If you’re feeling fatigued from the political drama that’s been unraveling the past few years, I have some bad news. 2020 is just around the corner, and I wager that this year’s inevitable fiasco will be even worse than anything we saw in 2016 or the years afterward. The headache-inducing mess of politicians, media, speeches and scandals is certain to rock both news and social media for months.
But the reason I’m nervous about 2020 being even worse than 2016 is that things are already getting tense, and we’re still a year away from the primaries. As of right now, there are already over 10 candidates who have officially entered the running and plenty more being eyed to jump in.
If you want to understand what’s about to happen, you’ve got to start finding trusted sources and understanding vital context, right now, not tomorrow. Us young voters especially are going to be primary targets for most candidates, and North Carolina is likely to be a close battleground, so we need to be ready.
Putting aside his policies, the rhetoric of Donald Trump is sure to escalate in the coming months. But while most are already expecting these next two years to be especially tense, the president’s behavior and that of his fellow Republicans will certainly be the focal point of the cycle. We’ve seen more infighting and division among the right, and the most important thing to watch out for is to see which, if any, Republicans sneak up and try for the presidency.
On the Democratic side, there’s no shortage of important backstory either. From the controversy surrounding Elizabeth Warren’s DNA report to the recent allegations of abuse of staffers from Amy Klobuchar, there are a whole lot of really important details that voters need to study up on to prepare for the volatile landscape. And with more candidates standing by looking for the best time to jump in, more dirty laundry is sure to air.
But that shouldn’t be our only focus. Even if a candidate is squeaky clean, we should focus on policies just as much as scandals. The American voter deserves to be picky, and we shouldn’t be excited to accept politicians with open arms just because they’ve acted like decent human beings or made funny appearances on late-night talk shows. Immigration, gun safety, environmental policy and other hot-button topics will be the leading topics in 2020, and we should press candidates on how they perform.
That’s why I can’t stress enough that our generation, as a demographic group, should demand more from politics. If we’re going to gather as much clout as the baby boomers, then we need to be knowledgeable and certain on what we want. We need to keep up with news, we need to use the tools at our disposal, like social media, to raise our voices and we need to refuse to give attention to those who wouldn’t be good for our country. It’s not an easy thing that I’m asking for, but America deserves it.
No matter which side of the aisle you’re on or how deep in that aisle you are, I’m certain that frustration is inevitable, even with your own party. But no matter what, the most important thing for us is no matter how confused, disappointed or scared we are by the happenings up in Washington, we keep the discussion civil and avoid unnecessary bickering. It’s your civic duty to vote, but it’s just as much your responsibility to know what you’re voting for.
