This upcoming presidential election is one of the most divisive and interesting in recent memory. We have two of the most unpopular presidential candidates of all time, Republican nominee Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
Trump has committed so many gaffes, it’s hard to pick a few to highlight. From his constant “build a wall” refrain on immigration, to the public degradation of a Gold Star Family, he seems to be upping the ridiculousness of his statements with each passing week.
Trump bashes Republican establishment, Walker in Janesville rally
Clinton has somehow found a way to keep the race close. Between a private email server fiasco that has led many to think Clinton should go to jail and the subsequent pay-to-play scandal where donors to the Clinton Foundation were given special treatment.
Corruption on the left, absurdity on the right — where are voters to turn to? I don’t have any answers, but it is important that we ask these questions not just of the presidential nominees, but of legislators as well.
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., believes Trump should be trusted with the nuclear codes. He also wants college professors to be replaced with instructional videos — even though the video he referenced as an example would not have been possible without the work of 11 professors consulted on the project. What is going on here? Did the land of Miller Lite just give us Donald Trump Lite?
Ron Johnson talks bill aimed at preventing overprescribing opioids
It’s not that simple. Though they share strong business backgrounds, Johnson has real experience in government. He is the chairman of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Senate committee, and sits on Committees for Budget, Foreign Relations and Commerce, Science and Transportation.
Yet his opponent in the race, former U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wis., also has previous experience, and has sponsored more than 400 bills compared to Johnson’s 61. Unfortunately, many of the corruption issues that plague Clinton have followed Feingold. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel released a scathing report on Feingold in 2011, detailing how the anti-super PAC former senator raised $7.1 million in a super PAC, and saw much of that money go to salaries for himself, aides and consultants. Back in 1992, Feingold pledged to raise the majority of his campaign contributions from Wisconsinites, yet he clearly failed in that respect.
A president only has so much power. The person advocating for your interests in Washington D.C. is just as, if not more important, to your day-to-day life. So let’s make sure we know exactly who we are voting into those positions.
Eric Hilkert ([email protected] ) is a sophomore with an undecided major.
