Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump on Tuesday night faced off in their first debate leading up to the presidential election in November. A few weeks ago, Central Florida Public Media brought together four people:, two Republicans, one Democrat and one independent from different backgrounds and different parts of our listening area to talk about how they’re feeling this election season. While this conversation took place before the Harris and Trump debate, 64-year-old David Walker is the independent in the group, though he admits he does lean a bit more left, and said he was clear on who he plans to vote for.
Importance of character and integrity
Political fights are one thing, but the president of the United States has to be someone with strong character, said walker. For him, that’s not something Trump displays.
“If you have grandchildren, what are you telling your grandchildren? The things you’re seeing, you would tell your grandchild don’t do that. But that’s the guy you’re supposed to tell your grandchild I want you to be like that person, but you can’t say that today,” Walker said.
He said there’s a way to engage with people and name calling --, downgrading and denigrating are not appropriate. Walker said he votes on issues and policies but he cannot overlook character as well.
For 69-year-old Tom Unrath, who is a registered Republican, he said he too is looking for someone striving to do the right thing. Someone with integrity. He said it’s sometimes difficult because he often doesn’t recognize his political party.
“Yes, I’m a registered Republican but it’s been quite a while since I felt that the Republican Party is what I bought into originally when I registered. They have moved. I don’t believe that I have,” Unrath said.
How governing should work
Both Unrath and Walker agree that while elected officials run on a platform to get themselves and their parties into office, for the good of democracy there has to be compromise.
“True government and governing has bipartisan decisions,” Walker said. “We may be in different parties, my party might be in charge, but I need your buying [into] it. We’re working to have a bipartisan decision. That’s the way government should be,” Walker said.
Walker and Unrath say they have concerns at both the federal level and state level when it comes to how lawmakers are working together because they don’t believe it’s happening enough.
