Now
I don’t expect everyone to agree with me on any of my stances, but I do expect
my opinions to be respected as I would the opinion of anyone who is kind enough
to read me. A lot of people want to keep their political views private, and I
get it. I’m actually not one to mull over politics because I’ve noticed that a
lot of people get very touchy when you don’t agree with them on everything. So
to anyone who disagrees with my points of view, my apologies.
Off
the bat, let me say that for demographic purposes, I’m 35, Hispanic, married,
and mostly liberal. Some people may call me naïve, some people may think I have
an idea of what I’m talking about, but the reality is that I’m just a human
doing his best to be a good human, with whatever knowledge I may have. I pay my
taxes, I try to recycle as much as I can, and I am sure people from all
denominations are also doing their best and like anything, I welcome a healthy
debate.
As I
write this there are basically 4 remaining candidates in the electoral process
for the presidency of the United States: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, Hillary
Clinton, and Bernie Sanders. (Not really counting John Kasich although he is a better candidate than both Trump and Cruz, from what little I've read. Let's face it, the other two make so much noise it's hard to break through the clutter).
First
up, why I’m not voting for Donald Trump. I’ll admit it will take a lot of
effort to not be snarky, but I want to make a point and don’t wish for a joke
to get in the way of said point. Simply put, Donald Trump represents way too
many things I can’t agree with: misogyny, elitism, racism, and what worries me
is how much he incites violence and how eager people are to please. Bully
tactics, smearing, and a severe lack of political intellect or a general sense
of respect should make him the least likely choice to run for anything, yet
he’s high up in the polls, as in VERY high. As a Puerto Rican, I’m worried. I’m genuinely
worried and won’t deny I am fearful of even visiting pro Trump states. The
slogan of Make America Great Again might as well be understood as Make America
White again because that is the tone and manner in which he carries himself and
his campaign. His ideas of foreign policy make Bush sound like a genius and his
“make a wall” sound byte won’t happen for however much he barks. This has been
a campaign run on violence, smoke, mirrors, and very little substance. “We’re
going to get it done,” I often hear him say… but I rarely if ever hear HOW it
will get done.
Secondly,
why I’m not voting for Ted Cruz. When you have a video montage of how you cook
bacon by wrapping it around a machine gun and release it the same week or week
after a mass shooting, I have a problem with that. To say Climate Change is not
science but religion is also a dangerous proposition because his campaign is
running strongly on religious faith. I for one am for the complete and utter
separation of Church and State, ESPECIALLY in the US, but that’s another matter
altogether. I think it’s bad politics and can spark violence instead of
harmony. He is the other Republican candidate that has made headway even if
he’s way behind from Trump. Still, a Cruz presidency guarantees that nothing
will be done to address the serious issue of gun violence in the US while more
decisions will be made to appease lobbyists and large companies that focus on
dollar signs instead of climate talks.
Thirdly,
I’ll openly say that in the Democratic Primary between Clinton and Obama, I
voted Clinton. I thought the US was due a woman president and I still stand by
that vote, although I do think Obama has done as best as he can, even if I
don’t agree with some of the decisions made, i.e. Iran invasion,
Israel-Palestine situation, etc. Still, there has been a lot of progress and I
think with all the challenges this administration faced coming in, they’ve done
a good job, an opinion a lot of people don’t agree with me on. Although let’s
be honest, we have NO idea what goes on in politics or international politics
to be honest (meaning behind the scenes). But back to Clinton. Her experience and stances on minorities,
equality, and other topics at that time were to my liking. But this election
has cast an odd shadow over this potential Clinton administration. Simply put,
it feels as if she’s playing with loaded dice and this does not feel like a
fair race between her and the other democratic candidate. CNN and the media in
general have played a rather odd hand. I think she has the qualifications to
win on her own. I really do, but it does feel as if everyone wants to declare
her victor and it feels odd and a little off.
Then
there’s Bernie Sanders. A candidate who talks about the middle class, something
I don’t think anyone has done and being middle class, that’s a welcome change.
I hear informed answers, I hear and see a plan, I see the potential for change
and I would like for change to happen. He flies coach, his donations come from
ordinary people (like me), he has desisted from attacking candidates as much as he can,
and he stays on topic. Oh, there’s also the small detail that his stance now is
consistent with what it was 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, and even 30 years ago. That
definitely sets him apart from most candidates and is one of several reasons
why I will vote Sanders in Puerto Rico.
Do I
think Clinton is capable of running the country? Yes. Highly so. But my gut
tells me to go with the other guy, for several reasons but I’ll sum it up this
way: the difference between Hillary & Bernie is that Clinton looks in a
mirror to know she wants to become president. Meanwhile, the same sentiment
comes to Sanders but when he looks at people. Or at least that’s how it feels
for me. Does that sound idealistic? Sure. But it is still my opinion, and you
can have yours as well. Here’s to voting and regardless of the outcome to everyone
doing their part to help the greater good.
