US Election 2016: runners on the path to the White House

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. – 1 Peter 2:9

In eleven days, the USA, the greatest democracy in the world will have a new president. The two leading contenders running a close campaign are reality television real estate mogul known aka Donald Trump on the Republican Party and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the Democratic Party ticket. Clinton’s campaign is exhilarating, because she is the first woman ever to be the nominee of a major US political party, putting to the litmus test what the US has been exporting into other countries as promoting gender equality. An interesting poll this week has shown that if only Millennials (people aged 18-34 years) voted in the US elections, Hillary Clinton would get 490 electoral votes compared to Donald Trump’s 23.

While Donald Trump has waged a media manipulation campaign, his opponent Hillary Clinton, has to her credit a 30-year roadmap to this race. It is enhanced with her role as First Lady of Arkansas when her husband was Governor; First Lady of the US when her husband was US President (where she championed universal healthcare in 1993); served as NY Senator and then Secretary of State to the first African American Barack Obama. Additionally Clinton’s campaign trail has a stockpile of VVIP surrogates – back-ups, deputies, proxies – who are adding voice to the effort to make the most impressive historic follow-up to Barack Obama – electing a woman to the highest office of the leader of the free world. Among these are President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, VP Joe Biden, VP nominee Tim Kaine, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Saunders (whom Clinton beat in the primaries), former President Bill Clinton and former VP Al Gore, some Hollywood stars like Barbara Streisand, Robert DiNiro, Jay-Z, Oprah and Tyler Perry among many more.

She has won three of the three presidential debates, mainly due to the fact that she has shown she’s highly qualified, knows the issues such as climate change, foreign policy, social issues as health care access, marriage equality and equal pay for equal work, etc.

On the other side the Republican nominee, Donald Trump has run a populist campaign that has mustered a collision cause of one incident after another with his campaign team running after him either explaining away or defending his actions or words. Team Trump is made up of Trump, his running mate Mike Pence, former Speaker Newt Gingrich, New Jersey Governor Chris Christy and former NY City mayor Rudy Julian and paid campaign staffers.

Among the many Trump faux pars are:

• Running a war against women, misogynistic, racist, anti-establishment campaign where he is even against the party that nominated him.
• Lied repeatedly, denying saying things; e.g. his support of war with Iraq.
• Called Mexican immigrants in the rapists and criminals; called for the total ban of Muslims to the US; shamed former Miss Universe for gaining weight, calling her Miss Housekeeping (she is Latina).
• A released tape of his publicist later turned out to be own voice.
• Told African Americans that they have nothing to lose if they vote for Trump; they are living in hell.
• Alarmed African Americans with his stump for law and order as response to black people losing their lives at the hands of mostly white law enforcement officers; campaign is based on white supremacy. Also promised he’d bring back “stop and frisk” police policy.
• Ridiculed POW Senator John McCain as not being a hero because he got caught.
• Said that he knew more about ISIS than the generals.
• Ridiculed a gold star Muslim family and entered into a battle with them on Twitter.
• Said Russian President Vladimir Putin is a better president that US President Barack Obama.
• On his opponent: Trump said Hillary Clinton should be locked up; suggested that guns from her security detail should be taken away (because she wants more background checks for buying guns); asked that Russia should hack her emails to dig for her erased 33,000 emails; Trump advised that Clinton should be examined for drug use; called her a nasty woman.
• Has not released his tax returns – something presidential candidates have done for over 30 years; a report revealed that he reported a loss of nearly $1b; essentially, due to this loss, Trump could have avoided paying taxes for up to 18 years.
• On a video tape of him and a TV anchor, Trump admitted to grabbing women’s private parts, kissing them without their consent because he is a star, claiming that women are like that; he refused in the debate; when 12 women came up to accuse him of this behavior, he called them liars and questioned their worth.
• Picked battles with media, accusing popular journalists of helping Clinton rigging elections.
• Charged that elections are rigged in favor of Clinton. Shocked America when he said he will not accept results of elections; and has been inciting his supporters to watch the polling stations (to prevent the election from being stolen from him) (this is illegal because the Republican Party are forbidden by a Federal court Order.
• One of his surrogates (Newt Gingrich accused a journalist of being fascinated with sex. Trump commended Gingrich for roasting the reporter.
• Records reveal that he is beneficiary to a company that is in conflict with the Standing Rock Native American tribe in North Dakota – against a pipeline that threatens the water source (gain is $500,000 – 1m for Trump).

“The idea of a fair election — of a peaceful transition of power — is not a Democratic value. It’s not a Republican value. It literally, is an American value.” Rebecca DeHart, executive director of the Democratic Party of Georgia has said. These are values that are wholesale writ large in many countries like Malawi, and are being tested, in some cases almost as if taking place in a Third World country, in this year’s Presidential race to the White House. This is especially due to the fact that Trump has manipulated (himself fascinated and a feature in media, albeit, antagonistic), the course-way of the elections, where the media has been awash 24/7 with the ridiculous comments he has unleashed to his benefit.

Freedom is an endless horizon and there are many roads that lead to it. Shirley Chisholm. First African American Presidential candidate. 1972