Article by Noah Haynes, A-State Chair of College Republicans
Every election is important, local, national or special. I just want people to vote. I will never discourage anyone from voting; even if their views are in direct contrast of mine.
However, as the chair of the Arkansas State College Republicans, it is my responsibility to facilitate a community of Republican college students and inform people why, after they’ve decided to vote in the first place, they should vote Republican.
The election in 2016 was very contentious, before, during and after it took place. Judging by the current political climate this coming election may prove to be even more contentious than the last. In this piece, I will show you some evidence to consider when you vote. I implore you to look deeper into what I provide, so you can draw your own opinions. Don’t let anyone tell you how to vote.
If President Trump wins reelection, there will no doubt be backlash from the Democrats (especially if Vice President Biden wins the popular vote) calling for recounts and accusing of voter fraud. If the former vice president wins the election, the Republicans will respond in similar fashion. In addition, both the former vice president and Sen. Kamala Harris have avoided the question of court packing on multiple separate occasions. The only reason to deny a question concerning that subject would be that one is legitimately considering the options, and they know the public would be unhappy with the idea. It simply doesn’t seem wise to vote for an individual who has specifically stated that he will not tell anyone his plans concerning the U.S. Supreme Court, and who has said that they’ll have to “know (his) opinion on court-packing when the election is over.” This is asking voters to play russian roulette, hoping that Biden agrees with them on the issue of court packing, but refusing to actually say what his opinion is.
Aside from the question of court packing, the length of Biden’s tenure in office should be called into question. Biden became a United States senator in 1973, and held
that position until he took the office of vice president in January 2009. Biden was vice president until he left office in 2017. This means that a candidate who is running on a platform of progress, change and equality has been working in government on a federal level for 44 years. In these 44 years, Biden voted yes on the Defense of Marriage act, which prohibited the recognition of same sex marriage. He was also one of the loudest voices against race-integration busing, an effort to bus students from further away into schools to create a racially diverse schooling environment.
Well, that’s interesting, the “progressive” candidate for president in 2020 has a racist and homophobic voting record in the U.S. Senate.
Trump, on the other hand, has led a United Nations effort to decriminalize homosexual intercourse globally, something no president has done in the past. (Editor’s Note: According to the Human Rights Campaign, this is false.) President Trump also got the African American unemployment rate to the lowest it has been since World War II (before the COVID-19 crisis). (Editor’s Note: According to NPR, this is false.) When comparing these statistics between the two main presidential candidates, it is clear who is the champion for progress and who is the bureaucratic bigot.
I want every person in the United States to vote, and I want every person to vote how they want, otherwise our democracy will fail. However, it is every voter’s duty to do their research and deeply consider who they elect and the consequences that lie in that vote. It is simply irresponsible to just watch CNN or Fox and vote based on what you hear there. You must research. You must dig. You must discover the truth behind each candidate yourself. You may be surprised what you discover. But most importantly, you must vote.
Categories: Opinion
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