In my opinion this leaves the American voter in a very sad situation. Numerous polls show that both presidential candidates are disliked by many voters - both within and outside their respective parties. That’s hardly a ringing endorsement for either of them. Normally only one candidate garners this type of disdain which makes it easier for a dissatisfied voters to cross-over party lines and support the opposing candidate. Not so this time around. Now, not liking the candidate of your party isn’t a good enough reason to vote for the opposition because, quite frankly, both candidates are hugely unpopular. Each carries enough baggage to sink the Titanic.
How did it come to this? How did the American voting process, so historically rich, so internationally emulated, vested with such patriotic fervor, devolve into a choice between two such despicable undeserving characters?
America is a changing political landscape and, to many observers, seems to be skewing slowly to the left. But there still remains a mighty mass of conservative-minded citizens who cling tenaciously to traditional ways, and it is this see-saw battle for the heart of the voter that lies beneath the modern struggle between Democrats and Republicans. The fight will not likely be settled for a long time yet. The current political standoff between these two candidates represents a polarizing political climate and may be the beginning of a long-running and possibly ruinous fight between left and right ideologies. If so, we couldn’t have chosen two poorer candidates to lead us into battle.
Trump, a bombastic narcissist, is a modern-day P.T. Barnum. Even though he came into wealth he has earned his way into the American fabric through sheer ambition and chutzpah. But at the end of the day his overriding concern seems to be only for him and his which hardly makes him an ideal candidate for President. For all his faults, however, many voters admire his tough talk and no nonsense approach and believe that he can’t be bought by special interests. That remains to be seen.
On the other hand Clinton is regarded widely as morally ambiguous and a master manipulator guided by an entitlement mentality toward the highest office in the land. Her progressive social stances stoke fears that she’ll simply be a continuation of the Obama eight-year arc to the left. Her strengths lay in her governing experience, much of it from osmosis via her husband’s political career, but also from her own short-lived stints in the US Senate and as Secretary of State. But does that qualify her to be President?
The old saying goes, “The voter ultimately gets the candidate that they deserve.” But in this case I think not. We most certainly, democrat and republican, deserve better.