The Lesser of Two Evils: Reconciling The Senate Race.

We have all read about the scandalous affair of Cal Cunningham. I will admit it doesn’t look great on his integrity and morals. However, holding politicians as a shining beacon of morality is a fantasy that lives in the minds of voters. 

No politician is without moral ambiguity or some form of corruption because in order to be successful in politics you have to do unethical things. Cal Cunningham has made unprincipled decisions, but these choices should not impact his potential constituency, unlike his opponent. 

Thom Tillis continuously votes against the interest of his constituency, instead he votes for whomever is writing his check. For the Koch Brothers, he blocks policies that would combat climate change. For big pharma, he allows them to raise medication prices for the average North Carolinian. Worst of all, he dismisses the lives lost at the 2019 UNCC shooting by voting against any form of gun control and accepting financial endorsements from the NRA. 

The tradition of untouchable, unethical senate incumbents, such as Thom Tillis, threatens the very purpose of political democracy. Politics become corrupt when outside businesses lobby, support and purchase politicians and it is clear that our current senator has been bought. Thom Tillis gets most of his campaign finance from a private-equity investment group, Blackstone group, that is a front for the Koch brothers political and social agenda. That being said, Cal Cunningham’s campaign finances, endorsements, and policies show the new ideas he would bring into the senate. 

Apart from the corruption and under the table dealings associated with Thom Tillis, there is the topic of human rights. As of yesterday, Amy Coney Barrett will become the next Supreme Court Justice. This will put millions of American’s rights to ownership of their own bodies and right to marry who they love at risk. This means it is no longer a discussion of left versus right but a debate of democracy versus dictatorship. 

We are standing on a precipice of uncertainty. The box you tick could decide not only the fate of this nation, but of every person you know who doesn’t fit into the framework of the nuclear family. If we as a nation keep electing the same politicians we will become stagnant. I will be voting for Cal Cunningham because I don’t want a senate who is uninvested in the reality ordinary Americans are facing. In order to preserve democracy, American’s must vote, and vote for new ideas, outlooks and individuals.

 

Coulture’s mission statement says that we aim to be a magazine for people of all shapes and sizes, for those who speak up and stand out. We recognize that it is important to hear from people with personal views, strong perspectives, and something to say. This article is part of Coulture’s “What I’m Voting For” initiative where members write about the issues they care about in the 2020 election.