It's Not the End of the World As We Know It - 2016 Election
It's no secret that Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are not everyone's favorite people in the world. The 2016 election is a joke, taken over by the media who decided to sing the praises of Hillary and Trump to take advantage of the uninformed populous. After all, they needed a train wreck to report later, and they got it.I can't go one day without an article in my Facebook feed on why Trump has the worst character. I scroll further down and find an article on why Hillary is the least trustworthy individual in the United States.These posts don't anger me or upset me because I've realized,
Whoever We Elect Will Be Terrible
I'd be concerned if we ever had an election that didn't call into question the policies and character of our candidates. Given the culture we live in, where young people can name characters on Jersey Shore, but not founding fathers or even the year our country obtained its independence, I don't think we deserve anyone all that great.
Not only that but no matter where you look, people have their flaws. There are few roads better to discover that on than the campaign trail. The day you find the perfect politician is the day you find someone lying through their teeth and hiding who they really are.
This November will be the first presidential election I will vote in. So how will I be responding to this horrible line up?
Support The One Who Will Make Good Small Decisions
If there's one thing I've learned from 8 years under Obama as president, it's that very little actually gets done in Washington. A president who says they have a long term plan to fix something means that they will take 6 years to complete it to ensure they stay in power as long as possible.So, what will they do with that power? They'll be voting on laws passed through congress. That's mainly the only thing the president can do.I remember one day soon after Obama was elected when it was reported over the car radio that Obama had passed a bailout bill. My mother wasn't too happy.This was when I realized that presidents don't tear the country down in Hitler-esque fashion with devious plans. They don't have enough power. It's the small votes that you didn't even know would exist that matter. Vote for the person who will sign the bills they say they're gonna sign.
Decide Who You're REALLY voting for
Fun fact: Hillary and Trump should not be your concern. You already know deep down who you're going to vote for, probably because you can't bring yourself to vote for the other.Your main concern should be the 34 Senate and 469 House seats that are open for reelection.Trump and Hillary fail to represent the interests of a good majority of America. That said, it's easy to feel like nobody is representing you and that you're disconnected from your own government.But the only person disconnecting you is yourself.Many Americans will go to their polling place on November 8th and then be completely unprepared when it comes to electing local representatives.Your life won't suck because Trump or Hillary will sit in the White House giving a thumbs up or down to Congressional bills. Your life will suck because you failed to elect representatives who would create amazing laws that our new president couldn't refuse.
Remember
I want you to do something. Right now. Take out your phone and set up a reminder for the beginning of the year 2020. Attach a note that dictates exactly how upset you are at this turn of events and what you could have done to prevent our current situation.Why?Humans have horrible memories. We make the same mistakes over and over. Do you want proof?Republicans claim to be all for freedom and electing someone who stands for it. Yet every year, they manage to nominate a candidate that fails to differ greatly from the democratic nominee. Obama and Romney were fairly similar except for the fact that Obama was supposed to be a democrat.Hillary is untrustworthy because she has failed to be transparent about her deleted email scandal, yet Republicans managed to elect one of the few candidates we had who would be just as untrustworthy.So do it. Write down exactly what we did wrong this time. Who we should have elected. Why? How could you have influenced this change? How will you communicate this to your friends 4 years from now in a way that gives them a reason to hope, not a reason to debunk you on Facebook?
Finally, Check Yourself
It's easy to focus on the one person running for president and point out all of their obvious flaws. But from how I've seen people act in response to them, I don't think we're much better. It's easy to forget that we live in a country with a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.The government is a reflection of its culture, and until we get our act together, we'll be doomed to choose from the same, bad choices every single year.Previously published by Thought Catalog at www.thoughtcatalog.com