I believe I can speak for at least a portion of my Liberal generation (those close to or over 70) when I say we can't really remember any other presidential campaigns like this one, this year. Most of us started with Eisenhower. Ike. We liked Ike. Good man, war hero. Mom and Dad both loved him. Then we switched parties when Jack Kennedy ran his campaign. We secretly loved his wife more than him, but it was at least a lot of fun. Then President Johnson and his wonderfully Liberal "Great Society," whom we kinda resented, because he sent a lot of us to Vietnam, and so we placed his legacy in a dark place. Oh, and then we lived through the Nixon nightmare, with Watergate and Tricky Dick's personal madness; and the Carter blackmail campaign where Ronald Reagan claimed responsibility for freeing the Iran hostages, and we all crapped ourselves when the evil Dubya stole the election not once, but twice. (By the way, Dubya's brother Jeb is also in the running this year, and is proving to be even less coherent than the Great Mumbler was.) We cringed and wept silently as our country went through the grinder called Iraq, and held our outrage as much as we could, as the banks and the moneyed people in our own country brought the average American family to its knees, all for money, all for money.
And then our countrymen voted for the first black president in history. Barrack Obama stood before the American people and spoke such beautiful words, with such strength and wisdom, with such logic and hope, as to cause all of us to say yes, here is the man who will fix all of this. As to whether he accomplished his repair work is still up for debate, but most of us believe he genuinely tried. But there was one oversized problem with Barrack Obama that just wouldn't go away. He was a black man. That fact stirred up the marginally intelligent crowd, the redneck part of America that normally ignored politics in favor of NASCAR races. Of course, as with any Democratic president, there was the usual "he's coming to take away our guns" nonsense, which did more to boost gun and ammunition sales than anything the NRA could do. But this man was also black. A black man with an odd, foreign-sounding name. Until the very last day of his presidency, Obama will be The Enemy to these people for just that reason.
And now they have a champion. Six-foot-three, sixty-nine year old, American super entrepreneur, Donald J. Trump has surprised most every political pundit in America by blustering his way into the Republican campaign for president, and by all indications is doing quite well, by leading in practically all the national Republican polls. Does he use beautiful words, full of strength and wisdom, with logic and hope? By any standard, the answer is no. He possesses the school-yard bully's ability to appeal to the social racist in all of us. If you aren't "one of us" you're a part of the Apocalypse. (Damn right!) If you can't produce the proper papers, you should be rounded up and thrown out of the country. (Hell yes!) If you practice any religion other than Judeo-Christian, you should be banned from even entering the United States. (Goddamn right!) Unfortunately, that's about all Trump has to offer, except that he is by all weights and measures, the exact opposite of Barrack Obama. Trump is the "white man's dream" candidate. No heavy thinking, just vague references of how he's going to make everything "huge." I want to ask my Republican friends, and I sincerely would like an intelligent answer, is this the man you really want in the White House for the next four years?
On the other hand, the Democrats have narrowed their choices down to two viable candidates. (I know, Martin O'Malley is the third, but will not be discussed here at this time) The nominating race is close, between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Clinton, a New York State Senator from 2001-2009, is the wife of former President Bill Clinton, who comes to this motel carrying more baggage than the bellhops can carry, but she has more inside experience than possibly anyone on the planet. Sanders is a "democratic socialist" who promises to break up the big banks and push for universal "single payer" healthcare. I know this description is very limited, but I trust that most of my readers know who these people are.
The arguments for Hillary Clinton include her past participation in health care reforms during her husband's presidency, and her assurances that as Barrack Obama's successor, she will protect and continue with his programs. Senator Sanders, whom most supporters call "Bernie," is a mildly pro-gun populist from Vermont (born and raised in Brooklyn, NY), who was for many years listed as an Independent in party politics. Unlike Clinton, Sanders was an outspoken opponent of the Iraqi War. He is a Social Democrat who believes we are experiencing income inequality in this country, and he believes in universal healthcare, and of course, climate change.
So, briefly, there you have it. American politics in 2016. We have about 10 more months of politicking until all this will be over for a bit, and there will be many changes in those months ahead, I assure you. All of the candidates are just one big gaffe away from losing it all, and there's plenty of time for any of them to screw their chances into the mud. It's all fun to watch, if you don't get too serious. Speaking for my naturally revolutionist self, at this particular point, and in reference to the first paragraph in this essay, I can "feel the Bern."
JP
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