By Chase Kleber
I was in fourth grade when I got my first taste of politics. I was running representative of Mr. Bookspun’s class. Winning class rep was like winning a primary. Being elected meant being in the running for president of the fourth grade. So as you can imagine, this was a very big deal.
I was running on a simple, and realistic platform. My opponent, who also happened to be my best friend, was running on a platform that barely even addressed the pressing issues of the fourth grade. You know, too much homework, not enough recess time, no time to trade Pokemon cards. He instead focused on the promise that he was going to bring pizza for the entire class once a month. As fourth graders, students were too excited about the idea of getting pizza to think rationally. So naturally, he won. But would expect more from America.
Many of the current presidential candidates bring back memories of that dreadful fourth-grade election. Two of the Republican candidates with no political experience are a perfect example – Ben Carson and Donald Trump. It surprises me to see them doing well in the polls, with all the outlandish quotes and ideas they have
To me, it’s a mystery. I wonder, and worry, how these candidates are doing so well, and it brings me back to high school. In our elections at school, the flashiest candidates win. The students who hang up the most posters. The students who are the most popular. Nobody even knows what they want to change about the school, they just vote for their friends…and I think that’s what’s happening for the presidential candidates.
I could imagine their support comes from the amount of times their names are in the headlines. You know, they’re charismatic, they’re passionate, and this relatively new approach to running for president is attracting mass numbers of supporters. As a young person looking forward to voting in a few years, I just wish this wasn’t the case.