This presidential election between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have been relatively close since each parties convention in July.
On Sept. 26, 2016 the Timber Creek Talon ran their own poll open to any Timber Creek High School student on who they thought won the presidential debate on Sept. 26. The numbers were close with Trump (R) at 178 votes and Clinton (D) winning at 184 votes. Why are these numbers so close? Will this be a reflection of the actual election come Nov. 8?
Most high school students are aware of these problems and feel more than passionate about them. The Timber Creek Talon ran a poll on Sept. 28 about which problems the high school feels most passionate about. The Timber Creek community felt that social issues were the most important at this time.
POLL: Which of these social issues is most important to you?
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It doesn’t take any news network very long to talk about the social issues that face our country and how they will effect this election. From women’s rights to LGBT rights to the Black Lives Matter movement the social issues in our country have been a hot topic in this election.
Clinton’s Positions
Clinton’s plan for social issues facing our country are straightforward: equality for all.
Clinton has stated her stance on women’s rights from the beginning of her campaign. “Politicians have no business interfering with women’s personal health decisions. I will oppose efforts to roll back women’s access to reproductive health care, including Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood. As president, I’ll stand up for Planned Parenthood and women’s access to critical health services, including safe, legal abortion,” commented Clinton on her Twitter account on Jan 6, 2016.
When the Supreme Court recognized that LGBT couples have the right to marry each other in June of 2015, Clinton called it a “landmark”. On Clinton’s website, she states that as president she will “work with Congress to pass the Equality Act, continue President Barack Obama’s LGBT equality executive actions, and support efforts underway in the courts to protect people from discrimination on the basis of gender identity and sexual orientation in every aspect of public life.” Clinton plans to promote human rights of LGBT around the world apart of America’s foreign policy.
Clinton is not afraid to say “Black Lives Matter” and she made that very apparent when she nine mothers who lost their black children in the hands of police officers at the Democratic National Convention in July. While in an interview with Mary J. Blige, Clinton said she “[has] been so heartbroken over what’s been going on because it’s fundamentally at odds with, and wrong, that African-American parents have to sit their children down and deliver the message you just sang: ‘Be Careful,’ and yet we still have so many terrible deaths,” she said.
“I particularly want white people to understand what’s that like and feel like they must be part of the solution, do better training and work with our place — like the song said ‘a gun, a knife, or wallet,” said Clinton.
Trump’s Positions
Donald J. Trump tends to lean towards more of the conservative side when it comes to social issues.
Trump has been a consistent opponent of gay marriage. Trump told ABC News in May of 2016 that he believes “it should be states’ rights and the state should make the decision. They’re more capable of making the decision.” On the contrary, Trump has stated that he would be comfortable with whichever bathroom Caitlyn Jenner, transgender women and activist, chose to use in Trump Tower.
Trump has been very vocal on “Black Lives Matter” protestors throughout his candidacy. “[Black Lives Matter protestors] are looking for trouble. I think it’s disgraceful the way they’re being catered to by the Democrats, and it’s going to end up kicking them you know where,” Trump said to Bill O’Reilly on the O’Reilly factor. “I don’t think it’s [going to] end up good. The fact is all lives matter — that includes black and it includes white and it includes everybody else, and we have people, Democrats, that are afraid to even say that. They’re apologizing because they say, ‘White lives matter and all lives matter.’ These are people that are unfit to run for office, in my opinion.”
Pinning Trump down to a single opinion on abortion is challenging for many Americans. Throughout the years, he has changed his views. For example, Trump has said in the past he was “very pro-choice”. But during his presidential campaign in the past year, he has changed that statement to “pro-life”. One thing that isn’t hard for Americans to understand is that Trump said Planned Parenthood should not be federally funded is the women’s health clinic is performing abortions. One of the most possible controversial answer Trump has ever gave to an interviewer was in March. Trump was being interviewed for MSNBC’s Chris Matthews when he said “there has to be some form of punishment” if women get a illegal abortion. When Americans were outraged Trump and his campaign quickly took back the comment saying that the doctors – not women – should be punished for performing illegal abortions.
The two presidential candidates and their views on social struggles in our country are very different. America may continue to be undecided for the next month. But they will have to decide what candidate aligns with their morals the best come Nov. 8.
Share your opinions on these social issues using the comments fields below. All comments are moderated before being posted. Please be respectful in your disagreements and refrain from using personal attacks.