Due to the country’s political climate, we are divided in two, officially known as Democrats and Republicans. Senior, Gavin Hoedl falls to the left when it comes to our country’s political parties.

     “I am a Democrat because Democrats care about people,” said Hoedl. “The Democratic party is fighting to help people feel safer and more represented in the country.”

     Our current president, Donald Trump, is a Republican who has been in office for approximately two and a half years. “The only thing our current president has done well is he’s gotten more people to pay attention so that someone like him will never be elected again,” said Hoedl. “One of the many things that have gone bad is that he has made a complete embarrassment of the presidency of the United States.”

     With an election on the way, stakes are high. “I expect a win for the Democrats, but I haven’t had much time to think about the 2020 election because I am focused on getting Alan Marston elected to the Olathe city council in the 2019 municipal election,”

     The president has a lot to live up to, being one of the key representatives of our country. “What I look for in a president, that our current president does not have, is compassion, competence, and intelligence,” said Hoedl.

     Often times, the attitude and actions of the president directly relate to the relationship of our citizens as a whole. “I feel like currently the state of citizens in relation to one another is difficult to describe,” said Hoedl. “For some people, they could be hostile towards one another because of the way they look, what they do, or who they love. For others, none of that matters.”

     Many people feel disconnected from each other during this presidency. “I would describe 2019 America as divided,” said Hodel. “Our country’s reaching one of the most divided times in our nation’s history.”

     One thing both parties can agree on is their love or hate for politics as a whole. Often times if one conforms with a political party, they don’t mind the idea of politics, or choose to be extremely involved.

     “I love politics. This is my passion, what I plan to go into. Political parties are inevitable. When you have a country that is so big with so many different ideas there will always be arguments, and there will always be political parties,” said Hoedl.

     Everyone, if given the opportunity, would run our nation in their own way. “I would let kids out of cages. I would put forth as much effort as I can to reunite families. I would make sure every woman has the right to choose,” said Hoedl. “I would enact a national emergency on the gun control issue. Help pass laws to make sure we have strong background checks, red-flag laws, and to stop guns getting in the hands of domestic abusers.”

     Above all, the way our country runs is important to most, especially those as involved as Hoedl. “When it comes to our nation, I am proud of the way we can elect officials to represent us,” said Hoedl.