The U.S. run for 2020 presidential nominations have kicked off, and as an outsider (Scottish person) I already feel overwhelmed. If you listen to the late-night show host of your choice, there are more than enough Democratic candidates in the race at this point. For Republicans, the choices are simple, for now, with Incumbent Donald Trump, and former Massachusetts Governor Bill Weld (not officially declared candidacy during writing) in the running. While in the wings sits Tennessee’s Bob Corker, Maryland’s Larry Hogan, and Ohio’s John Kasich. In short, the Republican candidate is almost determined at this point.

For Democrats there are several names including; Cory Booker, Pete Buttigieg, Julian Castro, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard, A Tickle Me Elmo doll, Kristen Gillibrand, Kamala Harris, John Hickenlooper, Kazuma Kiryu, Jay Inslee, Amy Klobuchar, Wayne Messam, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Marianne Williamson, Andrew Yang, and recently Beto O’Rourke. These are just the candidates that have formed an exploratory committee or declared. With Andrew Gillum expected to formally announce (at the time of writing), and Richard Ojeda has announced and suspended his campaign already.

Democrats that have shown interest in running include, Stacey Abrams, Michael Bennet, Abed Nadir, Joe Biden, Steve Bullock, Charlie Day, Bill de Blasio, Terry McAuliffe, the sentient being of all those unsold Atari E.T cartridges, Tim Ryan, and Eric Swalwell. For all we know, some of those people may be real, have lives, and even families. With so many candidates in the running, you are better off urinating into the wind, hoping it hits someone presidential, and voting for them. By the time the DNC have to decide in November who will face the Republican candidate/president, their list of names will be the length of the bible, old and new testaments combined.

What has quickly become the hot spot for prospect Democratic candidates, is New York’s own The Breakfast Club. A nationally syndicated talk, political, and Hip-Hop radio show hosted by, DJ Envy, Charlemagne Tha God, and Angela Yee. With a few candidates already dropping into the show to give interviews including, Yang, Sanders, Williamson, and Harris most famously.

After Harris appeared on the show back in February, an uproar began as more conservative listeners caught on to and spread one question posed. Late in the interview when Senator Harris spoke about marijuana, the question was proposed, “Have you ever smoked?” and Harris admitted to doing so. Moments later DJ Envy asked, “What does Kamala Harris listen to [right now]?”

Meanwhile, as Harris was about to answer the question Charlemagne interjected with: “What was you listening to when you were high?” followed by laughter. Harris listed several artists including Cardi B, Tupac, and Snoop Dogg. Several conservative news sites (including Fox News, Breitbart, and Meghan McCain) made claims that she (Harris) still smokes marijuana because she listed currently active, previously active artists, and artists that were not active at the time (while smoking marijuana).

We have to acknowledge that there was laughter surrounding these moments, as there was throughout all the interviews. Not only was this interview filled with frivolity, but so was every other interview. The Yang interview features jokes that Yang is robot-like for saying “humans” so often. Sanders and Charlemagne joked that Trump is racist, xenophobic, among other things, in their opinion. Should Harris’ comments have been taken so literally, taken at face value, or should all candidates face the same criticism without full context?

This criticism isn’t on a matter of how she has voted, or how she will vote during and after this race, including how she would lead if successful. Harris spoke between both questions, specifically on the matter of her opinions on whether people should be able to access marijuana, medical marijuana, and her own concerns over the long term effects of the drug.

Those were never spoken about in the media. Instead news sites, pundits, and other talking heads focused on the music and weed questions. These questions and answers were spun to discredit her as a candidate, and often validate those who support her with a blind defense.

It is now standard for anyone to discredit the quality of reporting on Fox News, and if not Fox then CNN or MSNBC. “Identity politics,” is the name for this disassociation of reporting, interviewing, and the “opinion-news” of roundtables which has become the nature of these networks, from the daily news. Fox & Friends is often called the state’s (i.e the presidents) only source of news as the incumbent often calls in or Tweets. Fox News on its own is often called “State TV,” as Tucker Carlson defends the incumbent daily, Hannity is said to have phone calls with the president after his show, and several other instances.

