1. Overshadowed but powerful and ready for America
On November 8th, 2016, citizens of the United States of America will vote to elect a new
president and vice­president for their country. Although the date is still well over a year away,
much is being done to prepare for the election. Candidacies have been declared, committees are
being created, and a war is rising. In a gallant storm to take control and instill change in a
country, there is a great divide between the democratic and republican parties. They have
different ideologies. Their candidates have different ideologies. However, most importantly, their
goals and priorities are vastly different. As with senators and governors, presidents will have
their own agenda as well as the basic responsibilities as president. As campaigning progresses,
candidates will promote the issues and causes they believe in in order to gain support and to
build upon projects they may found if they emerge victorious in the elections.
On the democratic side, there are four candidates who have officially announced their
candidacy as of now; Hillary Clinton (former U.S. Secretary of State), Bernie Sanders (Senator
of Vermont), Martin O’Malley (Former Governor of Maryland), and Lincoln Chafee (Former
Governor of Rhode Island). All four of these candidates have stated their positions of several
social and economic issues that America is tackling today, yet they all have different approaches
to the same issues. Many people who watch the media regularly may know about Hillary
Clinton’s desires to give veterans more benefits or Bernie Sanders’ plans to eliminate the gap
between the rich and the poor. With so much spotlight on Clinton and Sanders, the names of
former governors O’Malley and Chafee may raise some eyebrows.
Martin O’Malley has held positions including governor of Maryland, mayor of
Baltimore, and city councillor of Baltimore. Since announcing his candidacy on May 30th,
O’Malley has given us his stance of various issues. Similar to many of Bernie Sanders’ plans,
O’Malley intends for impactful progressive change in America. As governor, he legalised
same­sex marriage and repealed the death penalty in his state. In addition to these issues,
O’Malley also supports stricter gun control and abortion rights. Generally gearing towards the
left side of the political spectrum, O’Malley is building towards equality in terms of class and
opportunity for not just Americans, but immigrants as well. He has increased the minimum wage
in Maryland during his time as governor and plans to do so further in the future. He has also
emphasised the importance of keeping college students debt free and making education an
opportunity for all. This includes illegal immigrants as O’Malley recently signed a bill allowing
illegal immigrants to pay for in­state tuition for colleges. Set on changing America for the better,
O’Malley is a candidate that sincerely wants everyone to live the best lives they can. However,
many say that his ideals and goals are far too ambitious.
Lincoln Chafee has had quite the journey on his way to the upcoming election. From
1999­2007, Chafee served as a Republican senator, but later switched to being an independent. A
few years later, he served as the governor of Rhode Island and changed his party alignment once
more, this time to the democratic party. As a presidential candidate, Chafee is a big man facing

2. big ideas. The main policies and issues that he focuses on include protecting personal liberties,
environmental stewardship, building up the middle class, and avoiding foreign entanglement
according to his official campaign website. By mentioning avoiding foreign entanglement,
Chafee recalls the ramifications of the Iraq War. The consequences were immense and to put it
simply, Chafee wants to take a step back in the international scheme in order to take two steps
forward. Several of the 2016 candidates from both parties have plans to invest in the changing of
America’s central systems such as interstate economy, education, and social issues within the
country itself. However, Chafee has given the people a very good reason why: to step back and
steadily build up to a greater international voice.