Pub. 16 2019 Issue 2

Issue 2 • 2019 19 O V E R A C E N T U R Y : B U I L D I N G B E T T E R B A N K S - H E L P I N G N E W M E X I C O R E A L I Z E D R E A M S the Affordable Care Act. This position can be labeled as the sec - ond camp in this debate. The third camp, which is the position being espoused by most other Democrat candidates, is a move to- ward a Medicare for All system. A Medicare for All systemwould be one where healthcare would be entirely government-funded. In polling, the most popular position is a move toward a Medicare for All system with the option to keep one’s private insurance, which polls in the high 60s to low 70s in most studies. The option of sticking with the Affordable Care Act polls in the high 40s to low 50s, while the option of completely dismantling the Affordable Care Act without a concrete plan to take its place polls in the teens to low 20s. Economy: The economy, as always, will be at the forefront in the up- coming election. By certain indicators (stock market growth and low unemployment rate), the economy is remarkably strong. However, other indicators (stagnant wage growth and an increase in wealth inequality) indicate that the economy has only recovered for a relatively low percentage of Amer - icans. According to a 2017 study by CareerBuilder, 78% of Americans say they live paycheck to paycheck. According to the Social Security Administration, 51% of American workers make $30,000 or less. The numbers clearly indicate that the American economy has never been stronger for large corporations or the extremely wealthy. But that is not the majority of Americans, so millions of people are still struggling to get by. President Trump will ar- gue on behalf of what he will claim is a strong economy, while it will be up to his opponent to effectively point out the holes in his argument. His opponent will have to present facts and figures that indicate that most economic growth has gone directly to the top and that wages, the most important factor for any worker, have remained stagnant for decades. Trump will be arguing on behalf of what he believes is a strong status quo, while his opponent will have to present effec - tive policy ideas to counteract that line of thinking. His oppo- nent must present concrete solutions in order to counter what the President believes is an issue he can run on effectively. It would also be surprising if Trump doesn’t mention the 2017 tax cut package, which has arguably mostly benefited corporations and the extremely wealthy. It will also be up to his opponent to effectively counter this argument. The economic debate will seemingly involve defending the status quo versus reframing what exactly defines a strong economy. Is it growth at the top or society functioning for a greater percentage of individuals? Foreign Policy: Foreign policy is one of the more interesting areas to study in the upcoming election because sentiments are not necessarily uniform across party lines. President Trump has been an odd mix of interventionist and non-interventionist since his time in office. For instance, he has clearly attempted to ratchet down tensions with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un by engaging in personal negotiations. What has come from those negotia- tions remains slightly unclear, but Trump’s actions are a clear attempt to decrease tension with North Korea. The reactions to Trump’s negotiations have been puzzling. Republicans, who were vehemently opposed to President Obama negotiating directly with Kim Jong Un, have been almost uniformly sup- portive of Trump’s negotiations. More moderate Democrats, such as Biden, have been almost uniformly critical of Trump’s negotiations, claiming they supply Kim Jong Un with credibil- ity. More progressive Democrats and independents, such as Senators Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren, have been less critical of Trump’s attempts to negotiate. Traditionally, Repub - licans take more interventionist foreign policy stances, but, in this particular case, moderate Democrats have been the most opposed to negotiating with North Korea under Trump. However, the President has been the exact opposite when it comes to Iran. The Iran Nuclear Deal, signed under Pres- ident Obama, essentially prevented Iran from developing nuclear weapons in exchange for easing sanctions, among numerous other factors. Trump, soon after he took office, ripped up the Iran Nuclear Deal and has maintained an extremely aggressive posture toward Iran since. In recent months, Trump has hinted at possible military action against Iran, even though Iran is simply reacting to us ripping up the deal that had been reached. The reality is that Americans are becoming wary of war. According to recent polls, less than 20% of Americans still believe we should be occupying Iraq and Afghanistan. There is little, if any, evidence that American voters have an appetite for further military intervention. We spend more money on defense than the next nine nations combined. The candidate who can articulate a clear and consistent foreign policy vision, emphasizing non-interventionism and a cutback in military spending, will seemingly be the one who is most in line with the American voter. There are many areas that are being underserved and underfunded, and part of that reason is our bloated defense budget. Marijuana To legalize or not to legalize? According to polls, nearly 70% of Americans now want to legalize nationally. A candidate, if he or she wants to take the popular position, will support the legalization of marijuana. Eleven states have legalized marijuana. The first state to do so, Colorado, has generated nearly $1 billion in revenue since legalization. It’s becoming a commercially mainstream and viable product, no longer sub- ject to the stigma that it received for years. Every single bit of momentum is pointing in the direction of legalization, so being opposed is essentially delaying the inevitable. President Trump will almost certainly be vehement- ly opposed to legalization, as has been the stance of the vast majority of elected Republicans. The Democrats, on the other hand, are more of a mixed bag. More moderate candidates, such as Biden and Senator Kamala Harris, have come out as opposed to legalization in recent years. Biden was, in fact, one of the architects of the comprehen- sive crime bill in the 90s, which placed harsh penalties on marijuana users. Harris, in 2014, laughed at the prospect of legalization. Recently, however, Harris has moved more toward the side of legalization. More progressive candi- dates, such as Warren and Sanders, have come out in favor of legalization. n THE 2020 ELECTION continued on page 20