One can’t deny that there is some validity that Fox News is producing content that is catching the eye of many people. If we take any intimation from the statistics that rose after the 2016 election, we see that the majority of people (who had taken the poll) get their news from Fox News at an enormous 19%, which is greater than CNN and MSNBC combined, as seen in the image below.

One of the possible candidates that have not announced a campaign, Eric Swalwell tweeted: “I’ve been on nearly every @FoxNews show. I don’t go on because I accept the views of [their] hosts, but because I respect that some of their viewers are open-minded…” as he is (one of) the only notable Democrats to visit Fox. This was following the announcement the DNC made to block Fox News from hosting a debate heading towards the 2020 election. A decision that has prompted some derision from those on both sides.

Bloomberg followed this announcement with an op-ed stating the judgment by DNC heads was correct. Calling Fox News biased by nature, and that it was only right to follow in the steps of the RNC who elected to not host a debate on NBC, opting for CNN instead. Others, such as Bill Maher dedicated a section of his show last Friday to this case of “short-sightedness,” as the previously stated numbers show a majority of the voting public sought Fox News as their primary news source.

What does this have to do with The Breakfast Club? Recently Envy, Yee, and Charlemagne joined Fox News anchor Shannon Bream, for a segment where the host sighted an article on The Daily Beast, claiming the show to be “Must-stop,” and “The World’s Most Dangerous Morning Show.” Bream later asked who they (Envy, Yee, and Charlemagne) would like on the show. After the suggestion that the president could join the show one morning, the three hosts had differing responses. Charlemagne and Yee saw the idea as horrible as a result of the President’s former experience in “hostile” environments. Envy sighting it as great as he would, “have to be honest.”

Personally, I’d like to see an interview with every candidate in the running on The Breakfast Club. As Yee states in the Fox News interview, “…We aren’t political pundits, so people come on the show, and they are used to talking about things like their policies, and things that are very rehearsed.” when talking about the informality of the show. This is what makes them not only entertaining but also “the voice of the people,” to use such a cliché. To see Envy, Yee, and Charlemagne pose their questions to the lesser known characters in the race could be revealing of important positions.

The point is, neither side of the American political field should “cancel” on each other. I’ve said in previous articles (on other sites), and publicly that the only way to understand one another is to speak with each other. To stop listening to “the other side” or to yell at someone on said opposing side for a differing of opinion is not only infantile, but it is doing yourself a disservice.

I had personally learned of possible RNC candidate, John Kasich from left-wing political pundits, claiming him to be leaning. Later I’d been told through my more right-wing friends of what they think of him, stating that he isn’t as moderate as I’d once been taught to believe.

Without friends or voices on both sides (and other political ideologies), you will become ignorant and find yourself lacking crucial information. All I implore of you is to listen to people, whether you agree with them or not. You don’t have to befriend everyone you agree with, nor do you have to be best friends with those that you disagree with. Just listen.

Moving forward, after listening to several of the candidates, I still want to hear from them all again. Andrew Yang’s biggest concern is automation and helping people with the shift in the workforce, along with a universal credit system. Marianne Williamson’s focus was reparations; while that’s important and I subjectively agree, I want to know her opinion on other issues.

Though while I agree with Harris, I also find her to be too moderate for the idea that Democrats have which is to, “defeat Donald Trump.” As rapper and activist ‘Killer Mike‘ of Run The Jewels said this time around of Sanders, “He’s the antithesis of Trump […] Dr. King had a vision for a beloved community. The Eradication of poverty, the celebration of the worker and the fair treatment of the worker, the ending of our politically-based wars based on resources, the ending of corporations, and the restoration of human pride and dignity [..] When you put your politicians net to those principles, what matches up the most?”

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