Politics - Republican Debate #1

I watched both of the Republican debates last week, and had a couple of conversations with various friends, family, and co-workers. Keep in mind that personally, I am purple. My father was a Republican and my mother a Democrat. There were no significant arguments while I was growing up, but then, things were not so polarized back then. Personally, I look at both candidates and choose the one I think is best for the country. I voted for both Reagan and Clinton. 

Now, things are different. My blue Democrat friends/family hope that Mr. Trump is the candidate, as they feel their candidate would be a shoo-in. My red Republican friends/family feel the same about Mr. Sanders, feeling he is too Socialist for the general election.  

My personal feeling is that regardless if you lean Red or Blue, you need to pay attention to BOTH sides and hope for the best candidate possible on both sides. Why? Let's pretend that Mr. Trump and Mr. Sanders (both a bit on the fringes of their respective parties) are the candidates. This means that one of them will be our next President, while neither seem to have the mainstream's values at heart. What if ii is 'fringe candidate' vs. 'ideal candidate?' What is something happens? What is 'ideal candidate,' who is a shoo-in against the 'fringe candidate,' suddenly has a serious scandal, or even a serious accident/health issue?  We've seen promising candidates, over the years, who fell suddenly due to one or another of these types of issues. 

'What if' the candidate you consider 'fringe' actually wins? I doubt it would be good for the overall country. I feel it is my responsibility as a voter to root for two viable candidates, who are both centrist enough to potentially win, and neither of whom would be a disaster for the mainstream voter. 

Personally, I was more impressed with the 'JV' roster of debaters than the 'prime time' candidates, but then again, the atmosphere was different for each group. I can't wait for the first Democratic debate!