Thursday 20 October 2016

And the 45th President is...

I can see why people like what Trump is saying.

In the final presidential debate he was not necessarily eloquent, but he said the right words and phrases that appeal to the people who feel downtrodden by an economy that only seems to help the already rich, believe immigrants are better off then they are, a failing police force and don't like the US involvement in various wars.

Listening to the CNN political commentators, two of whom are Trump supporters, give their feedback afterwards was fascinating. Fascinating because they all heard the same talk but received it differently. The majority of the panel were up in arms that he did not (and would not?) accept the election results. And comments of 'hombres' and 'nasty woman' were also banded around. These were regarded as a slap in the face to the democratic process and the American way.

But one thing I heard and was an interesting point. They all commended Trump on how he presented himself at the beginning of the debate. He was calm, he answered questions and then towards the end, he interrupted Hillary, talking over her (yes, she did the same..) he used offensive language (and I'm not just talking 'hombres', I'm referencing the part where he said 'babies are ripped out from the woman'...) and behaved like a little boy who has been told he won't be getting ice-cream.

His rhetoric has to be applauded - how else did he become the presidential candidate? Yet it has incited violence, intolerance and uncertainty. Are these really the qualities (the American) people want from their president?

Does America really want a President - a person who will represent one of the largest economies in the western world, who will represent all its citizens regardless of class, color, or creed - who can only be civil for 40 minutes?

If Trump wins, I foresee a huge drop in the dollar, Putin rubbing his hands in glee and the rest of the world hanging their in head in dismay. If he doesn't win, then there will be angry, violent outbursts against immigrants and people of color and general disobedience.

The mud slinging, the insults, the lies, the back tracking, the lack of clear polices and how they will be executed/introduced has made this presidential campaign an ugly and dreadful one.