With the 2016 election on the horizon, Hoosiers face a tough decision among Democrat Hillary Clinton, Republican Donald Trump, Libertarian Gary Johnson and Green Party member Jill Stein for president.
Unfortunately, I am critical of all of these candidates’ abilities to effectively improve affairs in Indiana.
Trump is a loose cannon at best. He doesn’t display the conservative principles, especially economically, that brought prosperity to the state through the policies of Govs. Mitch Daniels and Mike Pence.
Clinton has proven to mishandle sensitive information and has pledged to raise taxes on the middle class. It might have been a Freudian slip, but I think it shows that Clinton doesn’t care about the middle class.
Further, increasing taxes means inflating the size of government, because it indicates the creation of federal programs which increase the size and scope of government.
At best, Johnson lacks experience on the national level and in foreign affairs. Some of his policies seem nice, but without other libertarians in Congress, he may face trouble implementing his policies.
Stein’s policies are equally as radical as former democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders’ proposed policies. She’s polled no higher than 5 percent, and is unlikely to offer much to Hoosiers, anyway.
All of the candidates have flaws and I don’t support any of them.
However, Trump will be the best candidate for Indiana because Pence is his running mate. Pence is a controversial figure in Indiana, due to his record of upholding his strong, socially conservative values.
I might add that the Republican Party’s supermajority in the Indiana State Senate, and strong majority in the House of Representatives have put political pressure on Pence’s wiggle room. They can override his veto if he deviated from them, anyway.
However, Pence brings valuable knowledge of Indiana to the Trump-Pence ticket, which, in my opinion, makes it the most attractive ticket for Hoosiers.
Pence has created rapid economic growth for Hoosiers and has passed the largest tax cuts in Indiana history, saving voters more than $1.1 billion.
Although Trump doesn’t have the conservative background that Pence has, it creates a balance.
In terms of Pence handling international relations, I feel rather comfortable with this move for a number of reasons.
First, Pence has been outspoken in his unconditional support for Israel. The dynamic in the Middle East is tumultuous at best, but Pence is not afraid to call the problem what it is, unlike many on the left.
Additionally, Pence has significant experience dealing with international business through Indiana and he also has experience from his tenure in the House of Representatives.
Overall, I think Trump, under the guidance of Pence, will have enough experience, ample ideology and the strength to stand up to America’s adversaries, but also kindheartedness to deal with nations in need.
staranyi@indiana.edu
@TweetsByAranyi
