With election season kicking into overdrive, the American public can’t help but to cringe thinking about the outcome of the 2020 Presidential Election. Although President Trump seems like a villain that everyone loves to hate, Trump’s job approval remains elevated at a steady 49 percent. More importantly, it must be noted that according to a CBS Poll, “65% of Americans feel that Trump will definitely or more than likely be elected. As much I would like to think otherwise, I too believe that it is very plausible that Trump could pull off serving a second term.
Candidly, this poll should not come as a surprise considering the fact that Trump escaped from the fiery furnace of impeachment practically unscathed leaving Trump and his support system recharged. It is clear, irrespective of Trump’s abuse of power or the skilful “Wartime with Iran” ploy to distract the American people from the Impeachment, that America is so polarized that clearly the upholding of justice is limited based on party identification.
Secondly, we are not oblivious of the fact that Trump seems to have a propensity to interfere with elections. It would not be far fetched to argue that if the President of the Free World felt comfortable recruiting Russia to meddle in our Presidential election, quite naturally he would not mind going back to once more to the forbidden cookie jar. Which brings another major issue to the forefront: election fraud. According to Pew Research Center, Generation Z, Millennials, and Generation X outvoted older generations in 2018 midterm elections. In addition, in 2018 voter turnout extended across racial and ethnic groups. Although voter turnout increased for minorities and younger voters, it begs the question if voters who were not satisfied with the outcome of the 2016 Election or the midterm election results if this could potentially lead to a surge in voter apathy? This another potential factor that could determine if Trump will serve for a second term.
Yes, voter apathy is a real concern, nevertheless there is a larger concern: the crowded pool of candidates. At the start of Election season, there were more than 25 Democratic candidates running for the 2020 Election. Currently, there are five major democratic players in the game. And regardless of whether or not there are five or 25, there is still a long road ahead for the American people because of the paradox of choice. The paradox of choice is best described as the more choices that individuals are given the more likely it is that voters will feel confused and stressed about the narrowing of candidates process. With the critical state of America, it is clear that voters need consistency and a smaller pool of strong candidates who can truly oppose Trump. Interestingly enough, Trump is only opposed by Governor of Massachusetts William Weld making it easier for Republican voters to recognize and analyze each candidates’ platform.
In conclusion, election interference, a crowded pool of Presidential candidates, a racially divided and polarized America, and Trump’s “tell it like it is attitude” in combination with his ability to rally up the troops and stir up drama, it seems very likely that next four years of American History will simply be nothing more than a badly-scripted deja vu of the last four cringe worthy and cataclysmic years of Trump’s term.
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