Next Salon Discussion

First Tuesday current affairs discussion - Tuesday 3 September 7:00pm start

Donate via PayPal

Donations to development costs of website very gratefully received

PDF Print E-mail
News Reviews from 2016

American Election 2016

The American Election 2016

by Mark Iddon

 

There is only one week to go before the election to decide the next President of the United States of America. The 2 candidates, Hilary Clinton representing the Democratic Party and Donald Trump the Republican Party, are neck and neck as their campaigns have plummeted with new allegations and have risen from the ashes over recent weeks. Neither of them appears to have a coherent plan or vision of how to revive the economy or address domestic issues but both have suggested that the other is not fit for office.

 

Hilary is a former Secretary of state, US Senator and first lady who presents herself as a lifelong champion of women and families, but her reputation is marred by some careless handing of classified information and using Wall Street connections to her personal advantage. Hilary would like to be the first female President of America but rather than having a positive a constructive political objective has seized on Donald Trump’s misdemeanours of the past with his locker room chat tapes and previous derogatory remarks about women. She didn’t do herself many favours though with her contemptuous remarks about those who gave support to Trump and succeeded only in positioning herself as part of the elite that many voters are rejecting.

 

Donald Trump is a successful business man, although his tax affairs have been questioned, and has used his lack of political experience to his advantage by casting allegations of the corruption within the Washington elites and thereby appealing to many ordinary voters who are also cynical of the political establishment. Donald is no fan of political correct etiquette and has said that he wants ‘to make America great again’ by protecting American jobs. He even suggested building a wall to keep out the Mexicans to be paid for by Mexicans much to the outrage of the liberal media and left. He seems to appeal to the many who feel that the American dream isn’t working for them, who as one commentator has said feel like strangers in their own land.

 

For those who want change and progress it is of great concern that there is such a lack of political objective on the part of either candidate who have come to the fore in their respective parties while many other candidates have fallen by the wayside. This is probably the sleaziest, politics light, Presidential election campaign in the history of the USA but we really need to ask questions about what the American people actually want and why these candidates have come to represent their parties in order to understand the underlying dynamics of American Politics. Is this the best America can offer and what next for the future of the USA?

 
Join the Salon Email List
Youtube Video of discussion on Energy
RSS Feed for discussions
Manchester Salon Facebook Group
Manchester Salon Facebook Page
Manchester Salon on Twitter