News Breakdown: Election Updates and 3 Things to Keep in Mind Before Voting
- alexisgtrifon
- Jan 22, 2024
- 2 min read
Updated: Jan 24, 2024
By Alexis Trifon
Back in May, Life with Lex posted an article entitled "News Breakdown: The 2024 Presidential Election—a Repeat of 2020?" where we talked about the kickoff to the election cycle with Trump's town hall. We also noted: "This was not a new Trump; we had witnessed this before. The parallels to 2020 and, by extension, 2016 were clear. This leaves the question of whether 2024 will be a repeat of 2020. I think so."
Eight months later, with GOP candidates like Ron DeSantis dropping out of the race and pledging their support for Trump, our initial analysis about a Biden-Trump rematch remains.
Now, as the New Hampshire primary begins with a predicted 300,000+ voter turnout (a record setting number), here are some things to keep in mind ahead of the polls.
1. Band-Aids don't fix serious wounds.
In politics, addressing the symptoms of a problem rather than its root cause wastes precious time and money. We see this with the debt ceiling crisis. Congress's periodic raising of the debt ceiling leads to anxiety and potentially worse fiscal outcomes, as highlighted by a 2013 University of Chicago poll involving the country's top economists in academia. These short-term fixes, subject to partisanship, can undermine the economy—especially international trade—given the dollar's status as the global reserve currency. They also impact the well-being of both the next generation and the older ones who rely on entitlements and other programs. Obviously, the root of our debt is government spending, budget deficits, etc, which must be dealt with in conjunction with more government accountability, which voters can help ensure in 2024.
2. Beware of negative rhetoric, especially when it becomes hateful and generalizes.
As Life with Lex has long promoted, embrace different perspectives and avoid staying in a partisan echo chamber. To that point, many politicians use propaganda and hate as a means of furthering their political agenda and gaining power. It is crucial to recognize this when it appears and consistently reflect upon your own political and personal beliefs, as well as any biases or limitations that they may have.
3. Immigration should involve both domestic and foreign policy.
For too long, the foreign policy element of immigration has been overlooked. Consider a root cause of immigration—individuals leaving in search of better economic and educational opportunities. Through foreign investments, humanitarian aid, and cooperation with international governmental organizations (IGOs), the quality of life in many countries will improve. Of course, this takes time and must be coupled with domestic policies, most notably a reformed immigration system, which has not experienced major changes since 1986 (over 38 years ago) with the Immigration Reform and Control Act.
Lastly, like we said in May, no matter your candidate, Life with Lex encourages you to vote. Each vote makes a difference and is an integral part of the democratic process! We vow to keep you informed throughout the rest of the election too.
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