Essay Prompt 86: Politicians with Criminal Records

Writing Prompt 86:

Politicians come from all sorts of professional backgrounds, from lawyers and chief executive officers to actors and even professional wrestlers. On a few notable occasions, politicians with criminal backgrounds have even been elected. In your opinion, should candidates with a criminal record be allowed to run for office? Why or why not? Use specific reasons and examples to support your answer.

Essay 01

I believe that candidates with a criminal record should not be allowed to run for office. Some people commit crimes because they were forced or because of special reasons. For instance, some children are forced to steal food because their family is poor and the parents do not have enough money to provide them with necessities, this is not their fault, and they are only trying to survive. It is unfair to ban them from running for office. However, on the other hand, it is necessary to exclude people who commit severe crimes from running for office because who knows what terrible things they would do with that kind of power? Some of the worst crimes were committed by politicians, for instance, Hitler and Stalin, and they both had a lot of energy. To conclude, we should not give people with serious criminal records the chance to get power to influence a country.

Essay 02

Recently we can see politicians from around the world coming from different professions, from actors to comedians, and sometimes, these candidates also have criminal records. In my opinion, candidates could still run for office; however, these future leaders have to publicly show their records to ensure that the voters would be aware.

Committing certain crimes should not hinder one’s desire to serve the public because some rules or policies are too harsh or inhumane. The Apartheid is a perfect example of this policy; racial segregation between black and white people in South Africa. Violating this is considered a crime; however, human rights activists are against this policy, and these people committed treason against the government, in which the activists committed an additional crime. One of them is Nelson Mandela, who became president of South Africa and is renowned as one of the great leaders in modern times. The voters are fully aware of these crimes; however, the people still voted for him because of his merits and advocacies.

Some politicians whose criminal records are open to the public have lost their opportunity to run for higher office. Dick Cheney, the VP of President Bush, accidentally killed someone during a hunting accident. This news and other “crimes” were televised and cost Cheney his political credibility. The same fate also happened to Hillary Clinton, the previous secretary of state, with her email scandal. Her opponent used this as an opportunity to question her transparency and her morals in governing the country. These two politicians with criminal backgrounds failed because of the voters’ decision.

In conclusion, as the pool of new politicians comes from walks of life, it is no longer a surprise to have some with criminal records. In my opinion, these candidates could run for office as long as they are transparent with their crimes because the voters are the ones who will decide.

Ian