Let’s get po-LIT-ical

KARL STOUT | THE USD VISTA | CONTRIBUTOR

With the start of the 2016 Presidential primaries on Monday, Feb. 1, the fight for the democratic candidacy will be a close one. The race between presidential hopefuls Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders goes beyond finding the right democratic candidate.

Simply put, Sanders represents the people, while Clinton represents corporate America. If Clinton wins, it will be a victory for corporate America. If Sanders wins, it will be a victory for the people of America.

When asked about the Democratic Primary, sophomore Kyle Maloney shares his mixed-emotions.

“These are two completely different campaigns,” Maloney said. “Clinton seems focused on becoming the first woman president, and the issues she discussed in 2008 do not really align with those discussed in 2016. Sanders has had consistent views, but I doubt congress will let him put his ideas into effect if he is elected. Frankly, I don’t know exactly what to make of it.”

For Clinton, most of her donations come from large corporations such as JP Morgan Chase, Time Warner, or the Soros Fund Management among many others. On the other hand, Sanders has received over 2.5 million individual contributions to his 2016 campaign, breaking a record previously set by our current president Barack Obama.

As a potential future president, Clinton desires total power. She knows her gender is enough to win some feeble-minded votes, but potentially not enough to win the primary. In efforts to gain additional support, she has changed her views on many controversial issues to match them with current, popular opinion.

In 2004, she was strongly opposed to gay marriage; now, she claims to be a full supporter.  She once promoted the Trans Pacific Partnership, but during the October debate, she claimed to be undecided about her stance. In 2002 she expressed support for the Iraq war, then in 2015 she reversed her belief and said that it was a mistake.  The list could go on and on, and there is no telling how Clinton’s convictions will change in the future. These flimsy back and forth decisions make her potential future as president of the United States shaky.

On the other hand, Bernie Sanders has always stayed true to his principles. For his entire political career, he has stood for the simple concept of democracy. All of the issues he speaks of today arise out of the undermining of American democracy. The real beneficiaries today are the corporations bribing politicians and later reimbursed by taxpayers.

Sanders plans to fight climate change, income inequality, overpriced education, endless war, and privatized healthcare. Tackling these issues will greatly benefit the vast majority of the American people. Those who will not benefit from Sanders’ proposed actions are banks, pharmaceutical industries, agricultural and oil industries, privatized jails, big weapon dealers, and other organizations that pour money into the government as an investment for a promising future.

It should be noted that these organizations also give money to the media to control what the population hears about the issues discussed during the election. This is why you do not hear a lot about Sanders on television, but rather about Clinton’s emails and the GOP.

Yes, Clinton’s campaign claims to tackle issues such as campaign finances, climate change, criminal justice, healthcare, and many others listed on her website. If elected, perhaps she will take action on some of these issues. However, she will not bring change to the corrupt political system that has brought in millions of dollars to her own 2016 campaign. For Clinton, ensuring corporate welfare means a few million dollars to add to her bank account.

Though her honesty is questionable, Clinton has the potential to be a strong leader in our current political system, and America would be far better off with her in office than a sadistic Donald Trump. However, our current political system needs radical reform, and the best candidate for that is Sanders.

Today, America’s government responds chiefly to the demands of corporations that rely on destructive methods for their profits. Those who do not believe this, along with those who believe Clinton will change this, are purely delusional. The detriments of war, unsustainable energy, farming, and the exploitation of natural resources, are extremely beneficial to certain lobbyists bribing our politicians.

Obscene amounts of money travel through our government to ensure our policies do not interfere with these destructive practices. This is why the battle between Clinton and Sanders is so important.

If Clinton wins the primary, I believe the political system will essentially stay the same no matter who is elected. Corporate money will continue to rule over government. If Sanders wins the primary and election, I believe our corrupt political system will be challenged. This will lead to the restoration of democracy imagined by the founding fathers of America, and the beginning of a complex process of change.