Why The 2016 Election Season is So Important

This year, we have seen some of the strangest phenomena in politics in a very long time. From Trump basically inserting his foot in his mouth every time he speaks to Clinton’s gross misappropriation of government emails, it has not been any ordinary election. In fact, it’s a vital election season. We need to make sure to vote our consciences, and not be triangulated by the two corporate parties, their candidates, and the mainstream media; otherwise, we may never get another chance to correct our political system.

Let’s start with Trump. Has there been a viler candidate ever for president before? From his constant insults of different constituencies to his weird gyrations while speaking, he has shown to be someone that we can never allow near the nuclear football. On top of that, he has been sued multiple times for discrimination. He is as unpredictable (in a bad way) as any candidate ever looking to secure a position, not even considering him seeking the presidency.

Then, we have Hillary herself. We have seen through her history that she is as movable on positions as a willow in a strong breeze. There’s almost no way to pin her down to any solid policy, as she oftentimes changes what she is pushing for depending on the audience. Also, when you look at her past actions as First Lady and Secretary of State, she becomes even more of a disgrace politically. From calling black youth super-predators to laughing about the death of Gaddafi, it is rather obvious that she lacks basic human empathy as well. On top of that, she is probably the most corporate candidate ever fielded by the Democratic Party. From her and husband collecting millions in ‘speaking fees’ to the issues brought forth from the deeds of the Clinton foundation, her loyalties are dictated by the same big corporations that pollute and want special favors like the TPP. These reasons make Clinton at least as dangerous as Trump, if not more.

Clinton & the Democrats and Trump & the Republicans are not the only ones that have negatively affected our political system. The mainstream media is just as complicit. They paid an extraordinary amount of attention to Trump that gave him a large amount of free publicity. At the same time, they paid very little attention to Bernie Sanders and Jill Stein, until very recently. They constantly posted inferior polls that skewed the public’s belief about whom was capable of winning. Also, they did not pay attention to important scandals like Wikileaks, until they were forced to. When you consider that the vast majority of media in the US is owned by just 6 corporations, they may as well be considered a branch of those corporations themselves instead of being viewed as the gatekeepers of the truth.

Now that we have identified the problems, we need to work on the solutions. Obviously, voting for either of the two corporate candidates is NOT an option. They both are using fear against each other to help ensure that there is only a binary option during the election while also having that false belief pushed by the mainstream media. It is necessary to fight back against those destructive tendencies by not focusing on personalities, but on positions. We need to understand that policies are what matter the most. Policies like Medicare For All; ending the war on drugs by legalizing marijuana and decriminalizing drug use in general; a much less interventionalist foreign policy; a jobs program for those who seek work but cannot find it; more focus on our environment by reducing fossil fuel use and farming with more ecological methods; and an infrastructure program to repair our bridges, roads, water systems, and power grid are what REALLY matter. We must push for the candidates that support these positions and not fall for milquetoast concessions.

It is past time for us to wake up and consider the position our country is in. We may not get another chance to break the chains of corporatism if we allow horrible policies like the TPP to get enacted. It is time for us to stand up to those trying to bully and cajole us into voting against our best interests and vote and support those whom truly care for us!

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