Voting and Elections (it's about to get sentimental )

I don't even know what I'm writing right now. I got two hours of sleep last night and nothing feels real anymore high five pal.

Anyway, if you don't already know by now, a linkage institution connects the general public to the government. (It's okay if you're still confused on that pal. I got you.) Along with interest groups, the media, and political parties, elections are also a type of linkage institution because it gives people the chance to vote on government policies and government officials. Yay politics.

Additionally, elections influence an individual's political beliefs because of the inescapable political campaigns. Think about it. If you just walked around and everything that you saw was essentially people screaming about what they believe in and why you should like them, chances are that you're gonna start thinking thoughts. Political thoughts. Government thoughts. Oh my.

For this blog post, I decided to be basic and write about the 2016 presidential election between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. Ooh. It's bouta get real. oOOoOh.

Hilfiger Clip-clop

First up, we got Hilfiger Clip-clop. She's a liberal lady who has a lot of feelings about addressing climate change, ending gun violence, and supporting LGBT rights. Buuut, there was a bit of controversy about her actual stance on the last topic. She's been quoted as saying, "Marriage has historic, religious and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time, and I think a marriage is as a marriage has always been, between a man and a woman." Plus, she insisted on upholding traditional marriage through her support of the Defense of Marriage Act which banned federal recognition of same-sex marriages.

She went back on forth on this topic for a while and pretty much avoided explaining why her opinion changed so much. (I don't know, man. Hilfiger's confusing like that.) But, as we can assume from her 2016 presidential campaign, she is now a strong supporter of LGBT rights. Look at this video she made. Look it.

 

You probably didn't watch it. (It's okay though. You're still kinda cool sometimes.) Basically, this video was an attempt to rack up dem gay votes for Hilfiger. It showed clips of gay couples getting married, smiling with their kids, looking all happy. (You know. Good Stuff.) Then, the video ends with Hillary expressing her support by stating, "Gay rights are human rights, and human rights are gay rights." This further solidifies her stance as an LGBT-friendly politician and implies that she would have continued to offer her support as the US president.

Donkey Trumpet

Second, we got Donkey Trumpet. He's a pretty conservative dude who also has a lot of feelings and is essentially the complete opposite of Clip-clop. He doesn't believe in climate change, he doesn't think that gun violence is a real issue in the US, and he's not very supportive of LGBT rights. Well, there was that one time when he tried, but he didn't try very much...

Oh, Donkey Trumpet. The flag's upside down. Come on.

Anyway, another important aspect of Donkey Trumpet's beliefs is that we should be upholding American security by banning Muslims and deporting immigrants. How does that help with American security, you may ask? Well, Donkey Trumpet isn't exactly the most accepting person on the planet. He perceives Muslims as radical terrorists, and associates Mexican immigrants with drug-related crimes and rape. Here's a little video that further explains his stance on all that.

You probably didn't watch that video either. (That's okay. I still kinda like you.) This video is pretty direct and clearly outlines that Trump wants to temporarily ban Muslims, defeat ISIS, and build a wall on the Mexican-American border which he claims Mexico will pay for. All the goals mentioned in this video are very consistent with his overarching beliefs; they explicitly state that he is against these two groups and claims that they are a threat to national security. (You probably already knew that though. You're so smart. Look at you.)

Welp, that's it for this blog post. It's been fun sending you all my slightly political thoughts and reading about all of yours. Before I go though, I would like to present to you all a true American icon: Detective Heart of America. I don't know if you guys wanna watch this video either, but just to let you know, there's a LOT of cursing, some puns, and weird voices. If that floats your boat, watch the thing and tell me your favorite quote. (Or not. I can't tell you how to live your life.)

I hope ya'll enjoyed that. Thanks for making this blog experience a Slightly Wild Ride™.

- Jelly