As we all know, the election is less than a week away and it is time to start getting ready to vote. I know, I know, making decisions is hard. But really, if you think about it, your choice of one candidate over the other goes back to a set of morals you learned many moons ago. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the rules you learned as a blossoming toddler both at home and at school are still valid to your life today.
These rules don’t only apply to your own life. They are greatly pertinent to our current candidates seeking the presidency of the United States. So, with that being said, Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton, I ask you both to reevaluate your campaigns from a child’s point of view. Ask yourselves: What was important, meaningful, and most of all, moral to a young Donald and adolescent Clinton?
I’m here to tell you aspiring executives that it has nothing to do with healthcare, foreign policy, a few emails deleted here and a few slurs spurted out there. However, it does have everything to do with Kindergarten.
Kindergarten? You might ask. Well, yes. Do you two ever find yourselves reminiscing about the days where debating which type of cookie to dip into your milk was more blissful than a presidential debate? And yes, even a debate in which the goldstar Ken Bone asked you to discuss your plans for handling the energy and climate discrepancy, and the possible ways to prevent unemployment in the future. Although you both may respond to this question with a giggle, and begin some sort political answer linking us back to the subject of energy independence, deep down inside I know you miss the days filled with snack time and recess.
Wishing to have your childhood back, along with a warm chocolate chip cookie, is not something to feel ashamed about. In fact, if either of you were to admit that your true moments of euphoria relate more towards a childhood memory than a new format ridding economic inflation, I’m sure the American public would not only appreciate it, but also respect you for your humane response.
Now, since both of you are aware of our proximity to November 8th, and are itching to sit in President Obama’s chair while it’s still warm, I want to remind you that there are fundamental rules to abide by when decision-making, whether you win or lose the election. This applies to you as President, a citizen, and most importantly, as a human being. These rules are eloquently listed in author Robert Fulghum’s poem, “All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten,” found here, and I merely want to summarize them and highlight their significance, allowing both of you to recognize how a crucial decision always boils down to a rule you were taught as a youngster.
As Fulghum judiciously states, “Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in the sand pile at school.” In other words, the most educated are those who can make any topic, no matter how difficult, as simple as can be. For you, Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton, that means that no matter the amount of supposedly intelligent rhetoric you utter throughout each speech, debate, or interview, the people will truly start to pay attention when your message is easy to understand. Therefore, I encourage you to convey simplistic yet genuine motives, for you will speak to a population who merely wants to feel like the candidate, and future president, is speaking for them, the American people.
Building a relationship with the American people is not only a significant part of political success, but it is also an authentic representation of the type of leadership this country desires. In order to build that sincere foundation I advise you both to step back from your podiums, cameras, scripts, teleprompters, and microphones, and recognize the importance of “playing fair,” “putting things back where you found them,” “cleaning up your own mess,” and “saying sorry when you hurt somebody.” Both of you may respond to such demands with claims of your devotion to remaining honest and moral candidates, yet I, an eighteen-year old American citizen who has closely eyed the campaign for quite some time now, can pinpoint instances in which both of you were at fault for disregarding these rules.
The point of these rules is not to put blame on the mistakes you both, as humans, are bound to make. Especially in the rigorous world of politics. The point is to teach you both a lesson on how to go forward in your campaigns. In order to do so successfully and legitimately, especially in the eyes of the American public, you two must consciously understand the benefits of not simply playing by the rules, but also playing fairly and democratically.
All things considered, I now asked you two glorious candidates cat fighting against one another with negative ads and “crooked” nicknames, what is truly important to your role as the President of the United States? Will Kindergarten determine whether the importance of campaigning lies merely in a world of lights, publicity, and winning, or in a world defined by Fulghum, in which “you go out…hold hands and stick together”?