It’s been a hectic year for American politics, and it’s more than just the young students being affected by the suffocating drama between Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Members of the Southmoreland’s history department have had their fill, as well.

“This is the most contentious election I’ve seen in my lifetime,” said David Keefer, 47, who teachers American issues. “Both candidates are polarizing.”

Mr. Keefer explained his research on the candidates and polls, saying that despite the mass amount of support behind Trump, he believes Clinton will win the November election in a close race of 46 percent to 42 percent because the mass of Trump signs “are not a reflection of what will happen.” This, he continues, is mainly due to the swing states, including Pennsylvania and Ohio, and his lack of hope that the Republican candidate can get 270 electoral votes.

Mr. Keefer said he further believes the voters are expressing their right to vote for the “lesser of two evils.” However, he is not endorsing either candidate in this election.

Mr. Chris Fabian said online resources can affect the polls, saying “the American people are extremely misguided.”

Mr. Fabian said that the current election is “terrible” because the candidates running are the “least liked in the last 40 years.” Clinton, he says, has been in the public eye for a long time and came into the election with a large number of people not willing to give her a chance; on the other hand, Mr. Fabian believes, “We live in a time that requires a certain amount of specialization to do a job,” which Trump is not adequate to.

“We cannot expect someone without political experience to be in the highest position of government, especially with a bad temper,” says Fabian. “Check your sources; always, always, always check your sources. Just because you saw a meme on Twitter doesn’t mean it’s true. Too many people take it for granted.”

Mr. Mike May sees symbolism within the party figures, saying, “Everything that is wrong with our culture we see in Trump; everything wrong with government is seen in Clinton. What it comes down to is who is more harmful to the country.”

May believes the “animosity” of the election is from the backgrounds of the two candidates; Clinton is viewed as a corrupt criminal and Trump has a bad temper. This short fuse is a bad representation for the United States to other countries that have acquired nuclear weapons, and Mr. May thinks a Trump presidency could lead to war, strongly believing Trunp cannot change government.

“Do your research. A lot of young people rely too much on social media instead of seeing it themselves,” Mr. May said. “Don’t let someone tell you how to vote. You have only one voice in government; make it your own.”

“I think Trump and Clinton are two of the most controversial candidates to run in the last 50 years.” said Mr. Josh Pajak, commenting on their “objective outlook” that feeds the polarizing personality of the country that has existed since the 1970s. The media, Pajak said, does not help the polarization, especially toward the younger generation.

“Younger people look at things presently,” he said. “They don’t look 20 to 30 years down the road. But that isn’t their fault, that’s just how they think.”

When stating his thoughts on what he would like to see from the candidates, Mr. Pajak said, “I would like to hear the candidates’ views on health care, but that gets clouded by personal attacks.”

Mr. Michael Saunders commented gave wholehearted advice for the students of Soutmoreland.

“As a government teacher, I encourage students to check and investigate each candidate and party to see if that party meets their needs better than the other one,” Mr. Saunders said. “Beware of basing your opinion on one or two TV ads. For example, both sides always say they are for the middle class and their opponent will hurt the middle class simply because the middle class has the most voters.”

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Mia Rocco

I am a junior at Southmoreland High School, where I participate in Art Council and Spanish Club. When I'm not writing stories for the Tam O'Shanter I'm spending my time writing other literary works, such as novels and short stories, or zoning out to Pandora. I aspire to be a published author by the time I graduate and plan to go to college for creative writing.

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