Game Over, Clinton

GAME OVER, CLINTON

 

YOU’RE TOAST.

in “Political Cartoons” at https://twitter.com/poltoons/status/690266454164389888

After decades playing the political game, Hillary Clinton was delivered the political coup de grace just as the long coveted prize of going to the White House as Commander in Chief seemed to be within easy grasp.

Hillary Clinton had qualifications and remarkable experience in politics. Unfortunately, that experience is dotted with scandals, overreach, quid pro quos, shady relations with even shadier characters and a distressing pattern of secrecy, hiding, deflecting, deceiving and lying, all completed by a defiant and unapologetic behaviour.

These flaws probably helped her gain power, leverage and a long political career, but it also garnered her a huge cohort of sworn enemies and not just in the corridors of power: millions of ordinary Americans just could not stand her.

This made it almost inevitable that a time of reckoning would eventually come. And so it did, at the hands of Donald Trump, a man she despised and underestimated, the same way she underestimated Barack Obama in 2008 and Bernie Sanders in this year’s primaries. In the same way she took for granted states and voters who had flocked to vote for her husband and even for Obama in successive elections, but who had had enough in 2016. Notwithstanding, she did not show up in Michigan for the primaries campaign until the weekend prior to the vote and she lost the state to Sanders. Likewise, she did not campaign in Wisconsin, the first major party candidate shunning the state since 1972: she lost the state, the first Democrat to do it since 1984.

Twilight: Hillary Clinton delivers a campaign speech in Detroit, Michigan.

 in ”THE WASHINGTON POST” at www.washingtonpost.com

As in many situations past, Clinton’s story is one of rise, success, hubris, greed and deception that ultimately led to the fall. In her case, I believe this election was the end. Game Over, Hillary Clinton.

Trump Trumps Clinton

TRUMP TRUMPS CLINTON

 

The United States 2016 election Red Map.

in http://www.270towin.com/

What has been consistently labelled an impossibility, a catastrophe, or both for the last 18 months has become reality: Donald trump has won the 2016 election with a comfortable advantage over Hillary Clinton, thus becoming the President elect and the future 45^th President of the United States of America.

Mr. Trump not only held to virtually all states won by Mitt Romney in 2012, but he also made good on his word, breaching and then demolishing the so-called Midwest Blue Wall, a set of medium to large states that have been pivotal in the last Democratic election victories. Starting with a single state (Indiana), Mr Trump beat Mrs. Clinton successively in Ohio, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, he is still disputing Michigan and almost got Minnesota.

Mr. Trump’s victory is the ultimate popular backlash against a political-economic system that has let down a substantial share of the population, mostly non-college educated whites, stricken by unemployment, bereft of prospects and facing destitution. These Americans rebelled against an establishment they deem corrupt, oblivious of their plight, vastly benefiting an elite and pushing income inequality to ever new heights.

Donald Trump, in spite (or because) of his unorthodox behaviour, rhetoric and policies, managed to convince that electorate of his sincerity and ability to fight the established interests and corruption and to give opportunities to the downtrodden. The fierce and constant criticism from the establishment politicians, media and commentators, only served to reinforce the conviction that Trump was the real thing; otherwise the powers that be would not bother to attack him so viciously. Add to this concoction a well-known but very unpopular Democratic candidate with a trail of suspicious activities and a total lack of candour, and the American electorate was ready to give change a chance.

The result was a clear 31-State, 305-delegate victory for Donald Trump. After defying all odds to become the Republican nominee and defeating even greater odds to become President, Donald Trump will face the ultimate challenge of delivering. If he does, he could go down in History. If he fails, he could go down the drain. Only time will tell.

Establishment Fatigue and Rejection

ESTABLISHMENT FATIGUE

AND REJECTION

 

Voting “NO” to the establishment is becoming increasingly popular.

The media have spent the better part of the past few years feeling puzzled, shocked and outraged. And the same goes for the political establishment.

They are befuddled by politicians like Marine Le Pen (France), Nigel Farage and Jeremy Corbyn (United Kingdom), Jaroslaw Kaczynski and Beata Szydlo (Poland), Viktor Orban (Hungary) Gert Wilders (The Netherlands), Kristian Thulesen Dahl (Denmark), Jimmie Akesson (Sweden) Donald Trump, Bernie Sanders (USA), Alexis Tsipras (Greece), Catarina Martins (Portugal), Beppe Grillo (Italy), Pablo Iglesias (Spain), Norbert Hoffer and Alexander Van Der Bellen (Austria) winning elections, faring well in the polls, or having some significant degree of success, following or impact.

If these people/parties who are comfortably established in power for decades could just bother to step down from the pedestal for some time and actually see, understand and internalise people’s problems, difficulties, hardships, complaints, fears, ambitions, creeds, goals, maybe they would figure out why the electorate is leaving them them in droves.

If these people/parties could come to terms with the fact that Democracy is NOT about choosing between two different persons/parties with a single platform, but that it is about REALLY choosing between different platforms, policies, paths.

If these people would stop trying to sell the Stalinist idea that there is only one way forward: their own.

If these people would understand that there are millions who cannot stand them, or their parties, or their policies, or their minions anymore.

If these people in the media would stop from sheepishly caving in to the one way, one thought, one policy creed.

If these people and the media would stop being intolerant to those who do not toe the line, their line.

Then maybe, just maybe, they would not be so shocked with, so surprised with, so contemptuous of the reality that is unfolding before their eyes.

Then maybe, just maybe, they would understand that if people do not like the political platform X, they will not vote for it. And if both Mr. Smith and Mr. Jones present X to the electorate, it is only natural and obvious that many people will shun both Mr. Jones and Mr. Smith.

At this point, people have basically four options:

1- They abstain.

2- They return blank ballots.

3- They rebel and overthrow the regime.

4- They vote for an alternative, any alternative which is an actual alternative.

Option 1 is by far the most popular one. Millions of people shun the vote, the elections and the candidates. And their members are generally growing.

Hundreds of thousands, like me, choose option 2 and they are also increasing. It is a more proactive version of option 1.

Option 3 is mostly not a realistic one. At least not yet.

Option 4 is an increasingly popular one. People are growing angrier and more disappointed at the establishment which they view as an undeserving, unbecoming, corrupt elite with obnoxious privileges.

People are aware that Jones & Smith will not introduce any changes. People are fed up, they are mad, they are afraid and many just cannot put up with Jones & Smith anymore.

That voters are even willing to vote for a nutcase instead of the usual parties, speaks volumes of the disgust that mainstream politicians have incurred in much of the electorate. Real change is in order.