The candidates are beginning to ramp up for the Democratic race to see who will be the one to attempt to take down Trump. Some of the most notable names gearing up for possible candidacy include Kamala Harris, Beto O’ Rourke, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
Watching the discourse online and in real life about this, one cannot help but wonder if there is possibly a better way for politics in America to operate.
Back in 2016, America was divided between the choice of Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. True, there were die-hard supporters who would defend their candidate no matter what, but for many Americans, neither choice was in any way appealing. The issue was that many people feel forced to go one major party candidate or the other mainly because third party candidates are not an option. The chance for one of them to win is low simply because people do not think anyone else will vote for them.
Because of that, America often finds itself juggling between extremes as each new presidents reigns. Currently, we are laboring under Trump’s policies, which even putting it mildly, leans rather far right. However, if Bernie Sanders somehow manages to take over in 2020, we might be hanging with a pro-socialist president.
The two-party system also actively murders debate between opposing sides. People, whether Republican or Democrat, get so far deep into their own political leanings that they view themselves as morally righteous crusaders against the pure evil of the opposing side. If we as a country want to get anywhere, we need to have open honest debates with the other side. Even if one does not agree with the opposing view, maybe we can reach an acceptable compromise if we try to understand it.
America would be in a much better position if debates were not turning into ridiculous screaming matches. That is why candidates for governmental positions who lean only slightly to the left or right, or even in the middle should be encouraged. The United States needs to learn how to compromise, and we can end up being much better as a whole for it.
