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As the world watches the American voters go to the
polls, we Americans know that the choices we make are not as
simplistic as they may appear. Political thought and affiliation is
often described as a spectrum or straight line, with extreme ends
and a moderate middle, but the reality more closely resembles a
confusing overlap of Venn diagrams. Here are just a few examples:
While Donald Trump is referred to as a brash billionaire and Bernie
Sanders as a Democratic Socialist, seemingly diametric opposites,
both opposed the Iraq War and both expressed concernfor the loss of
life among the military as well as the innocent civilians of Iraq.
Bernie Sanders, as a senator, voted against the Iraq
War, providing a number of reasons, stating in part: “One, I have
not heard any estimates of how many young American men and women
might die in such a war or how many tens of thousands of women and
children in Iraq might also be killed. As a caring Nation, we should
do everything we can to prevent the horrible suffering that a war
will cause.”
Mr. Trump, who was not a member of congress, and
therefore did not have a vote, none-the-less opposed the war as a
citizen. When interviewed by the magazine Esquire for the August
2004 issue, shortly after the war commenced, Mr. Trump stated: What
was the purpose of the whole thing? Hundreds and hundreds of young
people killed. And what about all the people coming back with no
arms and no legs? Not to mention the other side. All those Iraqi
kids who’ve been blown to pieces. And it turns out that all of the
reasons for the war were blatantly wrong. All this for nothing!”
Hillary Clinton, a senator and Democrat, however,
did vote for the war and in this regard, the Venn diagram has no
overlap with her colleague at the time, Bernie Sanders.
Many older Americans see a parallel between our
times and the era which ushered in President Ronald Reagan. In 1979
President Jimmy Carter gave what became known as the “Crisis of
Confidence” speech, in which he was more reproachful of the American
people than inspiring; it soon became clear that the American people
had lost confidence, not in themselves, but in the president
himself.
Today it is evident that there is widespread
dissatisfaction among the American people for the leadership in
Washington and those watching the American election process may
wonder why particular candidates receive support. In reflecting upon
this question it is important to remember that just as we do not
always agree on every issue with those who are close to us, voters
may not always agree with a candidate on every issue either. Thus
each voter must carefully consider if there is sufficient overlap
with a candidate on the Venn diagram of issues as well as which
candidate may offer the best prospects for a brighter future. |
