American politics is all anybody ever talks about, even here in the Great White North. We are all so in tune with the 2016 presidential election because we feel that, even though we don’t live in the United States, it’s important to know what’s going on in their election, since they are our neighboring country and also a global super-power.Over the past two weeks, we have entered into the beginning of the true election grind: what began with the Iowa Caucus on February 1st has now ignited a series of primaries occurring over the next few weeks in numerous states. Last week, we saw all the candidates head to New Hampshire, and now they’re heading down to South Carolina for their primary voting later this week. Moreover, with the beginning of the primaries, comes the narrowing-down of the once colossal field of presidential candidates: after faring poorly in New Hampshire, Chris Christie and Carly Fiorina, both once-strong competitors for the Republican nomination, suspended their campaigns.
Although I am 100% Canadian, I have never been so interested in keeping up with an American election: maybe it’s because this is the first election where I’m old enough to grasp many of the issues at hand. It definitely would have been the first election I would have voted in if I lived in the US.
Since the candidates are doing their best to befriend Americans on the trail, let’s compare them to some other Friends.
Ross Geller as Jeb Bush
On the campaign trail, Jeb Bush is one of the potential “establishment candidates,” that many members of the Republican party would financially support in the race. While his platform includes protecting the right to bear arms, and reforming diplomatic relations with the Middle East, Jeb! (Exclamation point purposely included – see his website) is best known for being the son and brother of two former presidents, and, well, a “feckless, adrift candidate.” In other words, he’s often portrayed to be a hapless nerd in the media: sounds kind of like Ross, who takes enormous pride in his boundless knowledge of paleontology.
Chandler Bing as Ted Cruz
Do you remember the episode in season eight where Chandler’s co-worker, Bob, hates him since he prevented him from getting a promotion? Ted Cruz has faced a similar experience: just try replacing one hateful coworker with the majority of the Republican party. However, Ted Cruz and Chandler could not be any more different in terms of personality. Chandler is cool, collected and superbly sarcastic, while Cruz is an ultra-Conservative candidate who has fought to defund Planned Parenthood, and defended Kim Davis, the clerk who recently denied marriage licenses to gay couples. They may be different personality wise, but somehow, I notice some physical similarities.
Joey Tribbiani as Chris Christie
New Jersey governor Chris Christie may have just dropped out of the race after the New Hampshire primaries, but I still think he is the best match with Joey out of all the current candidates. They’re both from Jersey, and they are both very loud and opinionated: Christie’s campaign slogan was even “telling it like it is.” I’d like to think Joey tells it like it is too, especially when it comes to sharing food.
Rachel Green as Marco Rubio
Rubio, much like Rachel Green, seems to have become this election season’s (male) fashion icon, after the media noticed the sleek, expensive-looking black boots he was wearing. This fancy-boot enthusiast is, like Jeb!, a potential “establishment candidate,” who would encourage more private businesses to offer paid family leave, reform methods of tracking illegal immigrants, and ultimately develop a merit-based legal immigration system.
Monica Geller as Hillary Clinton
Both Hillary and Monica are very organized, kept-together women who appear to be great friends and supportive wives. Something else they have in common? Their passion for families. Monica broke up with Richard because of her desire to start a family. Hillary also fights for paid family leave (however, without raising taxes on working families and making the wealthy pay more). She is also an advocate for education, fighting to improve the public education system so that every child has access to high-quality education.
Phoebe Buffay as Bernie Sanders
Phoebe is known for being the quirkiest member of the clan: she is a loveable, folksy friend with sometimes off-kilter opinions. Bernie Sanders has been that “friend” in the election: he’s a democratic socialist, which is much less “establishment” than his fellow democrat, Hillary Clinton. Despite his old soul and well, old age, somehow Sanders has become the candidate that high numbers of American millennials are most relating to. Maybe it’s because he wants college tuition to be free, so all Americans have access to higher education without the heavy burden of student loans. Maybe it’s because he is a supporter of the Equality Act, which would expand U.S. anti-discrimination laws to include protections for sexual orientation and gender identity. Or maybe, like Phoebe, Bernie could have gained popularity over his past musical career: yeah, I’m not kidding- he was featured on an album with fellow Vermont artists called We Shall Overcome. Try and compare his version of “This Land is Your Land” with “Smelly Cat.”
Janice Litman Goralnik as Donald Trump
You know the minute you hear any words come out of their mouth, whether it’s “Oh. My. God,” “You’re fired” or “We need to build a wall,” you’re in for quite a ride. Both Janice and Trump succeed in bothering those around them with their shrill voices and their elaborate plans (that are not necessarily appreciated by all). It’s also notable that Janice is Chandler’s ex-girlfriend. In the election, it just so happens that Trump used to ally with our Chandler figure, Ted Cruz, until Cruz started surpassing him in the polls.
Gunther as John Kasich
Poor John Kasich is a candidate that often flies under the radar, as a guy who often stands way off to the side (dare I say, behind the counter) in a wild, popular group. However, like Gunther the barista, he shouldn’t be discounted, for he has important views too. He wants a primary-care oriented healthcare system that will better promote long-term health, and an improved military that will include an strengthened conventional force and a plan for new cyber defense forces.
Ben, Ross’ son as Ben Carson
Although Ben Carson is a retired pediatric neurosurgeon, his personality on the campaign trail has been likened to, well, someone who looks and sounds like he is half-asleep. The strongest possible comparison to Friends has to be to the character who not only shares his name, but who is most often seen as a sleeping baby for the first few seasons.
Sources:
http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/01/marco-rubio-boots
http://www.avclub.com/article/read-how-and-why-bernie-sanders-recorded-1980s-fol-231808
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/02/2016-election/384828/
http://friends.wikia.com/wiki/Bob_(Chandler’s_coworker)
Image Sources:
https://45.media.tumblr.com/64fab8a3e26b558b1815f37c181ea894/tumblr_mkar69974y1rivmuko1_400.gif
http://cougardaily.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Presidential.jpg
https://media.giphy.com/media/cBQFelyJzolIQ/giphy.gif
https://media.giphy.com/media/3oEdv98NOXtG5j2YmY/giphy.gif
http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_li2tug7KMb1qhakg8o1_400.gif
***Disclaimer: The facts in this article are subject to change as the various platform campaigns progress. All information in this article is based on research from February 12th, 2016.***