The poster child of a sad era in American politics
Sean Stoker | Opinions Editor
Politics was never a game of purity. But the politicians used to at least pretend to care, didn’t they? It’s a sorry state of affairs when the candidates we’re saddled with in the upcoming election cycle can’t even act like they’re taking their jobs seriously.
With the “clown car” approach we’ve seen from the Republican party, and the rogues’ gallery of characters we have to choose from on both sides of the aisle, it’s definitely unsettling to see a surprising amount of people gravitate towards the loudest and most obnoxious character in the bunch: Donald Trump.
Trump’s own website struggles to come up with his qualifications for leading a nation. Aside from charitable donations—which we should expect from any reasonably successful person—Trump’s main successes consist of inheritance, marching in parades, and owning fancy buildings.
Since announcing his bid for the White House, Trump has referred to Mexican immigrants as “criminals and rapists” called out black Americans for having “no spirit” just after the Charleston shooting, and dismissed John McCain’s war record because, “I like people that weren’t captured, okay?”
And instead of trying to minimize the nightmare his PR team must be dealing with, Trump doubles down on his gaffes, making sure we know that it was no accident.
Even scarier is that disturbing amounts of people are people are mistaking his brazenness for boldness and getting behind him and going down the rails of his crazy train, as evidenced by his 11.3 percent lead in recent polls.
It’s come to the point where people have begun to theorize that Trump is secretly a Democrat, attempting to split the Republican ticket by portraying a caricature of the stereotypical right-winger in order to secure an easier election for Hillary Clinton. I’m usually one to scoff at conspiracy theories, but I’m having trouble arguing against this one. How else could any human being as reactionary as Trump, do so well in the polls unless the Illuminati, shape-shifting reptilians and several blood oaths were all somehow involved?
Regardless of which political “team” Trump belongs to, or whether he is a pawn or puppet master, this mess of an upcoming election is Exhibit A of why I’m already so jaded with the current state of American politics. It represents a complete lack of regard for the American people. This isn’t about helping the public, it’s about doing whatever it takes to get elected and stay in office.
Instead of a discussion about what actually needs doing in this country, we’re treated to a circus of two dozen candidates vying for the winning spot on “Who Can Be the Most Extreme?” Instead of an informed decision between who’s good and who’s best, we’re left to choose between the lesser of 24 evils.
Buckle up, America. It’s going to be a long election season.
