A major appeal of Donald Trump in 2016 was that he was going to get things done. Three years later, only two out of the ten laws he ensured would be passed in the first 100 days of his presidency got any traction, according to the Washington Post, and the two that did were only partially passed. That is where his extreme ideas got us.  

The election is coming up quickly and Bernie Sanders has been winning in the polls. His promises have been appealing to left-wing democrats but have pushed away moderates in the same way Donald Trump has. After a failed election in 2016, he is back with vengeance to transform politics. Is the currently divided country ready for such a push for progressiveness? 

The ability to compromise is a rare and unappreciated virtue in this political climate, and Sanders clearly lacks the negotiation skills a president needs. While he is leading in the polls for his extreme stances on issues, his divisiveness can prove to be a problem if he were to take office. It does not take a genius to predict that he will face severe pushback from Republicans while trying to make tangible changes. His economic plan to enforce universal healthcare and cancel student debt may be interesting for young liberals, but older moderates or republicans in this area are not so inclined to agree. It is a timeless tale: a candidate promises the world and ends up greatly disappointing his supporters.   

I wish I could like Sanders, with the prospect of free college being extremely enticing. I also do not hate the idea of change in this country (there are many, many things I think should be fixed), but we need to ease into it to avoid chaos and cultural shock. If we keep going down the accepting road that we are on, maybe in twenty years we would elect a Sanders. But, with the fear still installed in this country from the cold war, anything resembling socialism or communism is going to be shot down. Sanders’ democratic socialism cannot work in a country that is so ingrained with the fear of losing freedom. 

Although our age group is his demographic, many Nebraskan teens are just not buying it. This is an already conservative state; it is going to be extremely hard to get many supporters here, even in his targeted age group. Seniors at PLHS are having their first chance to vote this year, and I am very confident in my prediction that Sanders will not have the majority of our votes.  

From how the election has progressed, Bernie Sanders has a solid lead for the democratic nominee. The difference in both party’s nominees is shocking and is exposing the division in politics today. It leaves new voters making the tough decisions that will affect them the most, because they are going to be facing the repercussions of the policies for the longest. They must decide between extreme capitalism and democratic socialism, with not much middle ground to fall back on.  

This perpetuates everything wrong with politics today: the idea that one party is correct all the time and the other party is idiotic. No compromise will happen unless we have a more moderate candidate that can appease both sides, and with no middle ground, nothing will get done in office.