Who’s in the running for the 2016 Presidential election?
December 18, 2015
The last two presidential elections were a turning point in history. Not only did an African American win the Presidential election once, but twice (what a record breaker). There are other chances for history to be made in the 2016 election. If Hillary Clinton wins, she’ll be the first female President. If Ben Carson wins, then he’ll be the first African American Republican President. Let’s see who some of the candidates are.
Democrats
- Hillary Clinton. She’s no stranger to the White House at all as her husband Bill Clinton was President from 1993 to 2001. Former First Lady plans to become the new President. Hillary ran in 2008, though she was unsuccessful, she’s back again to take the title of President of the United States. One of the things that she wants to do as President is to “raise taxes on capital gains held for one to six years.”
- Martin O’Malley. This former governor of Maryland and mayor of Baltimore seems to be trying to bribe the young folks with some of his policy positions. One of his policy positions that caught my eye was, “to expand student aid by increasing Pell Grant payments and tripling participation in the federal work-study program.” After he was no longer governor of Maryland, he traveled to Iowa and New Hampshire to talk about many liberal priorities; however, one that really caught my attention was his call for minimum wage to be $15 an hour. I see what you’re trying to do there O’Malley.
- Bernie Sanders. Former member in the House of Representatives, and current U.S Senator from Vermont and ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee, Sanders seems to be trying to get popular with both the older and younger voters. What a smart man he is. His policy positions can benefit everyone from teens, to adults, to senior citizens like himself. Bernie Sanders “Wants to enact a single-payer healthcare system through Medicare for all, wants to make college free for everyone by taxing financial transactions, and wants to raise payroll, estate, and corporate income taxes”
Republicans
- Jeb Bush (John Ellis Bush). This name may sound familiar because he is the brother of former President George W. Bush and the son of former President George H.W. Bush. He’s also the Former governor of Florida. As Kanye West famously rhetorically opined, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” It seems as none of those Bush people care about their perception by the under-privileged and disenfranchised. Let’s take a look with Jeb Bush’s policy positions. “Has a healthcare plan that would repeal Obamacare and replace it with new health insurance tax credits, would combine today’s seven income tax brackets into three, with a top rate of 28 percent, while eliminating several tax credits and deductions, and wants to provide more support for the Kurds in Iraq in order to give them more power against the Islamic State.” Jeb Bush would destroy the economic state of America more than his brother and father already did.
- Ben Carson. This retired neurosurgeon and published author seems to be educated in everything but the government. Unlike his other competitors, he’s never held any office in the government. This could be a disadvantage for him. Ben Carson is famous for saying, “Obamacare is the worst thing since slavery” and that he “Opposes any federal funding for Planned Parenthood.” If Ben became President, what would be next? A one-child policy? This candidate obviously hasn’t been there or done that.
- Chris Christie. Former U.S. attorney for the District of New Jersey and current governor of New Jersey obviously has something against the national teachers union as he said that they deserve a punch in the face, so teachers, watch out for this one. He seems feisty. Though his policies seem a lot more rational than other candidates, there is one that I just don’t understand. “Wants a border wall “where appropriate,” especially near Southern cities.” Chris, please explain that one.
I’m just a kid, who doesn’t yet know too much about politics; however, I may be eligible to take part in the 2016 election. This article was based off of facts , and some of my personal opinions based on the things that I read about the candidates. Don’t judge me if some of my opinions seemed wrong. I’m just a kid and 42 percent of voters don’t even know the three branches of government, so I think I’m okay for right now; I’m not even legalized to vote yet. However, in my opinion I think that any of the Democratic candidates I wrote about should win rather than any of the Republican candidates. The Democratic candidate’s policies just seem more rational and relevant than the Republican candidate policies.
Anthony • Dec 19, 2015 at 1:21 pm
Awesome sum-up of the democratic/republicans presidential candidates!