The 2020 presidential elections are less than a year away, and there are currently four prominent Democratic candidates running against Donald Trump for the 2020-2024 presidential term. In order to make an educated vote next year, or just become more aware of the candidate’s platforms, it is necessary to have a deep understanding of each of the candidate’s main issues. The presidential candidates that will be focused on are Donald Trump, Elizabeth Warren, Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders.
Donald Trump
Republican
“Keep America Great”
Health care, environmental legislature and immigration
Main legislative accomplishment: tax cut that primarily benefited corporations and wealthy investors
Health care: repealing Obamacare
Environmental legislature: increasing fossil fuel use and withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord
Immigration: restrictions and building a wall along the Mexican border
What the community at SMHS thinks:
Donald Trump is a very polarizing character in America. Two history teachers at SMHS have negative views of Trump, as Mr. Ortega called him a fascist and Mr. Teague commented that “most of his policies are misguided and have little practical application. He is generally mean-spirited and runs counter to the ideals that I would support.” Andre Khmelnitsky, a sophomore at SMHS, remarked that Trump is “kind of racist. My biggest issue is his disinformation, as he does not inform the public what he is doing and instead does what’s best for him.” Arnav Raghavan, a junior, generally supports Trump, saying that “his policy is generally positive, referring to his reinstatement of the Mexico City Policy. I think his biggest accomplishment is the appointments of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court. However, when it comes to foreign policy, it doesn’t seem like the Trump Administration has a coherent policy stance.”
Elizabeth Warren
Democrat
“I have a plan for that”
Anti-corruption, economic equality and climate change
Anti-corruption: proposed the strongest anti-corruption set of legislation since the aftermath of Watergate
Economic equality: wealth tax and breaking up big technology companies
Climate change: “Green Manufacturing Plan,” focusing on clean energy
What the community at SMHS thinks:
Audrey Morganstern, a junior at SMHS “loves what Warren stands for and firmly believes in her core motivation that our economy and our government should work for everybody, not just those at the very top. She has experience on various congressional committees and also practiced bankruptcy law; she is from middle America and is really a people’s candidate.” Mr. Teague remarked, “I support most of Warren’s policies, although I feel her healthcare policy is unrealistic. I like her and I would be happy to have her serve as my senator but I’m not sure if I would want her as my president. She knows a lot about policy but I am unsure if she has the leadership skills to be president.” Mr. Ortega called her “more progressive.”
Joe Biden
Democrat
“Our Best Days Still Lie Ahead”
Health care, climate change and public education
Health care: expanding on the Affordable Care Act
Climate change: endorsing the framework of the Green New Deal and a $1.7 trillion plan to get to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050
Public education: increasing federal spending on schools that serve low-income students
What the community at SMHS thinks:
Mr. Ortega called Biden a “moderate liberal,” and Mr. Teague commented that “he is the person I am most likely to vote for in the Democratic primary, I think he is the most electable candidate. However, I worry that he will return to his historic routes of bumbling through the campaign. I think that either him or Warren will be the Democratic presidential candidate nominee because Biden appeals for whom electability is the primary concern while Warren appeals to the more ideological wing of the Democratic parties.” Andre thinks that Biden is the “most electable, but he’s also the most prone to gaffes. He also presents himself as a weird person.” Daria Amit, a senior, states that “Biden has not made any clear or declarative opinion about most of the topics brought up, nor has he addressed the mass of the younger generation that will soon take over the majority of voters.”
Bernie Sanders
Democratic Socialist
“Not me. Us.”
Health care, wealth gap and free college
Health care: Medicare-for-All (cradle-to-grave insurance coverage for all American residents)
Wealth gap: aiming to raise “$2.2 trillion from the nation’s 588 billionaires” and raising the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour
Free college: fully fund historically black colleges and universities
What the community at SMHS thinks:
The overall consensus regarding Sanders is that he is progressive, but many fear that he is too radical to become the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Mr. Ortega called him “more progressive,” while Mr. Teague is “sympathetic to his positions, but is not sure he can win over the Democratic party because his platform is too radical for a national election.” Andre agrees, thinking that Sanders is “too divisive, too far to the left, and too much to push right now.” Daria prefers Bernie Sanders out of all the candidates listed, stating that “he has addressed the issues of global warming, immigration, and trade substantially.”