Saahith Veeramaneni Week 12: Politicians and promises
Week 12
Politicians and Promises– 2/28 [12:47 AM]
As the United States trudges forward into a new election season, expect the spiel. Expect the lies. Depending on who you ask, presidents, politicians, and other public officials have had a bad rap for not adhering to their campaign promises for the last 10, 15, 20, and maybe even 40 years or more. Some of this divide may be due to the personal opinions of voters, but this issue is hardly a new one.
In the United States, many people feel more and more downtrodden by decreasing job opportunities and increasing inflation. They feel that the economy has become unsustainable, and that the government has not done its job in alleviating these issues. In the pursuit of votes, politicians usually try to appeal to voters by stating confidently that all of their woes would be addressed and eliminated under their “helpful hands”. It seems that the campaign trail is a theatrical stage where grand pledges are made to win votes, only to be conveniently forgotten when power is achieved. Power is given then, to the most brazen liar.
It's a familiar story in politics – campaign promises made with passion and conviction often seem to evaporate once politicians assume office. The cycle of lofty pledges during election season and subsequent disappointment has become an unfortunate norm. While some may argue that circumstances change, and priorities must be adjusted accordingly, the repeated pattern raises questions about the sincerity of these commitments. It's disheartening that the political game often prioritizes short-term gains over long-term integrity, allowing elected officials to evade accountability for their unmet promises.
And both American political parties over the last couple of years are not immune to this.
Critics of Donald Trump argue that his presidency faced challenges in fulfilling promises related to healthcare reform. His attempts to repeal Obamacare did not result in a comprehensive replacement plan, leaving some voters dissatisfied and alarmed at Trump’s intentions for doing so. Additionally, his poor handling of the COVID-19 pandemic drew criticism, with contending that the administration's response fell short of the aims of his campaign to end the Coronavirus.
On the other hand, critics of Joe Biden argue that he has not fully delivered on his campaign promise of unity, encountering significant polarization, in the handling of major policy initiatives like the American Rescue Plan and voting rights. Additionally, concerns have been raised about the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, which, while aligned with Biden's campaign commitment to end the "forever wars," faced criticism for the chaotic execution and the subsequent Taliban takeover.
Although both sides still made valuable contributions to the state of the nation, Americans are tired that realistically, it would be a vote-off between Trump and Biden again. As an exercise, I want to ask you guys to take a couple of notes during this election season, noting all these campaign promises, and compare that to what actually happens after four years. 10 dollars says that either of them can’t complete a quarter of that list.
Hi Saahith!
ReplyDeleteYour topic is so relevant to current events, especially because the election is coming up this year. I agree with your point that both parties have fallen short of actually fulfilling all of their promises. The American people are tired of experiencing the same shortcomings over and over again. Your point about politicians prioritizing short-term gain over long-term integrity is extremely valid. Although both Biden and Trump did make some changes to American life while in office, the average American's quality of life has not drastically improved during either of their terms. It is disheartening to see that the average American still suffers from healthcare issues, systemic racism, low minimum wage, inadequate government aid, institutionalized sexism, and more. I truly do hope that whoever wins this election will actively work to improve the American public's quality of life, instead of focusing on funding international conflicts with American tax dollars.
Hey Saahith! American politics is one of the only discussions that I believe can be humorous, idiotic, and infuriating all at the same time. But, if we communicate with proper evidence to support our points, it could severely mitigate the debacles around politics. So, I really appreciate how you included evidence to support each one of your points. Even if I did not agree with you (I do), I would be able to understand where you were coming from because of your eloquent explanations. Our recent leaders have not been the ideal examples of what they claimed they would be, and the fact that the next Presidential election is going to come down to Trump and Biden is disappointing to say the least. Overall, I really appreciate your approach to talking about the very real and unfortunate state of American politics in a compelling and intriguing manner.
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