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2016 Presidential Race Update: The Best and the Worst Issue Positions!

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at San Diego chapter.

At this point in the presidential race, you’ve probably got a general idea of who each candidate running is. Donald Trump’s the racist, Hillary Clinton’s the liar, John Kasich’s the… wait who is John Kasich?

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But thanks to biased and unhelpful media coverage, you may not know exactly what they all stand for. To solve this issue, below is a subjective account of the best and the worst issue positions from each presidential candidate!

Republican Candidates:

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John Kasich:

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Best: No More Common Core!

As governor of Ohio, Kasich has made many great strides, and he wants to utilize the same strategies if he becomes president. On his website, Kasich explains multiple reasons why he does not think that education should be managed by the federal government:

“Education is a state and local issue and should not be micro-managed by the federal government. The teaching curricula, choice of textbooks, and lesson plans that local educators use are the responsibility of local school districts—not federal bureaucrats.”

This means that there would be no more Common Core. For anyone with a sibling in public education, you probably understand how muddled and plain stupid the Common Core standards are. Read more about how Kasich wants to change the public education system below:

https://www.johnkasich.com/education/

Worst: Guns for Everyone!

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With the hundreds of mass shootings in recent years, it is pretty undeniable that something needs to be done about who has access to firearms. Kasich doesn’t seem to think so. According to his website:

“John Kasich opposes President Obama’s gun control executive orders. The Second Amendment is too important and Obama’s hostility to it is too well known for him to be allowed to go around Congress and undermine the Second Amendment. His efforts to expand the federal government’s interference with Americans’ Right to Keep and Bear Arms are wrong and the governor opposes them.”

https://www.johnkasich.com/secondamendment/

Check out Kasich’s full website below:

https://www.johnkasich.com/

 

Marco Rubio:

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Best: Helping College Students!

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Marco Rubio feels that our higher education system needs a complete overhaul, which it clearly does. On his website, he states that he wants to:

“Reduce complexity of the federal financial aid application.”

I think that anyone who has ever had to fill out a FAFSA can agree with this. Besides the application, Rubio also wants to enact the following:

“Allow students to apply for innovative “Student Investment Plans” from approved investors to help Americans finance postsecondary education without taking on the burden of student loans;

Establish legal, accountable framework for students to repay loans based on what they earn after college.”

https://marcorubio.com/issues-2/marco-rubio-position-higher-education-policy-college/

Personally, I think that our next president should take action to help college students, and Rubio wants to do this.

Worst: Women’s Rights!

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If we just focus on how great a less complicated FAFSA sounds, Rubio is perfect. But unfortunately we cannot do that. Of all of the Republican candidates, Rubio appears to have the most conservative stance on a woman’s right to choose. On his website, he states:

“Protecting life defines who we want to be as a society. All life is worthy of protection, and all life enjoys God’s love.

Marco believes that Roe v. Wade was not only morally wrong, but it was a poorly decided legal precedent and should be overturned.

Marco has a record of supporting pro-life policies, and will continue to do so in public and private life. Marco believes that as a nation we must always come down on the side of life. We must speak up for those who cannot speak up for themselves.”

https://marcorubio.com/issues/protecting-life-at-every-stage/

Overturning Roe v. Wade sounds like it would result in great things! Doesn’t everyone want to go back to the days of back alley abortions?

I hate to break it to anti-abortion advocates, but abortions are a lot like guns – outlawing them will not prevent people from getting them.  So why not make the system safe, Marco Rubio?

For more issues, check out Rubio’s website below.

https://marcorubio.com/help-marco-win-in-florida/

 

Donald Trump:

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Best: Supporting our Nation’s Veterans!

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Trump wants to make big changes to the Veterans Administration, changes that will help our nation’s veterans get easier access to the healthcare that they deserve. On his website, Trump states that he wants to:

“Ensure our veterans get the care they need wherever and whenever they need it. No more long drives. No more waiting for backlogs. No more excessive red tape. Just the care and support they earned with their service to our country.”

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/veterans-administration-reforms

Worst: Build a Wall!

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Besides the fact that Trump only has 6 issue positions listed on his website? The wall. I hate to break it to Trump supporters, but even if Trump is elected, there will never be a wall. Trump states on his website:

“In short, the Mexican government has taken the United States to the cleaners. They are responsible for this problem, and they must help pay to clean it up.”

