For many of the students here at UE, this will be the first presidential election in which we’ll be eligible to vote. This election is far from a normal one, though the concept of “normal” elections has been completely thrown out the window in recent years. Bipartisanship is increasingly becoming a false ideal. It’s important to note that bipartisanship has been on the decline for years now. It didn’t start with Trump, and it won’t end with his absence. Since the 2016 election between Trump and Clinton, there has been a noticeable decline in the ability of either party to have a meaningful discussion. I am not solely blaming Donald Trump for this, but I don’t think it’s unfair to say that his immature style of name-calling and insult-slinging has contributed to this situation. Now, people from either party are unable to have civil debates. In my own family, we’ve had to agree not to bring up politics at all just to avoid unnecessary arguments. Now, we’re witnessing Donald Trump’s third presidential campaign, and these issues aren’t getting any better. We’re at the point where we’ve seen two attempted assassinations of a presidential candidate, and while those people were from the same party as Trump, it’s still wildly disturbing to witness. This is not something Americans should be proud of. It’s unnerving, and frankly, it’s embarrassing that this is what we’ve come to as a country.

 

I’m not trying to glorify Kamala Harris either. There are plenty of strange things she has done that I feel Democrats and Republicans can view similarly. Kamala Harris taking documents from the White House is undeniably bad. It was horrendous watching Kamala Harris mock a disabled reporter on stage. It was sickening to see Kamala Harris say that the only people who could stop Donald Trump from appointing his judges were Second Amendment supporters, heavily insinuating the use of gun violence against him. But none of this is true. Kamala Harris didn’t say or do ANY of this. Neither did Tim Walz. Donald Trump and JD Vance did. Donald Trump stole federal documents, which were found at his Mar-A-Lago estate. Donald Trump mocked the disabled reporter on stage in front of thousands of his supporters. Donald Trump insinuated using gun violence against Hillary Clinton. JD Vance defended creating false stories about Haitian immigrants eating people’s pets. My point here is that Trump-supporting Republicans would find these issues appalling if Democrats did them, but they excuse this kind of behavior from him. This level of blind support for a politician, regardless of what they may say or do, is irresponsible and scary. Not only that, but it borders on being cult-like.

 

I am not throwing that word around lightly either. I believe that the Republican Party deserves a better candidate than this guy. It’s unsettling that he has so much support from people who would be so quick to shut this behavior down if it weren’t attached to Donald Trump’s name. Donald Trump lies to his supporters again and again, but they almost seem to worship him based on “facts” that aren’t true. The unwavering devotion to a man who would rather line the pockets of his rich friends by encouraging the exploitation of the average American is alarming. I hope in the next couple of years, as a country, we can move past this festering hate. But I don’t know if we’ll actually be able to. I’m worried Donald Trump is going to leave a lasting stain on America if he hasn’t already.

 

If Kamala Harris had 34 felony counts against her, as Donald Trump does, it would be unforgivable in the eyes of Trump-supporting Republicans. If Kamala Harris had over 20 people come forward and say they were sexually assaulted by her, it would be over for her. If Tim Walz ever did drag, as JD Vance has done, Trump-supporting Republicans would lump him into the same category as they have placed drag queens. They would be quick to paint him as “pedophilic” and accuse him of grooming children, which they claim drag queens are doing. Yet, for some reason, they aren’t willing to put JD Vance in the same category. If Kamala Harris had many pictures associating her closely with Jeffrey Epstein, as Trump has, would Trump supporters hold her more accountable than they hold Trump?

 

At the end of the day, if young people go out and vote, I couldn’t care less who they vote for. I won’t pretend I’m a nonpartisan writer, but even I, someone with far-left opinions, have my own qualms with Kamala Harris. I dislike her stances on the Israel-Palestine conflict. I dislike her stances on fracking. While she represents the party that is closest to me, I still don’t idolize her as some hero of mine. She’s a politician. I can recognize that. I just ask Trump supporters to consider viewing Donald Trump through the same lens with which they view Kamala Harris. Voting for either candidate is purely up to one’s own discretion, but don’t act like you don’t understand what you may be endorsing.

 
Share With Friends!