This election was perhaps one of the nastiest affairs I have seen. The two presidential candidates acted in a manner more befitting the preambles of a boxing match than the ethic expected when running for a political office. I feel shame for my country that these two children were the best that our beautiful nation could find to run it.

A debate should not consist of name-calling, but rather should be an evaluation the issues that plague our great nation. The mocking should be left on the playground so that true issues can be discussed among well-educated and concerned political hopefuls. Instead we managed to find two people unable to focus on what should be discussed and instead chose to run smear campaigns.

I, for one, wearied of hearing from one candidate why I should not vote for the other, instead of why I should vote for them. I want to know what a candidate stands for, from his or her own mouth. Instead, in hearing from one candidate about the numerous faults of the other, I have heard nothing of their own strengths. I knew why I should not vote for either, but had very few reasons to find myself voting for anyone.

A nation divided

Across the U.S., we are finding ourselves more and more divided. People have been attacking each other both verbally and physically over an election. Neighbors have been turning on one another, simply because they disagree on whether to elect a disliked politician or a misogynistic business owner.

I have heard very few people who actually wanted to vote for either, yet as a people we fight viciously for the lesser of two evils. The president is less important than the support system around us, yet we destroy our neighbors for the sake of politics. At a time like this when we have to settle for one evil or the other, we need our neighbors more than ever.

The whole of this election has been unreal, as if I am staring into an alternate reality where we Americans have no principles.

The rock or the hard place

I despaired over whoever was to be elected. I, too, settled myself on the lesser of the two evils although I liked neither the idea of voting for any evil nor the system that forces me to do so. That lesser of the two did not win though. I find myself now staring into the face of the unwelcome unknown.

Up until now I could count on having politicians in office I did not like, but they were politicians. They knew their craft, and whether I liked their policies or not, I could still understand how they got there. With the man who is destined to be president, I cannot understand how he got here.

With absolutely no qualifications and only his word to support his claims, he refused to release any sort of documentation to support what he has been saying about his success in business. Yet, almost unthinkably, people are willing to take his word that he is a good businessman. Not only are people willing to accept this fact on faith, they also believe this qualifies someone to lead a nation.

We should be able to vote for people who hold to our ideals. This time, no matter who any of us voted for, I can say with certainty that most of us wish we had didn’t have to choose between two evils.

Graphic by Pam Black