Oh, and we can’t forget the many racist comments that Trump has made, those may be the even worse than this fantastical idea.

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/immigration-reform

Basically, there are a lot of things about Trump that could be considered the “worst.” Check out his website below:

https://www.donaldjtrump.com/

 

Ted Cruz:

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Best: No Comment.

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Nothing. Even Donald Trump had something. Ted Cruz is a lunatic.

Worst: Stance on Religious Liberty!

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On Cruz’s website, the first line of his “Religious Liberty” page states:

“America was founded on a revolutionary idea. Our rights do not come from government. They come from God.”

Wait… what about the separation of church and state? Wasn’t America founded on that revolutionary idea?

“As a presidential candidate, Ted Cruz has hosted two national religious liberties rallies and has brought together Christians who have been persecuted for their beliefs so that people across the country can listen to their stories and stand united for our first freedom. On day one, a President Cruz will instruct the Department of Justice, the IRS, and every other federal agency that the persecution of religious liberty ends today.”

So if you can’t see a problem with the above quotes from Cruz’s website, I’ll explain. Anyone who says that Christians are the religious group being persecuted for their beliefs in the United States today needs a reality check.

https://www.tedcruz.org/issues/religious-liberty/

 Cruz seriously needs to understand that our government should not be run like a Church. And I’m not the only one who feels this way, the founding fathers (that he so often references) agree.

For more, see Cruz’s website below:

https://www.tedcruz.org/

 

Democratic Candidates:

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Bernie Sanders:

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Best: Everything!

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Oh Bernie, he’s got to be the worst out of all of these candidates! Actually, no. He has the best ideas out of everyone put together.

He wants to fix the student loan system:

“Under the Sanders plan, the formula for setting student loan interest rates would go back to where it was in 2006. If this plan were in effect today, interest rates on undergraduate loans would drop from 4.29% to just 2.37%.”

Fix the wage gap in America:

“This campaign is sending a message to the billionaire class: “you can’t have it all.” You can’t get huge tax breaks while children in this country go hungry. You can’t continue sending our jobs to China while millions are looking for work. You can’t hide your profits in the Cayman Islands and other tax havens, while there are massive unmet needs on every corner of this nation. Your greed has got to end. You cannot take advantage of all the benefits of America, if you refuse to accept your responsibilities as Americans.”

Fight for women’s rights:

“When it comes to the rights of women, we cannot go backwards. We have got to go forward.”

Fix our broken political system, tackle systemic racism, save the planet… pretty much things that everyone in America should want.

For more, check out all of his issue positions below.

https://berniesanders.com/issues/

 

Worst: Nothing!

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Nothing. Bernie is awesome.

 

Hillary Clinton:

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Best: Her Unique Ideas!

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Hillary has a lot of good ideas. Of these, the most unique is her stance on Alzheimer’s disease:

“If we’re the kind of nation that cares for its citizens and supports families, respects our elders, and takes care of our neighbors, then we’ve got work to do. And we need to do better when it comes to diseases like Alzheimer’s.”

Though other candidates may feel this way, Clinton states it at the top of her list. For more, read below:

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/alzheimers-disease/

Worst: Hypocrisy!

 

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Hillary’s issue positions are pretty similar to Bernie Sanders (I wonder why…), so I’ve decided to focus on the hypocrisy present within them.

Hillary states that “Wall Street must Work for Main Street,” but aren’t many of her supporters from Wall Street? Hmm.

She also states “Our democracy should work for everyone, not just the wealthy and well-connected.”

But Hillary… you have one of the biggest Super Pacs in this campaign.

Not doing so well with the whole “I promise I’m trustworthy” act. For more, see Clinton’s website below.

https://www.hillaryclinton.com/

 

Now you know my opinion of the best and the worst! Whether you agree or disagree, check out each candidate’s website and decide for yourself!

 

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Hi! My name is Sam and I am a senior at UC San Diego! What I love most about San Diego are the beautiful sunsets, the carefree atmosphere, and of course, the beach! I am double majoring in Communication Studies and Political Science with the hope of pursuing a career in marketing! I joined the HerCampus team because I have a passion for writing and I want to share my ideas! Thank you! Email: slpaul@ucsd.edu Instagram: @sammipaul