Vote rhymes with Stoat

And hi rhymes with bye, but first let's talk about elections

Voting is just another way for people to feel like they have some kind of larger significance in the aftermath of the Big Bang and the before-math of the heat death of the universe, you know? But if we're talking on a national scale instead of a galactic scale... its gives the people choice in who represents them and makes choices for them. In addition, it creates less room for discontent. If someone who votes for candidate A ends up hating candidate A, then everyone will be like "hahaha ur fault" and if someone who votes for candidate B ends up hating candidate A, then it's something like "well u should've gotten ur neighbor to vote for B so technically it's still ur fault hahaha"

Unfortunately, elections force people to choose between two sides, or "throw away their vote" by voting for an independent or third party, which is hugely frowned upon. Since most people are relatively moderate, media influence during election season can sway a moderate to one side or the other. Someone who votes one side may stick to that side, causing them to eventually lean more and more in one direction. For this post, I'll be talking about the Democratic National Primary, with Hillary and Bernie.

Hillary Clinton

Wall Street must work for Main Street.

As someone who's been a Democrat for half a century, Hillary focuses her campaign on equity, particularly in terms of gender. She has liberal viewpoints on socioeconomic issues, advocating for universal healthcare, universal preschool, a $12 minimum wage, debt-free college, and tax-relief for small businesses. She has been an advocate for women and children since youth, and championed acts involving fairness of pay.

Real Life

This campaign ad involves women in the film industry demonstrating their want for good female role models. Clinton's campaign ads regularly bring up the issue of women and children, and this video was made with the intentions of implying that Clinton was a woman who was both powerful and emotional, both (insert "masculine" quality here) and (insert "feminine" quality here). This idea of pushing forward in spite of flaws and mistakes was spread throughout her entire campaign, and most of her campaign ads appeal to emotion in some way, as her preferred campaigning style is to make a video about one race, or one gender, and then make a whole bunch more after that. To appeal to the working class, she does her best to seem like "one of them" (as in, disadvantaged). In other videos, she talks about her mom's childhood in which she was neglected. She often talks about females and how they suffer from double standards in politics. She also appeals to voters of other races by creating videos with people from those races endorsing her (such as the video above). While many have called her uninspiring or fake, I'm sure that many others look at her as a strong candidate who fights for what she believes in. Her party really wanted her to win, and she was seen as a figurehead for the Democratic Party throughout the campaign, so people may have veered to the Republican side if they didn't like her as a person.

Bernie Sanders

You can't become a billionaire stepping over children sleeping in the street.

Okay, *technically* Bernie is a Democrat, but he's been an independent for most of his life, and advocated for socialist causes, such as free education, single-payer healthcare, and a $15 minimum wage. He also devotes attention to veterans, having been the chairman to the Senate Veterans' Affairs committee. He has authored and co-sponsored several key bills and acts that benefit veterans, and opposes the recent Republican cut of military pensions.

It's Not Over

This video was directed by Erica Garner, a woman who became an activist after her father (and uncle) were killed. The video was technically made entirely by her team, but according to Garner, "they had a totally different idea of what should be done, but true to form with Senator Sanders, he listened to me, didn’t tell me he knew better and I was not practical and this is what we produced". Bernie attended the March on Washington back in '63 and got arrested after protesting for college housing for African-Americans. Hillary often tries to describe how she fights for racial equality, but people are quick to point out that she didn't attend the March on Washington and used to be a Republican, so Bernie sometimes uses that inconsistency against her. While Bernie didn't win the race, he inspired many disillusioned young people to believe that they had a voice and power in American politics. He continues his political work even after the presidential elections, and his supporters continue to support him. If he does not run again, I'm sure that loyal voters would vote for the candidates he endorses.

:)

Hi definitely rhymes with bye, but I'm too extra to say bye without a comic. Here are some of my favorite Poppy song quotes, matched up with all the official parties and too-small text and unnecessary commentary.