As the race for the presidential nomination reaches its peak, the political landscape has experienced a drastic shift in campaign tactics.
While the country”s election process represents democracy and the epitome of political freedom, the race for the presidential nomination has been disconcerting for a number of reasons.
The Republican Party has transitioned from a political giant into an absolute circus – an entertaining fireball of a debacle that the American public cannot take its attention away from.
Josh Grissom
Argonaut
Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, has been at the center of several notable controversies surrounding his attitude toward minorities.
Most recently, the businessman failed to disavow a vote of confidence from former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke during a CNN broadcast. The candidate waited several days before releasing a statement condemning the white supremacist organization.
The fact that Trump was forced to address the issue is bad enough, but what makes it worse is that the candidate has continued to characterize and treat ethnic minorities as monoliths. The candidate routinely refers to ethnic groups as “the blacks” and “the Muslims,” making generalized stereotypes of these minorities in numerous speeches.
The secondary Republican candidate is not immune from the harsh glare of the spotlight either.
Friday, the National Enquirer accused Ted Cruz of having five extramarital affairs. Cruz blamed Trump and claimed it was a smear campaign against him, despite reports from media outlets that said former GOP candidate Marco Rubio released the information.
Over the weekend, Trump and Cruz exchanged a war of words over Twitter in response to a political advertisement featuring scantily clad photographs of Melania Trump, Donald Trump”s wife. The New York businessman threatened to “spill the beans” on Cruz”s wife, leading Cruz to publicly denounce his opponent a coward.
With the internal sabotage within the Republican Party, voters cannot deny the destructive state of the GOP.
Even the Republican Party attempted to disrupt the momentum of its frontrunner by suggesting a “brokered” Republican convention to block Trump from nomination.
The institution has been reduced to a handful of angry candidates who seem content to discuss the size of their “hands,” rather than explain their goals related to the issues facing our country.
As an independent voter, I cannot help but be disturbed by the current state of affairs in the GOP. The Republican Party appears on the brink of a self-induced implosion.
By comparison, the Democratic race between Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton seems incredibly tame and professional. The two may clash during debates, but their disagreements are civil and centered on political issues.
How is it that one of the founding political parties of our country has stooped so low that it has essentially become reality television?
At this point in the election, it won”t matter who wins the Republican nomination. The Democratic nominee will easily emerge as the victor if the Republican Party refuses to change its tactics.
As we inch closer to November, I plan to cast my vote for the candidate who is focused on making our country better – not for the one who brags about the size of his genitals during a national debate.
Josh Grissom can be reached at [email protected] or Twitter @Goshjrissom