An Apartment Divided: The Candidates, Part I
The Democrats
Welcome back to An Apartment Divided. We hope you all are having a wonderful holiday season!
While home for the holidays, Ryan and I have answered countless questions about the 2016 presidential candidates and what they believe. So at the request of my mom, we’re doing a couple posts about the candidates! Because there are so many, we are dividing this topic into Part I (the Democrats) and Part II (the Republicans). Just a quick reminder, opinions are our own.
For those of you who don’t know, Real Clear Politics compiles all major polls into one average. We are going to be talking about the leading candidates in order of their RCP poll numbers in Iowa. We will both discuss the candidates and their basic policy stances. Ryan will talk about the Democrats, I will talk about the Republicans (next time). And because the goal of this blog is to give our readers both sides of the issues, Ryan will also list the negatives about the Republicans and I will list the negatives about the Democrats. Full disclosure, we both know exactly who we are supporting for president, but we will not be making endorsements. At least not yet. For now, this post is about the basics and answering questions for those who simply don’t know much about who’s campaigning for the White House.
Ryan also made a chart for each candidate summarizing their policy proposals and stances on various issues. He chose the issues based on what frequently comes up in the news and debates, as well as the questions we hear from friends and family. All the information was taken directly from the candidates’ websites. For more details, Ryan linked the websites above the charts.
Part I: the Democrats
Ryan:
Hillary Clinton (51.3%)
Democrats support Secretary of State Hillary Clinton because she brings a wealth of experience from serving as Secretary of State, Senator from New York, First Lady of the United States, and First Lady of Arkansas. Overall she is seen as a candidate that can reach across the aisle to get things done and whose negotiating skills have been seen while serving as Secretary of the State.
“Hilary Clinton is the most qualified and experienced for the job. She has fought for women and families since the beginning of her career, so I trust her when it comes to issues that affect my daily life. International diplomacy is also so important in the world we live in and I believe she will be the most respected and trusted by other world leaders.” -Anonymous, Iowa City
Hillary Clinton on the issues…
Bernie Sanders (36%)
Senator Sanders has support from Democrats because his main emphasis is on income inequality in the United States. He is focusing his campaign on the middle class, campaign finance reform, and reforming Wall Street. He is seen as a new voice for those who are disillusioned with our current political system.
“I support Bernie Sanders because the American dream has never been more threatened. Big money and small groups of people control what takes place in our country more than ever. The middle class needs a face again and I believe he is the only candidate who truly has our best interests in mind.” -Cody Stoos, Des Moines
Martin O’Malley (5.7%)
Governor O’Malley has support from Democrats because of his experience as Governor of Maryland. Much of the progressive policies current candidates are pushing for were already addressed while he was a governor, such as signing the first transgender anti-discrimination law. His campaign has gained support by his constant messaging on climate change and gun control.
“I’m supporting Martin O’Malley because of his proven track record of revitalizing education, his dedication to clean energy, and his unwavering support of getting big money out of politics. O’Malley’s extensive experience and progressive vision suit him well to rid our country of polarizing political rhetoric and lead us towards rebuilding the American Dream.” -Scott Heldt, candidate for Iowa House (District 20)
Martin O’Malley on the issues…
Haley:
Hillary Clinton
Republicans take issue with Hillary Clinton because of her failures as Secretary of State, her role in creating Obamacare, her questionable economic and tax policies, and because she is out of touch and untrustworthy. Clinton is closely associated with President Obama, and most Republicans believe a Clinton presidency would be more of the same failures of the Obama Administration. Many Americans on all sides of the political spectrum are increasingly skeptical with politicians and the political class, and it would be difficult to find more of a political insider than Hillary Clinton.
Bernie Sanders
Senator Sanders is in Congress as an independent and classifies himself as a Democratic Socialist. Republicans for the most part are fundamentally against the expansion of the federal government, which is exactly what Senator Sanders stands for. Our country simply cannot afford (monetarily and figuratively) his far-left policy proposals such as universal healthcare and tuition-free college.
Martin O’Malley
Governor O’Malley had a questionable record in Maryland, including countless large tax hikes, healthcare failures, and ineffective crime policies which led to the recent chaos in Baltimore. 70% of Maryland voters don’t believe he would be a good president, and if he can’t effectively manage Maryland he certainly cannot effectively manage the United States.
Behind the scenes…
Shout out to Haley’s mom, Julie, who came up with this great blog post. There was no debating this week as we focused on Democrats, but we didn’t reach any common ground on a candidate (no surprise there). Please stay tuned for next week when we discuss Republicans!
