elected, there is no chance that by the end of his first term we will be out of this recession. Romney is pushing the same Bush tax cuts that caused the recession in the first place. When Clinton left office in 2000, we actually had a budget surplus. It took less than 2 years for Bush to turn that into the largest deficit this country has ever seen. If Romney is elected I fear more of the same, only now, Romney plans on cutting crucial programs that families in this recession depend on for survival. This will make it even more difficult for the average person to bare the burden.
With the Republican National convention getting under way this week, and the Democratic the next, we will have a chance over the next two weeks to get to know the candidates, and what they stand for, a little better. Pay attention, because these next few weeks are important. It will be the last time we really get to hear what the candidates have to say before the debates start.
Watching these debates, keep one thing in mind. Regardless of who wins the November election, no matter who takes the oath in January, and despite any promises made during the campaign, we will not be out of this hole by the next four years. This is to be a process that will take substantially more time than just one or two Presidential terms. The next four years, regardless of who is elected, will be tough for almost everybody. The two candidates we have to choose from are so polarizing that no matter who wins, half the country will be irate. If Obama wins, we stay the course 4 more years and give him more time to pull us in his direction. If Romney wins, we will do a complete 180 and everything Obama has put in place these last 4 years will be done away with, basically starting us back at square one. I am afraid, though, that regardless of who wins, it is the American people who lose. It is us who must live with the decisions made by men who could not imagine what it is like to live our lives. And until our government can wholly agree on something, anything, we will never be able to fix anything.
Written by James Cahill. Edited by Matt Nelson.
Looking at this year’s presidential election made me wonder: Are these really the two best candidates to run this country? The answer, as sad as it seems, may be “Yes.” I heard somebody say that in this election, only 10% of the voters are actually voting for Mitt Romney. The other 90% are voting either for or against Barrack Obama. They feel that his promise of change has not been kept. I feel that with the mess Obama was taking on after the Bush era (or error), anybody that really expected anything to change in Obama’s first 4 years in office should lose their voting rights. If they believe Obama could miraculously turn the deficit around and fix unemployment all on his own, they obviously have no idea about politics or how this government is run.
It is the same with Mitt Romney. If he is elected, there is no chance that by the end of his first term we will be out of this recession. Romney is pushing the same Bush tax cuts that caused the recession in the first place. When Clinton left office in 2000, we actually had a budget surplus. It took less than 2 years for Bush to turn that into the largest deficit this country has ever seen. If Romney is elected I fear more of the same, only now, Romney plans on cutting crucial programs that families in this recession depend on for survival. This will make it even more difficult for the average person to bare the burden.
With the Republican National convention getting under way this week, and the Democratic the next, we will have a chance over the next two weeks to get to know the candidates, and what they stand for, a little better. Pay attention, because these next few weeks are important. It will be the last time we really get to hear what the candidates have to say before the debates start.
Watching these debates, keep one thing in mind. Regardless of who wins the November election, no matter who takes the oath in January, and despite any promises made during the campaign, we will not be out of this hole by the next four years. This is to be a process that will take substantially more time than just one or two Presidential terms. The next four years, regardless of who is elected, will be tough for almost everybody. The two candidates we have to choose from are so polarizing that no matter who wins, half the country will be irate. If Obama wins, we stay the course 4 more years and give him more time to pull us in his direction. If Romney wins, we will do a complete 180 and everything Obama has put in place these last 4 years will be done away with, basically starting us back at square one. I am afraid, though, that regardless of who wins, it is the American people who lose. It is us who must live with the decisions made by men who could not imagine what it is like to live our lives. And until our government can wholly agree on something, anything, we will never be able to fix anything.
Written by James Cahill. Edited by Matt Nelson.
RSS Feed