Students in Professor Thomas Franklin’s Multimedia News Production class interviewed other students at Montclair State about their thoughts on the presidential candidates and for whom they are planning to vote in the 2016 election. This is what the students of Montclair State University had to say.
Christian Mundo
Sophomore
“I’m still watching the debates, but as of now Donald Trump is [going to] win because of the polls. He is the only one that makes sense. He’s a businessman, and they have specific goals. Politicians promise things and never do [them]. Businessmen have to plan. Obama has made mistakes and said things he didn’t do. Trump also got most of the Spanish votes in Nevada compared to Rubio. Some of the things he says are weird, but most people still vote for him. Most of the news forget the word ‘illegal.’ He is against illegal Mexicans and immigrants. What he says about women, though, is unacceptable.”
Interviewed by Anna Dreyfuss
Shannon Boyle
Senior
“In the 2016 Presidential Election, I 100-percent support Senator Bernie Sanders. At a time when we, as a country, are experiencing so much social unrest, he brings a hopeful and optimistic perspective into the national discourse. There are endless numbers of topics that get discussed on the political stage, but he speaks on the ones that resonate the most with me and, it seems, many other people my age. For instance, student debt is on the forefront of most of our minds with graduation right around the corner. As president, Sanders will attempt to make all public colleges free as well as stop the government from using student debt as a source of profit. This is huge. Since I have already incurred thousands of dollars in student debt, his plan will help me by lowering my interest rate. Women’s rights are another important issue to me. I have worked extremely hard to get to where I am today, and I expect to be treated as an equal to my male counterparts. Bernie will fight for equal pay for equal work, will fight to expand and protect reproductive rights, and will fight for 12-week paid family leave for new parents. I think everyone needs to wake up and realize how important these issues are. I understand that he is extreme in many ways. He is a self-described ‘democratic socialist,’ and that term scares a lot of people. However, majority of the candidates in this election are extreme, yet swaying in the other direction. They are creating a massive and detrimental divide in the country, while Bernie is trying to help us remain united. I understand he has his downfalls, but so does every other candidate. On the subjects most important to me, Bernie is the clear front-runner. Even if Senator Sanders doesn’t get elected, I am hopeful that he has prompted a new dialogue that will remain even after election time.”
Interviewed by Melissa Plaza
John Sellino
Senior
“I feel like it’s a cliché at this point, but I am ‘Feeling the Bern.’ I think I like a lot of what Bernie stands for. I think that he is real as opposed to the other candidates in the race. I think there is a lot of work to be done, and I think just by electing Bernie doesn’t necessarily mean that the work is going to get done, because there is a whole Congress that doesn’t necessarily support him. So, I support Bernie, but I don’t know that all his work is going to get done that he has promised. I think that everyone is so overzealous at the things that he plans to do, but I don’t know if he’s going to keep to his word. I do not support any of the Republican candidates. Donald Trump, to be blunt, needs to f*ck directly off. If you look at what he’s done, he’s corrupted so many people, but he’s claiming to make America great again. Educationally, we are working towards shying away from literature that is inherently white. One of these inherently white texts that I love is ‘The Great Gatsby.’ But it seems to be mostly inherently white in nature. There are theories that it’s not and I agree a lot with a lot of those theories. But Donald Trump, to me, is Tom Buchanan of that book. He is dogmatic and racist and blunt, but those aren’t even the right words. And he speaks his mind, which is something that a lot of his promoters endorse him for, which is something I don’t understand. He is not saying anything brilliant. He doesn’t say anything intelligent. He is just speaking out of his ass, to be honest. His tag that he’ll make America great again is the antithesis of what he’ll do — he’ll just make America awful.”
Interviewed by Krystal Aguilar
Joseph Oliveri
Junior
“The 2016 Presidential Election will be the first time that I am able to vote. I missed the age cutoff for the last election by a couple of weeks. To be honest, I don’t follow politics too much. It’s just not really my thing. I tend to keep my political views to myself, because I feel like people tend to shove their opinions down everyone else’s throat. I feel that people put too much emphasis on that sort of thing and end up getting too hung up on it. However, recently I’ve been doing some research on the possible candidates, and as of now my vote is with Bernie Sanders. I really dig everything he is about. I’m all for equality all around. I think we need someone in office who will fairly represent all different kinds of people. I think that we really need to stop focusing on what people are and start focusing on people as people. We all come from different backgrounds, and I just feel like Bernie is the only candidate who really looks at people in an equal way. Bernie also has my vote because of his views on saving the planet. This is an issue that I believe is becoming more and more important every day. I don’t think that we take our environment into consideration at all. I also don’t think people take it seriously, and it is something many take for granted because it is just apart of everyday life. I fully support Sanders’ desire to move away from fossil fuels and more toward more efficient energy sources like wind and solar energy. I just hope whoever wins the election takes into consideration the things we need to do to preserve our country and the people who live in it.”
