The opinions expressed by the writer are his own and do not necessarily represent those of the editorial board or the Collegian staff.
Our two presidential candidates are well past their prime and the bombardment of aggressive political rhetoric is ramping up as the election draws near.
The debate last week was especially concerning, with President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden continually talking over each other. If you didn’t know who you were voting for before, there’s no way you’re going to know now.
However, no matter what, it is going to have to boil down to one of these two men. Many people would argue against this point, bringing up the idea of third-party candidates, but there are many reasons that argument is flawed.
It has been said that a third-party vote is one that is thrown away, and in essence that is right. When one votes in the presidential election, they are voting for the electors that represent their state. Once the state gets enough electors on one party, all of the electors in that state vote with the majority. The two-party system is too ingrained in the political scene of our country to allow any third party to get enough votes for any state.
Since the country’s founding, there has been a two-party system. George Washington wished we didn’t have it, but as we all learned from “Hamilton,” it is a reality to which we must all concede. These two parties have evolved since the Founding Fathers, but they have become the Democratic and Republican parties we know today.
From the times the Democratic-Republicans and Federalists fought until today, most candidates have had to force themselves into a party with which they may not completely agree. Biden may disagree with some of the more socialist leanings of the Democrats and Trump may be a bit more big-government than Republicans would like, but nonetheless they are a part of their respective parties.
So, essentially, one must vote for one of the two parties in order to make any real impact on the political landscape. This does mean that one must concede on some points, but it does not mean that all hope is lost on your political views when it comes to voting.
One metaphor I’ve heard about voting is that it is like riding a bus. When you need to get somewhere, you have to ride a bus. If that bus does not stop exactly where you need it to, you don’t just not ride the bus, you walk to where you need to be. Your vote may not get you where you want to be politically, but it is a step in the right direction.
Here’s another metaphor. The Trump administration is like a burning house. Voting for Biden is getting us out of the burning house. In order to save ourselves, we can’t dilly-dally in the house, nitpicking each point until we burn to death. We have to get out as soon as possible and then rebuild as necessary. For now, in this election, we have to concede in order to survive.
Sitting this election out might be appealing of the disdain we may feel for the candidates. We cannot concede to this temptation either. For the sake of this country, we must concede on some points and vote for the candidate who will get us out of this house fire.
