The US presidential election is probably not only the most important election in the US but in the whole world given that the US president will get to devise instrumental policies that will shape the future of global politics. Potential candidates from both the Republican and Democrat party have started getting their points across the table and it is important that we know what they stand for.
The Democrats
Joe Biden
Joe Biden is considered to be the person who is most likely to get nominated by the Democratic party for 2020. This is because of his immense experience working in important positions in the government. He was the 47th vice president of the US serving from 2009 to 2017. He holds conservative views which is uncommon within his party but has distinguished himself from conservatives of the Republican party. Although, he thinks that abortion is not morally acceptable, he feels that women should be given the choice of deciding. However, he is against same sex marriage and is unlikely to change the status quo. He is more likely to restore the Affordable Care Act and undertake necessary reformations. The major problem in Joe Biden’s campaign is severe cash crunch. He allegedly has 9 million left for his campaign which is less than half of what his most competitors have. This is likely to be a crucial factor since campaigning is moving to its most crucial stages as primaries are nearing.
Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders is probably the breath of fresh air that the Democrats needed. He is a socialist and anti-establishment but his proposed changes are not only feasible but he seems to have a plan chalked out for each of them. Probably, for the first time in recent history, the working class in America will get a Democrat candidate who is not going to put them under the bus for serving the interests of the corporations. He has refused to take campaign funds from corporations. He has a new healthcare policy which is called Medicare for All. Moreover, he is a co-sponsor of the “New Green Deal” which is a policy designed to reduce carbon emission and fight climate change by drastically changing lifestyles and consumer demand patterns. He also happens to be one of the most vocal critics of gun laws and prison system in the US. He aims to ban all types of firearms but the extent to which it can be successful is heavily doubted because of the existence of corporate lobbying.
Elizabeth Warren
Elizabeth Warren’s biggest strength is her campaign finance. Out of all the Democrat candidates, she happens to have the biggest pool of donors who happen to be loyal to her as well. However, the sustainability of her campaign and possibly her presidential campaign is marked with doubts for her ambitious aims and desires. She plans to break big tech companies such as Facebook, Amazon Inc., etc. This is not feasible for structural reasons but even if it was it is quite uncertain whether a world without big tech companies is a good one or not. Her plans to solve student debt crisis is ambitious as well. She wants to make college education until post graduation absolutely free. It will cost the US government about 9 trillion dollars which almost half of US GDP. Needless to say, it is not possible. Elizabeth Warren also wants to ban private health insurance companies and has termed them to be “exploitative”. She also supports more liberal forms of immigration and is ready to take in refugees from war torn countries.
The Republicans
Donald Trump
It is not a surprise to see this name here. A billionaire, successful real estate business man and the 45th president of the US is undoubtedly the favorite to win the Republican primaries. In 2016, only a few believed in him. The polls were against him but he proved the existence of a silent majority who made a mockery of the polls and his critics. His previous campaign ran on promises that were incredible and ambitious but he has delivered. The US economy did grow under his presidency at an average of 2 percent every quarter. Number of jobs increased in US and his main voter base which is the working class is satisfied and he did ban the entry of Muslims from a handful of Muslim majority countries. The strongman image that he uses to promote his political career has been bolstered time and time again while he is still holding power. This is because of multiple allegations and impeachment inquiries turned out to be unfruitful. Whilst many criticize him for the man he is, he is unlikely to change because it does not affect his popularity among his voter base, the working class. Therefore, it is most probable that Donald Trump’s campaign this time around will be very similar to his previous one.
Bill Weld
Bill Weld is a former governor of Massachusetts who holds fiscal conservative values. Although, he doesn’t have a strong connection to the Republican party, he is likely to run the presidential election for the party if given the nomination. He can pose a threat to Trump simply because the kind of policies that he wants to promote has the benefits of those of Trump but he is not a misogynist and racist. This increases his chances of attracting attention of both the political center right and left. His vision of an American economy has very little government intervention or interaction with the market. Therefore, he is likely to cut taxes, both income and corporate, and cut down government spending. This policy has worked perfectly for Trump. However, he is unlikely to be popular among people who are skeptical of Wall Street after the 2008 crash. Many people in the US believe that the size of the government, in fact, needs to be large for the market to be not exploitative. It is an understatement to say Bill Weld needs to do a lot of work before Americans start trusting the ones at the top pulling all the strings.
Al Wasee M. Fahimuddaula
Executive Editor