And The Results Are…The 2016 Election

He Said: Anthony Mattariello

This past Tuesday the most controversial presidential election this country has ever seen came to an end.

Some people are happy and others are furious, but in the end Donald Trump will be our next president.

Now just so I don’t cause any brouhahas, this week’s He Said isn’t going to be about whether or not Trump or Clinton were the right choice, even though in my opinion Trump obviously is the right choice.

This He Said will be about the positives of both Trump and Clinton being candidates who broke presidential norms this election.

I know most social media feeds have been blowing up with posts about how the next four years should be terrible and how we should do away with the Electoral College.

However, like most people, I didn’t turn into a political analyst over night, so I’m going to try to write about something more conclusive.

Since the birth of our nation our presidents, and nominees for that matter, have all had their hand in politics. These nominees started their hand in local politics, worked their way up the political chain and eventually got enough recognition to be elected to run for president.

It wasn’t until this most recent presidential election that someone with no political background was elected to represent the Republican party.   

Donald Trump is the perfect example of an American businessman. As a young man he worked for his father, learning and soaking in his father’s knowledge. Then when he grew old, he decided to get into the business of Manhattan real estate.

Today, Trump owns numerous pieces of real estate in the city including luxury hotels and offices. Trump also had his hand in the Miss America pageant.

So it’s safe for me to think that Donald Trump is good in terms of investing and spending his money.

Although Trump doesn’t have much experience running a country, he has a lot of experience running a business.

Since Trump runs a business, he brings a fresh new outlook on how to run the country. In my opinion, perhaps this new outlook will bring our country out of the funk its been in.       

Trump wasn’t the only candidate that broke political norms. If she had been elected, Hillary Clinton would’ve been the first woman president.

Having Hillary Clinton as the first woman president would’ve had many advantages to it. One huge advantage is unity of the country.   

Clinton can be seen as a symbol for women. She would inspire people, particularly women and anyone else around the world, to try and be the best they can be. It gave them the hope that their dreams were never too little or too big.

Clinton would’ve been a symbol to the world that women are not discriminated against and that they have the ability to do great things.

Another advantage to Clinton is her previous political experience. Her husband, Bill Clinton, was president from 1993-2001. Being the first lady, Clinton got the closest experience one could get to being the president.

The fact is that both Clinton and Trump brought positive traits to the table that can and will unite the people of America.
Having the nation unite is the first step towards a greater America.       

She Said: Giovanna Gatto

Election day: the day every four years when our country unifies to exercise our right to vote. However, this past election there were a lot of emotions about the two presidential candidates.

This weeks topic is not another Facebook status or angry tweet. Anthony and I felt it was important to take this opportunity to discuss the historical event that took place and why we are outraged that our country is dividing over something that is supposed to be unifying.

During this political season our country was not only able to experience the first woman to be chosen as the Democratic candidate, but we had our first candidate to have no political experience.

When this was first announced I was in awe, our country had decided on two unconventional options for our ballots. We were setup to choose between two types of people that have never been on a presidential ballot before.

This caused me to stop and think of our country as a place hungry for change so much so that it was willing to go against everything it once needed as a foundational crutch.

Then the time came to vote. The statistics were pointing left. The crowds were roaring at each other and my stomach turned as I knew that no matter what, people were going to be angry.

Like many Americans, I found myself up at 3:30 in the morning unable to go to sleep until I heard President Donald Trump’s speech. The moment of truth had played out and I could finally sleep only to wake up in a world that was so divided that I was even hesitant to take the train into the blue state of New York the following morning.

This is what I am here to write about. Every single American just lived through one of the most politically controversial and historical elections of our time. Yet, here we are pointing fingers and spitting in the direction of our opposing party.

Personally, my absentee ballot expired before my busy life got a chance to look at it. However, my uncounted vote has caused me to look back at these two parties and wonder how they both live in a country that is supposed to be about freedom and unity.

The facts are that Donald Trump is our next president. If you voted for him then congratulations on supporting his candidacy. If you fall on the other end of the spectrum, take a deep breath and look outside. Unless you are looking out to the protests that are taking place around our country, you are probably going to see a fairly calm world. We are privileged to live in a country with so much freedom and opportunity. 

Do not lose sight of your beliefs or your voices. Yet, it is important to push aside the division that this election is pulling. The hate, the baggage and the discrimination. Our country made history when we chose our candidates. Both of them had a fair opportunity to be elected. Heck, third party libertarian Gary Johnson even racked in some votes.

It is incredible to see how powerful our American voices are. However, we need to know how to appreciate our home. So stop burning flags and keep your mouths open. You will want to tell your kids and grandkids one day about this being the time that our country decided to change. Not about how our country burned itself to the ground. We should celebrate each other. All differences should be put aside and no one should be left to wonder if their freedoms are free.

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