The Democratic race has seen, perhaps, one of the most unusual candidates of all time in Bernie Sanders.  His “political revolution” has resonated with millions of Americans who share his vision of a society that works for everyone, not just a few.  Hillary Clinton is running on a similarly liberal platform and is projected to be the eventual Democratic Nominee.  For all intents and purposes, she is running for a third term of Barack Obama.  The significant thing about both of these candidates is that, if forced to run against Donald Trump or Ted Cruz, both of them (but probably Hillary Clinton) would beat them in a general election.

Trump and his antics have been seen by millions on any of the popular media outlets.  His racist and xenophobic ways clearly do not dissuade many people in the Republican Party and while that is troubling, his appeal is undeniable if you look at the polls. While people like his rejection of “political correctness,” you still need to be correct about your politics, and he is not.  His policy propositions are few and far between.  He mostly just says things will be “great” if he is president.

The other GOP front runner, Cruz, is much more eloquent than Trump.  He quotes the Bible correctly and is clearly a well-read guy.  Let us consider, though, what a President Cruz would look like.  Our president would be a puppet of the NRA, as well as an adamant climate change denier.  Let us not forget his deep-seated opposition to gay marriage.  He even referred to it as “fundamentally illegitimate, lawless and unconstitutional.”  Any hope we have of gaining ground in the fight to combat gun violence will be effectively reversed and eliminated by President Cruz.  Also, a survey of Cruz’s college friends and Senate colleagues would be an unfortunate testament to who he is on a personal level.

The point is not that Trump’s campaign has been a media frenzy and a hoax.  It doesn’t matter that Cruz is a religious fanatic and would be a disaster as a Commander-in-Chief.  The point is that neither one of these men will beat Clinton or Sanders in a general election. Mitt Romney could not do it against Obama in 2008 for similar reasons.  Trump and Cruz simply do not appeal to a wide enough voter base to win the general election.  They do not represent who we are as a country and the GOP will have had possibly the worst nominee in history.  

We shouldn’t be wasting time debating whether or not we should stop letting Muslim people into our country.  This is all just noise, keeping us from considering the real issues facing America.  Most people in the country want a candidate who is going to make the system work for them.  A Trump or Cruz administration is not looking out for the best interests of the country.  

Republicans need to consider candidates who have strong values, like John Kasich and Jeb Bush.  These men have a proven track record of effectively governing in their respective states.  Bush believes strongly in a path to citizenship, while Cruz and Trump want to ship them out one by one or build the next Great Wall of China. Kasich balanced the budget in Ohio and is a firm believer in our need to address the threats of climate change.  These are the moderate Republicans that Americans can believe in. Trump and Cruz are polling quite well, but neither are fit to serve as President of the United States.  The Republican race has been a bunch of angry men talking about each other rather than the issues that our country faces.  

Millennial Republicans need a candidate that can replace outdated Republican beliefs about things like immigration and guns.  If there is hope to put a Republican back in the oval office, do not look to Trump or Cruz.