By David Karaffa
Guest Post
Last week I found myself in a very interesting circumstance. My 20-year-old sister had five friends visiting our home here in Florida, kind of an impromptu spring break. All of them except one are voting for the first time in the presidential race. So, I put some questions out there and listened to the responses.
I read out all the names of who has declared for president, both Democrat and Republican, and here is how the small poll worked out: 4 votes for Donald Trump, 1 vote for Rand Paul, and 1 abstention. Here are some of their thoughts on what they are looking for in a president.
“Donald Trump, because he is a business man. I worry about the national debt and I think that Donald Trump will do the best to fix it.”
“I want someone to come in and stop giving handouts to people and other countries that are not willing to work and countries that don’t support us.”
“Taxes are too high.”
“Abortion should be illegal.”
When I asked about the women running for president and whether or not it played a role in their choice for president, there was the unanimous reaction that gender and race should have nothing to do with it.
Since Donald Trump is ahead in the national polls and won our little census, our small group spoke further to really strip away the surface and learn why he is resonating with them. He is a force to be reckoned with. He can’t be bought and can’t be controlled. Young people feel that politicians are lying to them and that the government is corrupt and far too involved in their lives. Donald Trump presents a front that would cut through that and possibly fix it. Whether this is true or not remains to be seen but his approach is new and different and these voters are impressed.
Here are a couple of points I consider when choosing who should be president. Former governors tend to be more effective as the chief executive of the country than any other office we might consider to be preparation for the White House. We need a man or woman who can present a powerful and strong front and who will be respected by the leaders of the world. We need a good person to be president, someone who is not doing the job for themselves but for the good of our country and can make the tough decisions even though they may not be politically favorable, an excellent communicator, and a selfless person.
As for my thoughts on who is running, Republicans of all ages should be grinning ear to ear. Why? Because they have choices. With 17 currently-declared candidates, it’s anyone’s race and now is the time to get engaged and support one because they won’t last long. Everyone of both parties should be excited and engaged because now is the time to read, learn, and support someone. It’s a long road to the White House and the race starts now.
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David Karaffa is a former Augusta County Supervisor for the Beverley Manor District who now lives with his three daughters in Palm Coast, Florida.
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