In this blog, I intend to research each candidate's position on policies which are important to me, and discuss what their presidency will look like in light of these things. I will do my best to devote equal time to the policy positions of all three candidates, and I will endeavor not to devote greater than 50% more words to any candidate, no matter how much more they have to say on any one topic. With this goal in mind, I will do my best to remain positive in my descriptions of each candidate.
I will begin with a discussion of the three candidates' histories. In this post I will highlight the experience each candidate brings to the table. Spoiler alert: two candidates have political experience, and the third does not.
Let's start with the current front-runner, Democrat Hillary Clinton. Clinton has only held one elected office (Senator of New York state from 2001-2009), but has held a federally appointed office (Secretary of State 2009-2013), nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate, and has been in the public eye for decades as first lady, first to a governor (1983-1992), and then to a president (1993-2001).
She learned some hard lessons as the First Lady of the United States, including how to work with congress, and compromise when needed. These were demonstrated during her tenure as a senator from New York, and led to a surprising 241 bipartisan bills out of 355 bills passed in eight years. When fortified with the foreign policy experience she gained as Secretary of State, Clinton is a formidable candidate.
She learned some hard lessons as the First Lady of the United States, including how to work with congress, and compromise when needed. These were demonstrated during her tenure as a senator from New York, and led to a surprising 241 bipartisan bills out of 355 bills passed in eight years. When fortified with the foreign policy experience she gained as Secretary of State, Clinton is a formidable candidate.
Next, let's look at Gary Johnson, of the Libertarian Party. Johnson is currently behind in the polls, but his goal for this time in the election cycle, given the status of the Libertarian party, is only 15%. He is very close to this goal. Johnson was governor of New Mexico from 1994-2002, and, since reaching his two-term limit there, has worked with youth to build their problem-solving and rhetorical skills.
Although Johnson was a popular governor who left the state fiscally solid (as the rest of the country suffered a minor recession), his strongest selling point is probably his choice of running mate, "Bill" Weld. William Weld was governor of Massachusetts through most the 90s, a booming time for the state. If he hadn't been figuratively shot in the foot by his own party for not being evil, he would have been the ambassador to Mexico. This means that, while neither candidate on the ticket has foreign policy experience, former president Bill Clinton (husband of the current candidate Hillary Clinton) trusted him enough on foreign policy to try to send him to one of our biggest trading partners.
Although Johnson was a popular governor who left the state fiscally solid (as the rest of the country suffered a minor recession), his strongest selling point is probably his choice of running mate, "Bill" Weld. William Weld was governor of Massachusetts through most the 90s, a booming time for the state. If he hadn't been figuratively shot in the foot by his own party for not being evil, he would have been the ambassador to Mexico. This means that, while neither candidate on the ticket has foreign policy experience, former president Bill Clinton (husband of the current candidate Hillary Clinton) trusted him enough on foreign policy to try to send him to one of our biggest trading partners.
The third and final candidate, Jill Stein of the Green Party, has significantly less political experience. She was elected, by the second district of the town of Lexington, MA, as a Town Meeting Representative. She has run for the governorship of Massachusetts twice, as well as other Massachusetts state offices, but has not won.
Stein is a medical doctor with a history of activism. She has written songs and organized protests on numerous progressive issues, but has lacked the focus on any one issue to effect any real change.
Her running mate, Ajamu Baraka doesn't bring anything new to the Green party ticket. He is an academic, similar to his running mate, but has less political experience. He is a leader of two organizations: the US Human Rights Network (an activist group opposed to American Exceptionalism), and the Institute for Policy Studies (a progressive think tank).
Stein is a medical doctor with a history of activism. She has written songs and organized protests on numerous progressive issues, but has lacked the focus on any one issue to effect any real change.
Her running mate, Ajamu Baraka doesn't bring anything new to the Green party ticket. He is an academic, similar to his running mate, but has less political experience. He is a leader of two organizations: the US Human Rights Network (an activist group opposed to American Exceptionalism), and the Institute for Policy Studies (a progressive think tank).
Next time, I intend to discuss healthcare issues.
No comments:
Post a Comment