Different Is Not Always Better

2016 is indisputably a historic election. Whether it be the possibility of America’s first female President or the new found discovery that the other candidate may be disputing the results should they lose, this is an election unlike any other before. One of the most notable aspects of both candidates is their incredibly low approval ratings. Realclearpolitics polling averages have both candidates at higher ratings for unfavorable than favorable, Clinton at 52.9% and Trump at 61.1% unfavorable. The two major and apparent flaws of these two people have led many voters to not only dislike them, but seek alternatives.

Third party candidates are on the rise this year, Libertarian Party and Green Party candidates Gary Johnson and Jill Stein gaining enough popularity to be included in many national polls. Polling at 6.5% and 2.6% respectively, both candidates have found been able to find moderate success in a two-party country. But how much of their support comes from genuine belief in their ideals, and how much is resentment toward the two major, unpopular candidates?

 

Gary Johnson, former Republican Governor of New Mexico, presents an ideologically consistent view that government should be as limited as possible. However, a look through Johnson’s issues page begins to show how such views may be in conflict with most Americas. For example, most Republican’s would be against legalized abortions, and most Democrat’s would be against expanding gun ownership. Yet Johnson both believes that a woman has a right to choose and that increased gun ownership makes America safer.

Stein, rather than crossing party lines with her ideologies, has presented herself as a far-left candidates, tapping into the frustration of the “Bernie or Bust” movement. However, many of her positions have been called out as too far left, or even impractical regardless of their political leaning. For example, her plans on renewable energy or defense cuts have been criticized for being unrealistic in a divided government, and her plan to cancel out student debt has been widely panned as being literally impossible for a president to achieve. 

Now, if a person has the same or even similar views to these two candidates, then of course they should support them. The entire point of an election is to vote for the candidate who best represents your views. Clinton and Trump are both candidates with apparent flaws, but also apparent strengths. Johnson and Stein, as well as any other third party candidate, are no different. The virtue of simply not being named “Donald Trump” or “Hillary Clinton” is not enough to make a candidate worth of ones vote. And in a historic election as this one people cannot afford to cast their ballots as protest votes.