It’s been a long nine months.
With attack ads running on every radio station, television channel and Youtube video, there is a lot of confusing information coming out. The deluge will only get heavier as the presidential election looms in November.
Soon, the presidential debates will begin, and major party candidates will answer direct questions about their plans for office. NBC will air the first ever Commander-in-Chief forum at 8 p.m. on Sept. 7, and the first head-to-head debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump will be televised on Sept. 26 at 9 p.m.
Keep in mind that forums, debates and candidate rundowns aren’t helpful unless you’re registered to vote on Election Day, Nov. 8. Student Government will host a Voter Registration Party on the Harborwalk from 11-3 p.m. on Sept. 12. USF St. Petersburg students who attend will be rewarded with Pete Points, snow cones and popcorn as the Pinellas County Supervisor of Elections Office aids them in the registration process.
“Regardless of parties, I encourage everyone to be involved in politics,” said Madeline Friese, secretary of governmental affairs for Student Government. “Politicians are voted into office to represent their constituents, so it is important to voice your opinions and concerns.”
We’ll have a better idea of each candidate’s position in the very near future, but in the meantime, here’s a quick look at their party platforms.
Hillary Clinton
Hillary is no stranger to public service. She was a U.S. senator from 2000 to 2009 and recently served as Obama’s secretary of state. She ran for president once before in 2008, but failed to win the Democratic National Committee’s nomination. This year, Clinton has won the nomination and hopes to become the nation’s first female president.
One of Clinton’s most important running topics is her support for equality for the LGBTQ community. She has publicly announced support for the Equality Act, a bill that bans discrimination against sex, gender identity and sexual orientation. She also plans to end forcible “conversion therapy” on minors.
Another item on Hillary’s agenda is to set long-term goals to reduce the effects of climate change. Within 10 years, she hopes to cut energy waste, reduce oil consumption by a third and install 500 million solar panels by the end of her first term. Clinton also plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2025.
Healthcare is another focal point of Hillary’s campaign. One of her objectives is to continue to build upon the foundation that Obama laid with the Affordable Care Act in 2010. According to Clinton, this means lowering the cost of copay on prescription drugs, defending access to reproductive health care and expanding health care to more families, no matter their immigration status.
Of course, the fight for women’s rights is also important to her. In order to close the pay gap between genders, Clinton plans to get the Paycheck Fairness Act that she introduced as a senator passed into law. Additionally, sexual assault on campus is something that Clinton would like to end by increasing awareness and prevention efforts.
Donald Trump
Trump, who is known for his unorthodox tactics, was labeled the Republican forerunner months before the Republican National Convention began. One by one, other Republican candidates dropped out of the race and he easily coasted to the spot of Republican National Committee nominee. Yet, his bold manner of presentation isn’t always as informative as one might hope. Here’s what he plans to do as president.
Perhaps Trump’s biggest talking point is major immigration reform. He says that “we have a border that is like a piece of Swiss cheese” and hopes to build a wall to solve the problem. However, Trump acknowledges that immigration is a necessity and stresses that such a wall will be intended only to prevent the influx of illegal immigrants, especially from what he calls “high risk” countries.
Another hot-button issue that Trump plans to take on is the Second Amendment, commonly known as the right to bear arms. Citing the fact that there have been numerous advances within the law that encroach upon this portion of the Bill of Rights, Trump promises that the right to own guns will not change if elected. He also plans to bolster U.S. military size and strength.
By the time he leaves office, Trump intends to leave America in what he presumes to be a better place by making sweeping changes to many aspects of American life. Some of his other plans include getting rid of common core education curriculums, which would give more control over what children learn in schools to teachers and parents; repealing Obamacare with something that he claims will be better, yet cheaper; and “lowering taxes for all” so that young Americans aren’t left to deal with the nation’s 19 trillion-dollar deficit.
Information from DonaldJTrump.com, HillaryClinton.com and FactChecker.org was used in the creation of this article.
Photos Courtesy of Gage Skidmore
