Come November 8, the most coveted elective position in the world, the presidency of the United States of America will be decided. It’s a battle between former Secretary of State and the first female Senator from New York, Hilary Clinton of the Democrats against billionaire estate mogul and television personality, Donald Trump of the Republican.
The two have been engaging in one of the most vitriolic election campaign in the US history. The two candidates come with a whole lot of negative baggage and controversies. To many in the United States and indeed around the world, the election is a choice between two contaminated and high polarizing candidates.
The controversial nature of the two candidates ensures they have the highest negative rating of presidential candidates in the US history. The GOP’s presidential candidate, Donald Trump once had an unfavourable of 70% and Hilary Clinton’s unfavourable rating going as high as 56%. A significant number of Democrats and Republicans have expressed reservations about their parties’ presumptive nominees. 25% of Democrats expressed their displeasure against the choice of Hilary Clinton while 34% of Republicans did for Donald Trump.
Hilary Clinton.
They said she is cold and without humour, so calculating and unreal.
No matter how hard she tried, she will and must carry the Bill’s baggage over the various flaps that occurred during his presidency. Any ex-President is going to have enemies, but Bill seems to have more than most. His philandering and sexual escapade is bound to dodge Hilary all the way. Whitewater issue is a negative for her.
The Middle East Crisis is an issue Hilary Clinton cannot extricate herself from. She voted for the Iraq invasion, supported the dethronement of Gaddafi in Libya, approved the US policy in Syria which has somewhat aided the emergence of ISIS (Daesh) and the Arab Spring which has yielded not positive fruit even though it was prematurely celebrated as a dawn of democratic era in the Middle East. Many people are particularly troubled by her relatively hawkish view of the ongoing Middle East crisis. The Benghazi question is also an albatross on her.
Her romance with Wall Street is also a big problem. Hilary Clinton is not seen a champion of the masses even though she has reiterated her commitment to the masses on numerous occasions. She receives millions of dollar from Wall Street for the Clinton Foundation and her campaign. It is left to be seen if she can promote sweeping changes to help the poor and disadvantaged, nor her engaged in a pitch to fight the powers that be on Wall Street or in corporate boardrooms.
The conflict or should I say the overlapping of the Clinton Foundation business with her office when she was the Secretary of State will much count against her.
Transparency and honest- many Americans believe Hilary Clinton is a big liar and that she’s not transparent enough. Her response to the email brouhaha and Benghazi only raises more questions.
On the flip side, she has got experience and intelligence. Her history of public service must be said is enviable. She is lawyer, human right defender, political activist, First Lady, Secretary of State and a Senator. Through her years of private and public service, she has accumulated a wealth of knowledge, skills, and experience. She is well-versed in domestic and foreign policy. She will unite the country, she not divisive nor a racist. Above all, she is a politician, not ideologue. The Chief Executive has to be able to work with ALL of the legislature. If she’s elected president, it will go a long way to address gender imbalance and sexism in the world.
Donald Trump.
The GOP presidential candidate is loose cannon, buffoon and a serial groper. He has surprised Americans and the indeed the entire world with unguided utterances. He will say anything to get elected. He is care-free.
The United States is the largest immigrants’ country in the world, the home of the free and land of the brave; it beats the imagination of many people around the world why a man with demagoguery, racist, homophobic and belligerent comments wins a major party nomination in the freest nation on earth.
Trump relishes the extreme of policies such as building a wall in the border with Mexico are extremely controversial, and appear to be grounded in no consistent or discernible philosophy or understanding of the world. He called Mexicans countless derogatory names and he vowed to end the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA, is a three-country accord negotiated by the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States that entered into force in January 1994.
Political immaturity is also a bane of Trump’s candidacy. He is outspoken and divisive; he is often seen as openly offensive. Many women accuse him of gender discrimination, sexual assault and similarly the migrant community has expressed unrest about the possibility of Trump becoming the next president given his arguably racist comments, which may be seen as inciting anti-immigrant sentiments.
Unpredictable and erratic behavior is another Trump’s Achilles heel. He doesn’t have the temperament to accept opposition or criticism. He picks fight with anyone that says anything against him. It is often joked that Trump can go to war over a comment on twitter. That’s a big weakness for someone who has to lead the most powerful country in the world- a nation with nuclear power.
Trump has also vowed to tear up global alliances like North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. He has made disparaging comments about some of United States allies such as Japan, Saudi Arabia, Germany and many more. These comments are deemed as inimical to US and Western interest in the world.
Litany of failed business ventures is also a big minus for Trump even though he is a billionaire, Trump projects, such as the Trump Airlines, Trump University, Trump Vodka, selling steaks and a mortgage company failed miserably. Many argue that his business success was only possible because he took over his father business. This questions his acumen as an astute business manager. His bankruptcy and non-payment of federal income tax for almost 20 years puts him in bad light.
On the flip side, Donald Trump’s independent disposition might be a huge asset. His political motto: “make America great again” has inspired many and his promise to tackle China and bring America jobs back really resonated with the people. His lack of political experience is compensated for with his knowledge of business and economics. His statements are direct and easy to understand for the general public. Whether you like what he says or not, there is little room for ambiguity in his message. Unorthodoxy and ideological flexibility. Trump defies political classification and he has managed to gain the nomination with little support from the party. He has paid for a large part of his own campaign and, in theory; Trump comes with fewer strings attached than most presidential candidates.
Whoever is elected already has his work cut out. He or she is taking over a divided, polarized country. The person needs to redefine the United States political system and operation. Washington is under the cloud of distrust and the meaning of democracy according to Abraham Lincoln must be reinvented as the government of the people, by the people, for the people.
