Am I the only one that’s tired of this election? I mean it’s been going on for what, ten years now? It definitely feels like it. It makes me wonder how long the winners actual presidency will seem. More importantly, I wonder how the nation will recover after this election.
Regardless of who wins, America is now a very different place than it was before. A good chunk of the American people seem to now be tolerant of racism and sexism, while the another is now cynical and without hope. Others are only voting out of spite, voting against candidates rather than for them. It’s probably safe to say that the 2016 election won’t be remembered as a good one, despite being historical.
While Hillary Clinton is by no means the great white hope that will save our country, in fact she’s not even close, most of this can be attributed to the campaign of Republican nominee Donald Trump. Donald Trump has changed American politics forever. On a positive note, he has shaken the political establishment and has potentially paved the way for future non-traditional candidates to make it to the White House. He has also proved a serious threat to the political dynasties that have been running the nation for the past three decades, seeing as he is neither a Clinton nor a Bush. He is the living embodiment of the idea that anyone can become the President of the United States. Unfortunately, the bad far outweighs whatever good Donald Trump has going for him. He’s gotten this far using racist, misogynistic, and xenophobic rhetoric and somehow keeps going despite all of the hatred and bad press he’s received from it.
My intention with this is not necessarily to bash Trump, but it is impossible to talk about the negative effect that this election has had on our nation without looking at his campaign. The nation is a much different place in a post-Trump world. His comments have opened the flood-gates for many, making what was once unacceptable, career-ending behavior perfectly fine in 2016.
For example, Fox News anchor Sean Hannity recently said on his radio show that he would to pay the Obama family to go to Kenya, or any other country of their choice, on the condition that they stay there. This story was also not followed immediately afterward with Sean Hannity losing his job. You can make the argument that technically President Obama has family in Kenya, or if you’re into conspiracies is actually from Kenya, but the fact is, you can’t escape the racial undertones of that statement. While he did probably save himself by adding in “any country of their choice,” Hannity, a news anchor, essentially told our African-American President and his family to go back to Africa on a live broadcast, and nothing was done about it. That’s because in a post-Trump world, he can get away with it, in fact it’s nothing compared to the things Trump himself has said, and he still has a shot at being President. He’s even gained supporters despite his ugly comments about Mexicans and Syrian refugees.
A reporter that did get fired was NBC “Today” host Billy Bush, who was caught on tape having a very lewd conversation with Donald Trump. This tape, which showed our Republican nominee discussing how he enjoys grabbing women in private places, horrified the masses. Women have come forward accusing Trump of sexual harassment, and prominent Republicans have pulled their support and for about two weeks, the word “pussy” was freely used and repeated by the mainstream media. Trump’s defense for this controversy: “Others have sexually harassed women too, including Bill Clinton!” The defense worked, leading to debates over whether Bill Clinton’s assault accusation were worse than Trump’s, rather than everyone admitting that both men had done horrible things.
The thing that is troubling is that people supporting Trump don’t seem to mind his sexist remarks or his racism. Not even an endorsement from The Crusader, a white supremacist newspaper put out by the Ku Klux Klan, has slowed his support. In fact, because there is so much support for Donald Trump, more and more things are being found acceptable. Blatant racism and sexism are being accepted and tolerated now. Anything to make sure that Hillary Clinton doesn’t get into office, right?
This leads into an even worse effect that Trump has had on this election: some people are simply refusing to vote. I understand that there’s something about Hillary Clinton that just makes her difficult to trust. Whether it’s the fact that her election will continue the trend of political dynasties in the oval office or if it’s because of her horrible handling of the Benghazi attack, there are a good number of people that do not want Clinton in office and refuse to vote for her. However, they don’t want to vote for Trump either. This has led to people reacting with apathy and cynicism toward the election, questioning whether their votes really count in the first place. We’re all screwed either way, right?
Other people are actually voting against candidates instead of for candidates. In a study of millennial women voting for Hillary, only about 41% of them, less than half, are actually enthusiastic about having her for a President. (Suarez, A. 2016) But, you know, anything to keep Trump out of office, right?
There are of course your third party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein, but those are long shots. According to USA Today, as of November 1st at 11:00pm, Johnson is currently sitting on the polls at 4.6% and Stein is at 2.1%, while Clinton leads with 45% and Trump is at 43%. Trump has since risen to 46%.
Eight years ago, when Barack Obama first ran for President, he ran on a theme of hope and optimism. He was inheriting two wars and a recession and yet the election still had many voters optimistic about what the future held. The 2016 election has done the opposite, leaving our nation divided, angry and cynical. There is little to be optimistic about with this upcoming election, minus the fact that our next president could either be a woman, a non-traditional candidate or possibly a third party candidate.
Fortunately the end is in sight. Election Day is next week, on November 8. Be sure to vote, even if you are undecided. If you don’t like Trump or Clinton, you still have Gary Johnson and Jill Stein to consider. It’s a cliched thing to say, but vote your conscience. Think about which candidate you think is best for you and vote for them. Not voting only increases the chances the candidate you’re protesting has of being your next President.
We can only hope that the wounds left by the public’s mistrust of Hillary Clinton, or their disgust with Donald Trump, will not be permanent. Hopefully, once the dust settles and a new President is chosen, America can put this election behind us and move forward.
Additional Reporting from:
“Millennial Women and the 2016 Presidential Election: Will They Vote for Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump?” Suarez, A. (October 2016) International Business Times
And the USA Today 2016 Poll Tracker
