Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, citizens of these United States of America… I have an announcement. I have come to the realization that a malaise has been plaguing our dear country, a malaise of turmoil and taxation and broken healthcare websites. I believe that we as citizens have a job—nay, have a duty—to fix our issues and to bring a new era to our very own promised land. And thus, I am proud to announce that I am running for president. I haven’t chosen a party yet, but if I become a Republican, I’ll be among the top 20 candidates! Impressive, right?
I can proudly claim that I am absolutely the youngest candidate in this race. And my youth is an asset; I won’t get us into any complicated foreign dilemmas or economic crises because I simply don’t understand them. And I will appeal to everyone—minorities, majorities, college sororities (hey, it doesn’t make sense here but it rhymes, an effective speechwriting tool)—because I absolutely hate arguing with people. I’ve been so devoted to my home state and am always in New Jersey! (Except when I’m at school in New York, which sadly is most of the time, but minor detail, right?) Lastly, I am rich, and thus will make America rich… Well, my net value is only a few hundred or so, I don’t know for sure—but my parents assure me that I’m priceless.
Fine, I’ll stop. I’m not really running for president. Obviously I’m too young, inexperienced, and I wouldn’t really want to anyway. But plenty of other people are; lately there’s been no lack of candidates announcing that they plan on running for the executive office. From Hillary Clinton to Jeb Bush to Marco Rubio to Donald Trump, there’s an endless parade of would-be presidents that have already begun trying to convince America to vote for them in 2016. (That’s a bit too far away for me right now, especially as I’m trying to survive final exams and can’t think too much about beyond next week.)
What makes the 2016 presidential election interesting for me is that it will be the second election that I will vote in (I turn 18 this October—cue the “years go by so fast” montage). It’s something I’m looking forward to doing, even though admittedly it does feel sort of small. Does my one small, measly vote, out of a country of millions, make that much of a difference? Especially given that I’m not voting directly for the candidates but rather for where New Jersey’s electoral votes will go? The answer, if I don’t want to be overly sentimental, is “no,” but I think it’s still worth voting. It’s a way for me to do something small for the country I live in, to feel like a citizen, no matter how much I’m actually doing. (Also, if everyone chose not to vote because they felt that they weren’t making a difference, no one would be elected, of course.)
But as the race for 2016 heats up, there’s something that’s been bothering me. When you’re trying to influence people to vote for you, it’s so easy to fully focus in on one side of a debate, ignoring the other sides and other opinions—even if they’re crucial to the issue.
One of the candidates (guess which one!), in his speech, mentioned his thoughts on illegal immigration. “When Mexico sends its people,” he said, “they’re not sending their best… They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime… And some, I assume, are good people.” And how does this candidate plan to solve that issue? He said, “I will build a great, great wall on our southern border. And I will have Mexico pay for that wall.”
Ignore, for a moment, the ludicrous idea of building a wall across the whole border, or that Mexico would actually pay for it—none of that seems likely to ever happen, and would it even be effective? My deeper issue with the candidate’s words is that it’s taking a complicated issue—illegal immigration—and turning it into a one-dimensional debate. People have been debating illegal immigration for many years now for good reason: it’s a very complex and disturbing issue. On one hand, illegal immigrants may be taking away jobs from American citizens, and could potentially be bringing in illegal substances. On the other hand, many illegal immigrants come because they’re fleeing poverty and hardship, and need to reach the United States somehow in order to survive. And Mexico’s government is certainly not “sending” them here! This is only scratching the surface, but already it shows how nuanced and fraught with complications this issue is.
Obviously the candidates—really, anyone debating an argument—need to have strong opinions. If they waffled on the issues, they wouldn’t make good potential leaders. But as they start spewing all of this rhetoric, I think it’s important for us and for them to remember that these issues are complicated, and that we need to remember both sides—or else who knows what we might lose.
In conclusion, I’d like to do what many politicians do and quote from a knowledgeable source (although how many politicians quote from their English class reading?): “Live exclusively on the surface, and you will certainly drown in the depths.”—Richard Ellmann in his introduction to Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray
Oren Oppenheim, age 17, is a junior at Ramaz Upper School in Manhattan and lives in Fair Lawn, NJ. He spends his free time writing and reading, and hopes to become a published novelist, but currently is drowning in emails from colleges. You can email him at [email protected] and see his photography at facebook.com/orenphotography.
By Oren Oppenheim
