If you (ran) a mile in their shoes

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton face off in the 2016 presidential debate.

Aryaan Hussain and Rena Cai

Liar. Untrustworthy. Arrogant. Many of the opinions  we’ve heard on the main candidates of the 2016 election are based on their actions and the way they portray themselves instead of their political views. Everyone has their views on what candidates did and what they should have done instead. But we sometimes don’t stop to think, what if I was running for president? What issues would I have brought up? What policies would I have made?

To some, it seems that this year, the candidates are directing their attention to using each other’s scandals and previous statements against them, rather than letting their political agenda speak for them.

“[I would] focus more on representing myself in terms of my issues, rather than representing myself in terms of how much better I am than the other candidate.” senior Laura Chu said. “I believe that the platforms and proposed actions of any candidate speak for themselves.”

While many issues can be carefully considered while running for a presidency, students emphasize the importance of women’s rights, the national debt and unemployment rates. Other factors such as immigration reformation, the social safety net, racial tension, and terrorism have been also mentioned.

“I would focus on women’s rights and immigration reformation during my run of presidency.” freshman Grace Weisman-Fleischer said.

Many agree with Fleischer in and feel it would be smart to concentrate on topics that are hotspots in political debate.

“I’d focus on issues such as national security, tax reform, social safety net, racial tension, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and more.” Chu said.

Even though it is thought by some that political battle’s outcomes are decided on substance, the topic of a candidate’s image is continuously brought up. It seems how a candidate behaves may also be an important piece needed to win an election.

“If I ran for Trump, I would try to be a little nicer when talking in front of everyone,” freshman Ajit Kadaveru said. “If I ran for Hillary, I would try to be a little more aggressive in the debates.”

When we realize how much effort and political thinking it takes to develop a solution that we hope will please the greater of America, we see the sides that each person falls on. Whether Democrat, Republican, or another party, everyone falls on a side of an argument when their standpoint is being attacked. Trying to keep America the best country is the main goal for most of us, but how we approach the same feat is taken in different ways.

“ If I ran for president,” Chu said. “I’d try to encourage people to express their opinions or dissent in a way that doesn’t further divide ourselves, but through record high voter participation.”