Who the hell is Bernie Sanders and why are people feeling his “bern?” Why has Donald Trump not been “fired” yet? Who are Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz? The Clinton’s are back for round 2? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?
As a collegiette, the main issues being spotlighted in the elections will impact you at some point down the line… however, many things are going to be changing the way you live your life immediately after the winner is in the oval office next January!
It can be hard to keep up on the hot issues of this political race when it’s already impossible to Keep Up With the Kardashians or the 5,000 midterms that seem to never end. Here are some quick facts about the candidates to keep yourself informed. Some of the key issues that appeal to millennials are education (reallocated taxes for free college or nah?), LGBTQ rights (is marriage only between a man and a woman?), and women’s rights (on average women make $0.77 to the $1 their male counterparts earn). These controversial issues effect everybody and no matter who you ask, they have a stance. How do you align politically with the remaining contenders?
ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION IS TAKEN FROM THE CANDIDATE’S WEBSITE AND SUMMARIZED.
Hillary Clinton (D): 68 year old Clinton is a former First Lady (her husband Bill was president from 1993-2001), was a senator in her home state of New York, and had a run at president in 2008 but lost to Barack Obama, who she later served under as the 67th Secretary of State. She is currently considered the “front-runner” for the Democratic Party but has been previously questioned on her “flip-flopping” views.
Education: Ensure no student has to borrow to pay for tuition, books, or fees to attend a four-year public college in their state. Enable Americans with existing student loan debt to refinance at current rates. Hold colleges and universities accountable for controlling costs and making tuition affordable.
LGBTQ: Ensure full federal equality for all LGBTQ Americans, including marriage. Secure affordable treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS and support all past and present military personnel.
Women’s Rights: Ensure equal pay for women. Defend women’s health and reproductive rights against attacks, in support of abortion and pro-choice. Fight for paid family leave and affordable child care.
Marijuana: Support the use of medical marijuana. Conduct research to learn what the most efficient way to implement laws in favor of those who medical marijuana provides relief.
Bernie Sanders (D): Sanders is a Senator from Vermont who is leading a “political revolution” at the age of 74 and has been highly accepted by millennials. He has stayed consistent with his views since he began his involvement in politics during the black rights movement. Some consider his views to be Socialistic or “ahead of the curve.”
Education: Colleges and universities responsible for paying 33% of all tuition costs. Reallocation of federal taxes to pay for the rest pf the bill with a slight tax increase for Wall Street.
LGBTQ: Avid supporter of gay marriage and ability for those LGBTQ couples to adopt. Voted against Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in 1993 and stands by his decision.
Women’s Rights: Consistently voted pro-choice and adequate availability of contraception. Protect women from domestic violence and sexual abuse, and promotes equal pay in the workforce.
Marijuana: Marijuana has medicinal properties and ought to be legalized for medicinal use. Supports ending the federal prohibition on marijuana, allowing states to opt for recreational legalization.
Donald Trump (R): Trump is a 69 year old business man from Manhattan, New York. He was the previously aligned with the Democratic Party and has since registered as a Republican and has gone against his views that he stood for while a Democrat. He was the host of the reality TV show The Apprentice and is focusing on “Making America Great Again” with no real political history.
Education: The Department of Education would be cut tremendously. No additional information is given on his education stances online.
LGBTQ: Deny the rights and privileges to the LGBTQ community. This is not a stance that is published on his website but has been stated in multiple interviews and debates.
Women’s Rights: Anti-abortion, has had a less than remarkable record of treating women respectfully along the campaign trail and holds a weak stance on women’s rights issues, which are not published on his official website.
Marijuana: After flip-flopping on the issue, Trump has stated if legalized, it would be beneficial for governing bodies as they could use the revenue to fund education programs on drugs. No info is posted about marijuana on his website.
Ted Cruz (R): 45 year old Cruz is a senator from Texas with a law degree, has won several cases for the Supreme Court and served as the Solicitor General for his home state. Some attribute some blame for the 2013 government shut down after trying to defund Obamacare.
Education: Cruz has not formally outlined any specific policy proposals relating to higher education. However, Cruz has repeatedly promised he would get rid of the U.S. Department of Education as part of an effort to drastically shrink the size of the federal government.
LGBTQ: Marriage is a sacrament between one man and one woman, it has strengthened societies for millennia, and we must uphold the truth of marriage.
Women’s Rights: Has supported the vote to defund and prosecute Planned Parenthood and decrease access to contraception. Wants to ban abortion and claims to be pro-life.
Marijuana: Is open to debate on the subject of marijuana. Each state should be given the right to decide for itself under the supervision of the federal government.
Marco Rubio (R): Marco is a 44 year old junior senator for his residing state of Florida, where he previously acted as Speaker of the House of Representatives. Rubio has previously been aligned and can attribute many of his successes to The Tea Party. He is Cuban descent and many of his political platforms are considered to be conservative because of this.
Education: The higher education system is outdated and broken in multiple ways. It is too expensive, too time consuming, and too inflexible. A major higher-ed overhaul is necessary for the success of students when entering the job market.
LGBTQ: Against gay marriage and doesn’t believe in sexual orientations protection for LGBTQ individuals in the work place.
Women’s Rights: Record of supporting pro-life policies, and will continue to do so in public and private life.
Marijuana: Plans on cracking down on states that have legalized marijuana. He plans to enforce federal law, which prohibits pot.
It is not only a right, but a responsibility of the American people to elect people they feel will do their best to lead our nation to more success. Be informed and get out and vote!
Whether you align completely with one candidate or feel the need to do further research, go to isidewith.com to participate in a quiz that will let you know a percentage of alignment with one particular candidate.
Editor Note: The opinion, facts, and views portrayed in this article are that of the individual author. This does not reflect the views or political aspirations of HerCampus.com or Her Campus Utah.