A New Era
By John Mockler
With the 2020 election taking place I interviewed a democrat and republican to find out their views on the election.
The first person I interviewed was democrat Kyle Scheoader. This was our discussion.
What do you believe are the major issues in this country?
“The corporations and the elite have been given far too much power. Our politicians are on their payroll, and that’s a problem with both the Democratic and Republican parties. Policies tend to favor the rich no matter what side of the isle out legislators are on. Then there’s the social issues like women’s rights, civil rights, lgbtq+ rights, immigrant’s rights, and indigenous people’s rights. All of which have been under threat for the past four years especially, but obviously well beyond that. Not to mention the threat to the environment due to climate change and the ever still present threat of the ongoing pandemic.”
Do you feel the current administration (the Trump administration) has been effective in dealing with the problems this county has? And why?
“The Trump administration has seemingly had the goal of seeing that every problem this country faces is made exponentially worse. The issues have been exacerbated, and the country’s progress has been set back decades. If that wasn’t enough to convince me that this administration had to end, the response to the pandemic has been indisputably disastrous.”
Do you feel the next administration (the Biden administration) will do a better or worse job? And why?
“Even though I do not believe Biden will be a perfect president and there will be policies I will not agree with, he will be markedly more competent than Trump, and that will make all the difference in the world. Biden will roll back the country to Obama era policies that are much more beneficial than the current direction. All of the groups under threat can rest a little easier knowing they are not under active attacks from a Republican administration that seemingly wants to erase their existence, or at least remove the protections and what little rights they have. Finally, I am much more confident in the new administration’s ability to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.”
What were your thoughts on this election before it took place?
“I had one singular thought: For the good of America, Trump must be voted out.”
What are your thoughts after the election? Have we as a country started to move in the right or wrong direction? And why?
“The next thing that is needed is a reformation of the Democratic Party. The entire party has trended towards being right of center. We need to diminish the power of establishment and corporate Democrats and install more Progressives in the party like Bernie Sanders. There’s a long fight ahead of us, but a necessary fight to win back the Democratic Party and restore it to a political party that has the best interest of the common people.”
The Second person I interviewed was David Painting. This was our discussion.
What do you believe are the major issues in this country?
“The fact that this country operates as a 2 party system. Both parties have not always been there for the people.
Do you feel the current administration (the Trump administration) has been effective in dealing with the problems this county has? And why?
“There are things that the Trump administration has failed to step up to the plate about, because we would not be in the position we are in with the Coronavirus. There were better ways of handling this situation.”
Do you feel the next administration (the Biden administration) will do a better or worse job? And why?
“Honestly, even though the Trump administration did not handle things the way that it should have been, I do not know if Biden administration would have done any better or worse because at the end of the day it is the reaction of the population and how they will respond.”
What were your thoughts on this election before it took place?
“I thought that it could have gone either way because even though Biden was leading in the polls. The previous election showed us that the polls are not always the most reliable.”
What are your thoughts after the election? Have we as a country started to move in the right or wrong direction? And why?
“I think that it might be a rough transition. Honestly, I have no idea if we are heading in the right or wrong direction. That is a something that will be answered once the Biden administration takes office.”
The third and last person I interviewed was Debra Thompson. this was our discussion.
“The major problem with our country is that the two biggest parties are at odds with each other. To the average person on the right, educated Democrats can come across as intellectual elites who treat the common American person like they have little capability to use logic and reasoning without a bachelor’s degree. They definitely focus on the idea of a compassionate government, and this is a strength which they present. The Republican party, which I mostly associate with due to my conservative values, may be seen as lacking compassion by leftist. However, people on the right focus on justice for guilt and crimes as being a function of the government. They view non-profits as a better way to provide justice that creates equitable solutions and alleviates poverty.”
“Many people on the right don’t feel they have a voice at the table anymore, because when they bring facts to the table about their concerns– they are told that their ideas couldn’t possibly be true and are often merely shut down. I say this as someone whose childhood best friend is a very far left democrat. Though I can say some conservatives often can be quite inflammatory and I don’t think that’s a good response to push back. Many of those in my circle will at least listen to the opinions of their friends and family on the left.”
“I’d like to note that no one administration will be perfect by any means. Though I will say that I believe in some areas, not all, Trump has made wise choices. As an advocate for the value of the life of human beings, abortion ignores that we are more than mere animals. We are body, soul, and spirit; There is something about us that is intrinsically different. I did not agree with a lot of the choices dealing with the environmental concerns, but at the same time I understand that those areas are bread and butter for certain families whether or not we like the practices. Unless communities where practices like fracking are given the means to retrain and are able to do some sort of work where their family can have a sense of dignity, then making a drastic switch to push governmental environmental policies that endanger them should be merited with the same immorality that leftist speak out about regularly. I agree with the administration playing hardball with China as someone who has a bachelor’s in international studies. Though the average Chinese person is very kind and hospitable, and I teach many of them regularly online, the government’s intense control on their population reeks of what should be considered human rights violations and constant oppression of minorities. Even the UK is considering not going to the next Olympics in China over the Uighur persecution.”
“Most Republicans believe that the Biden administration will actually become the Harris administration after some time. If Joe Biden is actually diagnosed with dementia in the future, which is a sensitive topic, then it would not be wise to have him dealing with the heavy task of holding the presidential office. I say this as someone whose 90-year-old grandma has dementia, I would be very concerned if he does get diagnosed with it. Many of the people on the right look at how far left Harris is compared to Biden. We understand the kind of American she wants us to become, and we do not like the idea of the government pressing for that kind of control to enforce taxes and liberal dogma onto the entire nation. I am open for dialogue, but I don’t believe it’s fair to be called a bigot for believe that the God who created the universe as called me to say that He wants us to express ourselves in the gender traditionally associated with our sex at birth. I know that people will want to express themselves with different genders for various reasons based on how they feel about themselves, but some of us do not buy into postmodern thought that everyone’s self-made truth is actually true. In fact, to believe that I would be sinning against God, “Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them (Romans 1:32).” Supporting sin in others is damnable based on God’s holiness. I don’t believe that I get to make the rules about whether something is moral or immoral. However, if Trump had won, I believe that people would also need to advocate protection and care who those who identify themselves by their sexuality and/or their non-cis gender identity. I don’t believe in bullying or harassing someone; kindness is still important to some of us Republicans too. I will use the chosen pronouns of a person not because I approve of their choice, however, I will do it because I believe that kindness speaks louder in this situation about God’s heart. If people see kindness in me, then I am a better witness of the love I have been shown in Christ.”
“Prior to the election, all I could really think is, “Oh no. Here we go again.” Election season is always stressful and people are so hateful towards each other. Now that the election is over, people within my circle are worried how harder it’s going to be on the right. More and more, we will be told that we don’t have a voice in this country as it leans more left with time. This is the thought of many of those on the right. So, though many of my friends on the left will be celebrating because they believe that their side is correct in its thinking; I am not celebrating. I am not mourning but any means, but I am preparing for how the world will change as time goes on.”
