February 25, 2020
After the Iowa caucuses, it is clear (even if only by one delegate) that Pete Buttigieg won, followed by Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. Even in New Hampshire, Buttigieg and Sanders had the same number of delegates, with Sanders pulling ahead by only a little over one percent.
Some may not agree with these outcomes, and others may not care at all, but with the upcoming election, it has become imperative to find and vote for the best candidate who will be successful against President Donald Trump. Pete Buttigieg is exactly this candidate.
Buttigieg proposes a plan offering debt relief programs based on income after graduation, as well as reducing interest rates and canceling loans after 20 years under an income-based payment plan. Student loans and the high costs of attendance are part of the price students pay to earn a degree, and it prevents citizens from paying higher taxes. It is because of this that other candidate’s plans, such as Warren’s and Sanders’, offering complete loan forgiveness and free college will not work.
Essentially, free college would raise taxes, create a lower quality education atmosphere and create lazier students less invested in their education.
Sanders and Warren both have plans that cannot work. Buttigieg’s plan, on the other hand, can be successful without hindering student’s education.
Buttigieg also holds the following positions on important issues: raising minimum wage to $15 an hour, boosting teacher pay, eliminating the electoral college, favoring universal background checks before buying a gun, supporting abortion rights, repealing the illegal entry statute and bringing our troops home, among many other important issues.
It is also important to recognize that Sanders, Warren and other democratic candidates hold similar, if not identical, positions on many of these issues; however, the race should come down to who is the strongest and most likely to defeat Trump.
In 2016, when the presidency was between Hilary Clinton and Trump, it felt more like picking the lesser of two evils than it did picking an actual leader for our country.
“Trump bragged about sexual assault, paid off a porn star, and ran a fraudulent university,” as Timothy Egan of the New York Times said. Yet, he is still president.
This next election cannot come down to that again. Choosing Bernie Sanders may force America back into that position.
If Sanders wins the Democratic nomination, America is going to have to choose between a grumpy, old, 78-year-old socialist or another grumpy, old, arguably sexist, lying, 73-year-old. We would be choosing between the lesser of two evils again.
Warren, as another important candidate in this race, is not faring well. I am a big supporter of women in politics, but Warren is not beginning the race very strong.
With only eight delegates in Iowa and none in New Hampshire, I have a hard time seeing her strength in this race.
That leaves us with Pete Buttigieg. If we look at elections in the past, Democrats have won, especially against demagogic presidents, through optimism and shaking the system.
In any case, Buttigieg is the passionate, wide-eyed optimist America needs in this next election and someone to give Trump a run for his money. Trump just does not know what is coming for him.