This election season has been really troubling to many Americans as well as myself. Our choice is between Trump and Clinton, neither of which are ideal candidates. Perhaps the most interesting thing to me is the conversations I have heard from friends and family about why they lend their support to one candidate over the other. Is it hatred towards the opposite side of the aisle? Is it reliance on propaganda? Is it something else? I really don’t have an answer other than rapidly changing landscape in the country is breeding a sort of confusion that is blurring party lines and destroying the people’s ability to make rational decisions. This sea of swarming contentions and bitter rivalries has led to division and opportunity for a particularly detestable class of people to emerge as our representatives.

I am deeply disturbed by Hillary Clinton’s disregard for the law. Her defense has boiled down now to, “other people did it too. I’m just doing what they did.” As a parent, I think I would have something to say to my kids if they ever used that excuse to justify action. Additionally, this is a woman who has been involved in over a dozen scandals through the years dating back to and including some involvement in Watergate. Some of these accusations include using the IRS to bully political rivals, attempted theft of furnishings from the Whitehouse, and the Benghazi scandal.

Trump on the other hand, seems to change his mind all the time and supports creating further divisions between the American people through his racially charged remarks and apparent lack respect for anyone not white or male. Additionally, he is a man willing to challenge and openly mock the judicial system because of his failures at the Trump University. How could this man be expected to usher in a new political era when he so openly and frequently causes division and hatred? Discord and strife are not badges of leadership.

Despite striking opposition within their own parties, these two have managed to surface as the stars of our nation. I remember talking to some friends who were die-hard Ted Cruz fans a few months ago. They couldn’t say enough about how Trump was not just a bad candidate, but instead a devil in disguise. Today, Trump can do no wrong and is the must be President elect. The same can be said of some friends of mine who were Bernie supporters and now side with Clinton. There is an apparent lack of any rational reason to this switch in taste. Of course not everyone fits into these generalizations, but a great many do.

Contention has obscured the truth about the candidates and allowed the most interesting paradox to emerge. The Hillary camp only seems to support her because they want to see the Trump and Republicans in general stay out of power. The funny thing is, for anti-war, fiscally liberal democrats, Hillary seems to be the exact opposite of what they want. She both supported the war and is a fiscal conservative. I remember her saying in the news that even though she voted for the war in Iraq, democrats knew she really didn’t support the war. She has no reason for changing her mind on the issue other than it became damaging to her career. She is this person known for a lack of integrity whose supporters follow her despite contradictory political beliefs.

To continue the contradiction and confusion, why would fiscally conservative Republicans vote for Trump? He has openly stated he wants to push more spending and increase the deficit. So Republicans want fiscal conservatism but they hate Hillary. Democrats want more deficit spending but they hate Trump. This is one of many faces of the identity crisis in America.

These sorts of issues have led to an interesting change in political philosophy too. Obama’s supposed abuse of executive authority has resulted in a nation that needs a Republican who is willing to use the same authority to overturn nearly a decade of abuse by Obama. Or so the argument goes. The funny thing is that despite all the controversy around Obama, there are only three Presidents since 1901 who have used the authority less, John F Kennedy, Gerald Ford, and George Bush Senior. In fact, in the last 50 years, republican presidents have used the authority about 10% more than democrats. Although use of the authority is less than it used to be, both parties are content to advocate democracy but seem to be using authoritarian measures to get what they want weather it be healthcare reform, immigration or other.

A wise philosopher once said, “The more laws and commands there are, the more thieves and robbers there will be.” – Lao Tzu –

The American people are confused. The government and its policies are too bloated for the people to act in any level of rationality because it is impossible for the average American to stay abreast of the rapidly changing and utterly massive political landscape. Maybe the only accomplishment we as a people have been able to accomplish in the last 50 years is confusing ourselves into ever more tyrannical subjugation fulfilling Socrates’ theories on how democracy ends.

Is this election cycle a living embodiment of this wisdom and forecast of things to come? Are we a victim of our own bloat? The only thing that seems to have been consistent about government in the last 100 years is expansion. From FDR to Reagan and Bush Jr to Obama, both parties seem to be masters of expansion and creating complexity. Perhaps complexity is the source of our confusion and crisis.

I do not know if this is true or not, but we as Americans need to decide who we want to be. The contention and confusion only serve to weaken us as a nation and allow those without integrity or vision to take power. We have confused the wise and allowed thieves to enter and oppress. Is Hillarump the best we have to offer? Maybe we should all just take a look at our own biases and ask what we can do to clear the fog and create a better future.