Musings from a year in studying in the States: Will America “be great again?”

America, the land of the free and the home of the brave. A country which has an extremely important political choice to make on November 8, the nation which I am calling “home” for my year abroad is going full guns blazing towards deciding its next president.

One of the reasons I wanted to study in the United States was my keen interest in the political system. Since I was 17, I’ve constantly studied American history as part of my A Levels and degree courses and have become besotted with the American presidency as a whole. I’ve got my favourite presidents (Obama and Roosevelt come to mind immediately), yet sadly, I feel that whoever succeeds Obama will be one of the weakest commander-in-chiefs in a long time.

In fact, the word ‘exaggerated’ is perfect for discussing this election. Back in the UK, we’re used to largely uneventful televised debates

So does the town in which I live in. I’m currently at Northern Arizona University situated in Flagstaff, Arizona. Whilst you may assume that Arizona is synonymous with deserts, I live in the largest pine forest in the world. Fireworks are illegal, yet they sell guns in Walmart for $300 next to the children’s bikes and crochet kits in my town. It’s beggar belief that, should I want to, I could ship a gun over to my family as a Christmas present.

My new American friends are tempted to vote for the third party candidate Gary Johnson as a refusal to accept the two main candidates

Fortunately, Flagstaff is a Democratic haven in an otherwise Republican state. Whilst the university is approaching the one-year anniversary of the shooting of a student as a consequence of fraternity conflict, guns are on the whole prohibited. The topic of guns and the Second Amendment are prevalent in the current Presidential race between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump.

Amongst his laundry list of controversial opinion and ideas, Trump is notorious for advocating the use of firearms. Speaking shortly after the Orlando tragedy earlier this year, Trump was quoted as stating in the Washington Times

“It’s too bad… some of the young people that were killed over the weekend didn’t have guns…bullets could have flown in the opposite direction” (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jun/20/donald-trump-i-was-obviously-talking-about-additio/)

To us Brits, it may seem abhorrent to suggest that guns should be a mandatory accessory in daily life. Yet, in this country, guns have an exaggerated presence both in its towns and in debates.

In fact, the word ‘exaggerated’ is perfect for discussing this election. Back in the UK, we’re used to largely uneventful televised debates and a few stories of hearsay here and there (Cameron and the pig springs to mind…). However, the battle for the White House is so saturated with the latter it’s hard to escape, and there seemed to be so much weight riding on each and every debate.

 

This sense of larger than life politics isn’t wasn’t just confined to the televised debates however. In an area of Flagstaff peppered with bars which I can’t legally drink in for another five months is a shop that sells every kind of knick-knack you can imagine. However, what strikes me most is the parodic presentation of the two primary candidates plastered over various pieces of merchandise.

My favourite find so far has been the ‘Democratic Dream’ mug, that once filled with hot liquid, turns blue. Inevitably though, the cup always goes back to being red. Could this be suggesting that the Democrats are constantly in ‘hot water’, and states will always revert back to their Republican tradition? With election night approaching that and so many other questions will be answered.

My new American friends are tempted to vote for the third party candidate Gary Johnson as a refusal to accept the two main candidates. Yet this idea of a protest vote does not sit well with me. One should only look back in history to see where the previous Johnsonian presidential era took us.

That ended in escalating war. Would Trump or Clinton’s presidency take us to this? It’s hard to say. Both the Trump campaign and Hillary’s “Stronger Together” campaign argue that the election of their opponent will result in inevitable international conflict.

My new American friends are tempted to vote for the third party candidate Gary Johnson as a refusal to accept the two main candidates

Fast forward to January 20, 2017-  It’s is inauguration day, and we’re watching the 45^th President of the United States put their hand on the bible and take the oath of office. So far, there isn’t really an air of content for any one candidate. The first debate didn’t go in anyone’s favour nor did the second. Nobody can agree on who the best President would be.

One thing’s for sure: The Americans I know wish Obama could do a third term.