Thoughts on the Upcoming Election

So, here we are, facing the upcoming November election. It’s already being branded as “the most important election of our lifetime.” You’ve heard it, probably from multiple sources. It seems like every election is framed this way, going back to at least 1805. It’s this tiresome rhetoric designed to engage those who believe elections genuinely matter.

I actually found some reassurance in how many people online are recognizing the cliché of that phrase. I didn’t realize there were so many aware of the joke.

But instead of adding to that sentiment, I want to highlight what I think will be true about the 2026 elections: they might turn out to be the most ridiculous and trivial we’ve seen.

Looking ahead, I have to say, 2026 will likely be more absurd than 2024, which was more absurd than 2022. It honestly doesn’t matter whether it’s a presidential election or an off-year—each one seems to grow more nonsensical than the last.

Elections often focus on problematic issues that, well, I’d say are often exaggerated or irrelevant. It feels like a deliberate distraction from the real challenges we face.

This reason alone contributes to the notion that each election grows more trivial. Our genuine issues are consistently overlooked, and this disregard makes the current one seem even more superficial until we finally reach a point of no more elections.

The problems we need to address are pretty apparent. Yet, it’s astounding how much money is funneled into elections to divert attention from them.

This upcoming “off-year” election is expected to see an unprecedented amount of spending. Still, if you were to listen to every second of campaign chatter born from those dollars, you’d hardly hear anything about our pressing issues.

On the bright side, there’s at least one significant topic gaining attention in this election cycle—somewhat unintentionally, but it’s something. I’m referring to what I call AI-Plus: encompassing AI, data centers, surveillance technology, and so on. This area has flown under the radar of politicians, yet the public is expressing strong concerns about it.

It’s a rare moment where citizen voices are so loud they compel our elected officials to feign interest in the matter, which I find kind of amusing to witness.

But there are several crucial issues that Election 2026 isn’t addressing much at all.

Take, for instance, the impacts of President Trump’s actions concerning Iran, which have disrupted global energy markets and inevitably harmed the economy. It’s going to take years to return to some form of normalcy, and that’s a real concern.

Then there’s the staggering $40 trillion federal debt, with over a trillion dollars just going towards interest. Meanwhile, there’s dwindling interest from buyers for the bonds that fund this debt. That’s another serious matter.

These issues should dominate the conversation surrounding Election 2026, but instead, they seem ignored, with only some vague promises thrown around.

Trump claims that prices will drop once the war concludes—though I doubt that will happen—and he also blames high prices on the Biden administration. But if Biden is to blame, why would the war’s end change anything?

There’s also chatter about reducing the deficit, but the projected deficit for the fiscal year 2026 is over $2 trillion, and it’s expected to rise to $2.2 trillion in FY 2027. By my calculations, that doesn’t point to any significant improvement.

What trivial matters are dominating Election 2026? Let’s take a look at some of the “urgent issues” they’re bringing up.

We keep hearing about a looming Communist threat.

And if they’re talking about China—where we’ve actually placed our economic and security interests—well, it seems to be overlooked. Instead, the focus is on a handful of public officials within a massive population.

Then there’s the so-called imminent Islamist threat, which again, points to just a few Muslim officials amidst 340 million Americans. You can even find connections if you want—like New York City’s Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani, for example.

And naturally, there’s the usual fixation on Israel and its neighboring countries.

I’m not a supporter of communism or radical Islam, and I understand they’ve caused issues in certain areas. But do I genuinely believe the U.S. faces an imminent threat from them? Not really.

I used to advocate for America First before it became a popular phrase, and now, watching Trump’s rise and fall in that regard, I find myself leaning back toward isolationism.

There’s an interesting irony here. Trump once managed to inject some realities into our political discourse but seems to have reverted to triviality.

For me, my stance hasn’t changed. Spending our resources abroad isn’t something I support—whether it be on military bases or assistance to foreign nations, including Israel.

Outsourcing our funds overseas means choosing sides. Unless someone chooses to act against U.S. interests, we really shouldn’t be choosing sides among others.

What happens between Israel, its neighbors, and about 185 other countries isn’t really our concern. Intervening often leads to negative repercussions against the U.S.—just look at history.

I wish real issues and meaningful policies were part of US Election 2026 discussions. But based on past trends, that seems unlikely.