The 2016 election has been quite the event to watch this year. As we move closer to picking the nominee for each party, you have to see the rise of Trump and the movement of Bernie Sanders.
I wondered, why do these candidates have so much popularity?
On Reddit.com, there are “subreddits” for each respective candidate in the race. These subreddits are where supporters can discuss and talk political banter about the candidates. Trump’s subreddit is “The_Donald” while Sander’s is “SandersForPresident”.
Starting with “The_Donald”, I wondered what they had to say about Trump and Sanders. When they discuss Trump, the community has sayings like “Build The Wall!” or “MAGA”, standing for “Make America Great Again”. Members of the community also go as far saying “Disavow Bernie!” It is like they are fanatics that are rooting for their favorite sports team. All of the posts tend to have little tags that say “High Energy” in all caps.
As for the “SandersForPresident” subreddit, supporters for Sanders vow to move on even after his massive delegate deficit with Secretary Clinton. His supporters have moved their focus to the California primaries, which allocates over 475 delegates, and would be a grand slam home run for Senator Sanders if he won. To make a comeback, California is a vital piece if he wanted to edge closer to Clinton. Supporters also discuss media coverage of Sanders compared to his rival Hillary Clinton, and how it has affected the vote count for each candidate.
I asked students as to why they support their respective candidates. Dulce Paz is a Bernie Sanders supporter and Zachary Halpern is a Donald Trump supporter; both are excited about about their presidential hopefuls.
First, I talked to Senior Zachary Halpern as to why he supports the real estate billionaire.
“Donald Trump would bring lower taxes to every tax group, which would be the lowest taxes since World War 2.” Said Halpern. “He doesn’t take money from Super PAC’s and he self-funds his own campaign. He isn’t controlled by the establishment like others, he can compromise and find a solution and create bipartisanship in our government.” Said the Senior.
As for Bernie Sanders, Junior Dulce Paz chimed on on why she supports the long time Vermont Senator.
“He appeals to what I believe in” Said Paz. “I feel that I can trust him as a candidate.”
The nominees look like they are going to be Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and many are unhappy with a ticket consisting of Trump and Clinton. According to Rasmussen Reports, nearly 24% of voters will either stay home or vote third party on a Clinton-Trump ticket.
Who will come out on top in the end?
