Outside observers of this historic US election could be forgiven for being a little confused.
On the one hand, there is Hillary Clinton: Active in politics and governance for almost 25 years, wife of one of the most popular ex-presidents (albeit one who has been accused in a number of sex scandals), widely regarded as a popular and competent Secretary of State, and the first female nominee of a major party for the US Presidency. By all accounts, she is the most qualified candidate ever to run.
Then there’s Donald Trump: The upstart billionaire who claims to be representing the downtrodden and disenfranchised (go figure?), a very successful businessman if you discount the string of bankruptcies and lawsuits against him, a straight-talker who doesn’t believe in political correctness, and widely regarded as the least qualified candidate ever to run.
And yet, all indications are that the race will be a close one, with both candidates being almost equally hated by the American public.
So it might be instructive to compare the top 4 grievances the American people appear to have against both candidates.
Who comes out worse? You decide.
Now if it seems that the complaints against Clinton are issue-based and those against Trump are personality-based, that’s only because Clinton has been in government for a long time, and has a record of involvement in high-level state activities. Trump is as yet an unknown quantity apart from his celebrity persona, with few relevant clues from previous experience about how he will govern.
So let me substantiate these grievances a little, with arguments made by the American public and media against each candidate.
Against Clinton:
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1. The Email Scandal
Critics believe her use of private email servers while being Secretary of State instead of the secure server she was supposed to have been using, proves that she is cavalier about national security.
The FBI has labelled the breach “extreme carelessness”, but stopped short of recommending charges be brought due to a lack of intent to “mishandle classified information”. But the case has tainted her image, with many fearing that she considers herself ‘above the law’ and cannot be trusted with power.
2. Benghazi
Clinton’s poor judgement in a time of crisis cost the lives of American citizens, and she lied about the killers’ motives to cover up her mistake, critics say.
The murder of US diplomats in Benghazi when armed militants stormed the US Embassy in the Libyan capital has led to claims that Clinton did not provide American citizens adequate security despite knowing they were in danger, and that she proved her dishonesty by lying to the public to cover up her mishandling of Libya.
3. Defended a Rapist
After having negotiated for her client – who she knew was guilty – to get a light sentence for the rape of a 12-year-old, she seemed to make light of the fact, according to critics.
An audio recording of Clinton’s interview with a journalist when she was a defence attorney has been making the rounds. In it, Clinton can be heard ‘laughing’ about having defended a man she appeared to know was guilty of rape. In fact, what she is heard laughing about is her client lying on a lie detector (polygraph) test. She says, with a laugh, that it “forever destroyed [her] faith in polygraphs.”
4. Wall Street Ties
Having been paid millions in speaking fees for speeches to the Wall Street crowd, critics say Clinton is beholden to the rotten banking sector.
This one is a sore point particularly among Bernie Sanders supporters. Clinton’s speeches to Goldman Sachs and other Wall Street investment houses fetched her millions of dollars in speaking fees; this, critics say, shows that she is in the pocket of the establishment and will not work to change the system she benefits from. That she has failed to release the content of these speeches, despite saying she would consider doing so, is another point against her in their view.
Trump’s turn:
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1. Disdain for Women
A track record of sexist comments has turned many Americans off.
From calling fellow celebrity Rosie O’Donnell a “fat pig”, to saying women in the public eye should “look good”, to saying he would date his daughter if she wasn’t his daughter, to his belief that mothers make worse employees, Donald Trump’s complete track record of sexist comments is too long to list here. Suffice to say, critics are convinced he has a deep-seated disregard for women.
2. Stokes Racial Hatred
Trump’s repeated racist comments and xenophobic attitude, in addition to discriminatory trade practices, makes critics believe he is a closet racist.
He has called Mexican immigrants in America “rapists”, he has advocated banning Muslims from entering the US to counter the terror threat, and it was revealed that his real estate company discriminated against African-Americans in housing and renting. He has also been caught retweeting posts from avowed white supremacist Twitter accounts. One of his most popular policy proposals is that he will ‘build a wall’ on the US-Mexico border to keep illegal immigrants out.
3. Condones Violence
Trump’s method of egging on violent supporters at his rallies has left a bad taste in many Americans’ mouths.
At a number of his rallies, Trump has openly called for protesters to be physically “thrown out”, has fantasised about “punching [them] in the face” and about hitting some speakers at the Democratic National Convention “so hard their heads would spin” – he has even offered to pay the legal bills of a Trump supporter who assaulted a protester. Critics say the violence at his rallies are a sign of the kind of leader he will be; a bully.
4. Ignorance of Policy Issues
Trump’s refusal to provide details or concrete plans for many of his policy proposals have left critics convinced he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
His seeming inability provide any specifics on how he will achieve the things he says he will has critics convinced he has no idea how to govern. They have pointed out that building a wall, deporting all illegal immigrants, and ‘sticking it to China’ are unworkable policy suggestions that have no chance of being implemented.
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