A British take on the 2016 U.S. election
Beautiful yet flawed as a nation, America has produced two bizarre and hated Presidential candidates.
Whilst burning effigies at this time of year is part of the British tradition of Guy Fawkes, the image below is deeply emblematic of the ferocity and tribalism entrenched in modern politics. Through hacktivist collective Anonymous and its strategic ally Wikileaks, Fawkes, Britain’s most infamous terrorist, is now lauded as a justified whistleblower and exposer of political cowardice. Much like Matthew McConaughey in the 1990s and Matthew McConaughey now, Fawkes went away and returned a better man.
Today, America votes. A simple binary decision has been put before the people: vote for a man representative of everything wrong with American society — or vote for a woman representative of everything that is wrong with American government. In Europe, when the electoral options are poor and the people are incensed, new parties and radical characters emerge, as nationalist, socialist and anti-establishment politicians have become legitimized in virtually every major European country. In the U.S., however, it’s fundamentally different. Whilst voting for a third party remains an option on the ballot, in reality, this gestural politics is just a way to evade responsibility.
To wince from the choice of Clinton or Trump is to live in a state of denial.
The United States is a beautiful yet flawed country — celebrity obsession and racism, two of its biggest failings, are exhibited plainly in its audacious electoral ceremonies and its bizarre electoral candidates. Through a European lens, Trump is nothing but an absurdity.
But, in contrast to the popular online narrative, he is not a new wave Hitler, nor is he a neo-Stalin or a revived Mussolini. He is a lifelong New York Democrat who uses populist, devoid-of-principles rhetoric to advance his agenda under the guise of conservatism — at virtually any cost. The scapegoating and xenophobia is strategic and intended to vote-capture white angst — a backlash to social stress, manifested through race resentment and leaving running mate Mike Pence to serve as the emblem of religious revitalization — together, a cocktail of conservative values.
If a profile comparison is necessary, The Donald is Silvio Berlusconi mark two — a schmoozy, outspoken, disconnected celebrity billionaire who prides himself on sexual prowess, physical appearance and political incorrectness. And their mutual bromances with Putin are uncanny.
Decrying roughly half of Americans off as bigoted for supporting him, however, is wrong, instead in many ways, his appeal is entirely understandable. Reckless as his narrative may be, he’s the man more likely to pass the laws you really want to see. Trump will lower your taxes, will introduce immigration control, and for at least two years, he likely will have a Republican Congress —meaning he will actually be able to pass laws, making the sorts of fundamental changes the ‘Yes We Can!’ Obama administration has been frustrated from achieving.
His entertaining style is fascinating, albeit at times disgraceful. He is the drunk at the office Christmas party dancing on the table with his bollocks out. It’s appalling, but you can’t help but observe.
And if you think Trump isn’t a possibility — well, nor was Jeremy Corbyn winning the Labour leadership, nor was the United Kingdom leaving the European Union, nor was the Conservative party winning a majority government, nor was Tyson Fury beating Wladimir Klitschko, nor was Leicester City winning the Premier League. His path is narrow but upsets happen — for some reason, increasingly so.
And she is a poor opponent. Do not convince yourself she is the left-wing, humanist or compassionate option. She is not. She is part of a spectrum which is skewed heavily to Britain’s relative political right — in the UK she would be a staunch Conservative. To put it crudely, this election is not Labour versus Conservative, it is Conservative versus UKIP.
She is also a fantasist and a fabricator — she claimed that she landed in Bosnia in 1995 “under sniper fire” — there’s a video of her arriving to a charming greeting ceremony as an 8-year old girl reads her a poem. She opposed gay marriage until it became fashionable. She sent some of the most classified information in the world from an ‘@clintonemail.com’ private account. And she’s been lining her pockets with corporate cash for years — nothing wrong in principle, but the long-term love-in with Wall Street must raise questions over the sovereignty of her policymaking.
The President of the United States of America is the Commander-in-Chief of the US Armed Forces. He or she therefore exercises supreme operational command of the second biggest, and most active, military force in the world. And that requires poise, temperament, and a collectedness that Donald Trump simply does not possess. The world we inhabit in 2016 is volatile, disturbed and at times, chilling. Rocking the political boat is important and sometimes exhilarating, and there’s a little anarchist in all of us. But rock that boat too much and you drown the goddamn ship. So I implore my American friends: do not gamble with your safety, and please do not gamble with ours.
Get out today and vote for Hillary Clinton. Not because you want to, but because you have to.