THE LINEUP: TOP CONTENDERS

Elizabeth Warren, America’s current leading lady, is circulating the media for her aspirations and promises to our nation. As a left-wing politician, Warren has intentions directed toward her democratic beliefs. Some of these include, but are not limited to, reproductive rights, immigration reform, social egalitarianism, etc.  Warren has recently sparked outrage as she withdrew her plans for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as medicare for all. Some argue that this is hypocritical for Warren’s notable socialist plans for America. Moreover, Warren hopes to repeal the statute on illegal entry and offer full citizenship for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), a major shift from Trump-era Immigration policies. She has been holding the polls as the current leading democratic candidate who may face Donald Trump in the upcoming 2020 presidential election. 

“I feel like affordable healthcare needs to be definitely addressed. It is insane, if you go to an emergency hospital, a band aid costs $37,” claimed senior Moira Martinous.

Although some feel the benefits of an ACA in use, other students oppose the policy because of a raise on taxes.

“Healthcare cannot be free. We see countries like Canada pay [extremely] high taxes and it costs a lot of money to live there; there’s a reason for that,” explained senior Victoria Hardin.

Bernie Sanders, another socialist Democrat in the running, is aiming for similar principles as Warren. Some of these include medicare for all, a nationwide doubling on the minimum wage, cutting student debt, and making public universities and colleges tuition-free, among others. Furthermore, Sanders wants to take more action on the ongoing climate crisis by joining forces with the powerful New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on the Green New Deal, a plan aiming to reduce carbon emissions through a public works program–a two birds-one-stone idea to create millions of jobs while simultaneously saving the planet and instituting a carbon tax to significantly reduce pollution, among many others. 

“I really like Bernie. I like what he is trying to do with his [proposed] environmental plan and a lot of other candidates have not been talking about it and he actually has, and that topic is a really big deal for me,” explained Martinous, the President of Seminole’s Environmental Club.

On the other hand, some students feel like Sanders’s environmental goals seem detrimental to the economy.

“I just think some of the democratic candidates have unrealistic goals like the Green New Deal. Money does not grow on trees, and I think that is what some of them are not understanding,” said Hardin.

Joe Biden, one of the more prominent faces in news coverage, supports many of the same platforms as Warren, Sanders and other candidates. On critical topics such as global warming, Biden wants to combat what he deemed an “existential threat” by supporting the Paris Climate Accord. Furthermore, Biden has versed several times his stance on the ongoing gun-control debate. Like his fellow democratic candidates, Biden urges for stricter regulations and thorough background checks when purchasing firearms. He voted in several bills, advocated for legislative authorization, and was even appointed as the lead for the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force by President Barack Obama in 2012. Aside from his political passions, Biden has relatively more experience than his opponents in the presidential sphere as he was vice president during the Obama era from 2008-2016 and also served as the acting POTUS in times when Obama was unavailable.

In addition to the top three Democrats in the running, there are some other supported candidates such as Pete Buttigieg, who is currently polling at a 6% rate, whose signature policy is to remove the electoral college. Aside from his strong appeal to moderate politics and to the LGBTQ+ community, being a member himself, statistics show that his polling is the lowest for families of color. Andrew Yang, dubbed the “most unlikely grassroots sensation of 2020,” is fifth in the running. Like Trump, Yang is a successful businessman turning politician. He has already founded Venture for America, a grassroots organization aimed to aid aspiring entrepreneurs in low income districts. Yang’s platform is based around universal basic income, the Freedom Divided. Amy Klobuchar, sixth in the running and the appointed Minnesota Senator, is a moderate progressive. Klobuchar is not a new face to government as she has been involved in Congress for twelve years and has worked alongside several notable figures. Her signature principle revolves around reforming revolution, issuing a new fight for practical laws. Aside from these, Corey Booker, Micheal Bloomberg, Tulsi Gabbard, Tom Steyer, Julián Castro, Micheal Bennet, Deval Patrick, and Marianne Williamson are still in the race. Beto O’Rourke was the first to pull out of the race and this December third, Kamala Harris left the running despite large support. These candidates focused on issues like banning assault-weapons, keeping NAFTA, and tuition-free colleges, with many more.

“I don’t think college should be free for everyone, but it is getting so high that it is honestly stupid. It’s crazy how expensive it is these days, so I think that is something we should definitely address,” said Hardin.

DO OUR BEST DAYS STILL LIE AHEAD™?: BIDEN, UKRAINE, & IMPEACHMENT

Last month, the House of Representatives issued a formal impeachment inquiry about President Donald Trump’s  relations regarding  investigations with Ukraine. Essentially, Trump was accused of abetting the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, in getting compromised information about Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden. During the Obama administration, when Joe Biden was Vice President, Hunter Biden worked for an energy company in Ukraine. The investigative hearings were brought up after some members of the House tied evidence of $400 million in military aid being withheld unless Zelensky released the scurrilous information about Hunter Biden and issues of bargaining—a promised White House meeting for Zelensky. The House announced the investigative hearings because some members felt the President was abusing power for his own political gain and risking the country’s national security. This was all manifested when the whistleblower, an anonymous member of intelligence, announced a formal complaint about the Ukraine situation.The transcribed recording of the complaint fell into the hands of Congress, and thus, the impeachment trials were born. 

AMERICA’S FUTURE

Aside from whichever candidate wins the seat for 2020, it is important to remember that Republican, Moderate, or Democrat, we are all one united country. As students of Seminole High School, we should continue to love and support one another and keep fighting for issues we are passionate about. One of the best ways to let your voice be heard is to vote in the upcoming election. 

“I think that unless everybody our age gets out and votes, we are going to [see the implementations we do not want in the future],” expressed Martinous.

To register to vote, please visit vote.org.