Emotional Voting

The news, lately, has been attributing Hillary Clinton’s recent win in New Hampshire to her welling tears and outbursts of frustration. But this just brings up the critical question: why talk about the issues if you can influence the voters through a display of emotion, however genuine it may be? Emotions have their place, certainly, but not as a deciding factor in a crucial election in our country. We should elect representatives and leaders based on their skills, their experience, and their ability to lead. To cast a vote for someone who relies on their personal appeal, charm, or sentimental displays, however, starts us down a very slippery slope. First it’s someone who shows genuine emotion in response to a question or a challenging situation. But right along this path we have two extreme options: a representative who is paralyzed by their feelings, or a guileful actor who wields them like a weapon instead of talking about the issues, and thus manipulating the voters. Neither of these possibilities bodes well for our nation. It is thus our responsibility to critically review each candidate and choose them based on what they have done in the past, have they are doing now, and what they are capable of doing in the future… and not just elect the performers. In all honesty, this goes for any election.