After watching the first Democratic debate, it was not as entertaining as the Republican one, but politics isn't supposed to be entertaining. These people have the state of America in their hands. The candidates didn't make fun of each other and comment about who had the most money, and I was okay with that. All I tuned in for was to hear about what improvements they had in mind for America.
The way I see it, America isn't broken. There are some things that need to be changed and updated, but it's not a mess. If you pay attention to the media, certain sources will continually tell us the sky is falling...until it doesn't. I'm neither a Democrat or Republican, and I don't really care too much about politics. But what I do care about is the future of the country. I care because, well, I like America and I intend on living here.
From my perspective, and what I think many other millennials will echo, is that I want a leader who is reasonable. I want a leader saying things where I can think, "Yea, that makes sense." When a candidate says they agree with a Great Wall of Mexico being built along the border, I wonder how that would actually work. And when another says they want to deport thousands of illegal immigrants every month, then saying that the good ones will come back but the bad ones will stay in Mexico, I wonder how these people even got on to the presidential stage.
All I want is a leader who is practical. Yes, immigration is a major issue, but America was founded on immigration. We have to be able to find a way to make the process to citizenship reasonable, and not just have an All-Or-Nothing mentality about it. Not one person will create the ideal plan...it needs to be a collaboration with state governments, Mexico, and the federal government to implement a program that will be effective and sustainable.
During the debate, I loved the moment when Bernie Sanders said the biggest security threat we are now facing is climate change. It would have been easy to say ISIS, terrorists, or cyber terrorism. All these are definite security threats, but if planet Earth isn't inhabitable in 50 years, nobody wins.
After the debate, I realized that not one person has all the answers. One candidate's plan won't be the perfect plan, because even if it is the perfect plan with perfect intentions, it still needs to be agreed upon by both parties and hundreds of people. Getting that many people to agree on an idea or plan of action is nearly impossible, but what makes it easier is if the plan makes sense.
So am I hopeful for America? Yes, I am, because I feel like, for the most part, the candidates have the best intentions for the country. I honestly don't care if the next president's last name is Trump, Sanders, Clinton, or Christie, as long as their plan seems reasonable and practical to better the health of America in the coming years.
That's why I tune in, and that's why I'm interested in learning about the next president of the United States.