Debate fallout

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author: john loeppky | sports writer

Credit: Youtube

If anyone needs proof, all they need to do is view the memes.

It’s not even my election, and I am more than ready for November to come, and then promptly leave. Trump’s interruption-filled attempt at a debate with Hillary Clinton served as another reminder that the American public is cursed no matter who ends up being elected.

The scariest part of the ordeal was the aftermath. People arguing that Trump had won a debate that he had so obviously lost. If anyone needs proof, all they need to do is view the memes.

In all seriousness, this election, more so than any before, has highlighted the fact that the voters are so tied into their candidate’s platform that it really doesn’t matter what their particular candidate says.

Bernie Sanders proved unelectable and Ted Cruz (gulp) was seen as too moderate, and so we are left with this mess.

One of the main charges against Trump put forward by democrats is that what he is saying about Hillary, minorities, and immigrants is absolutely deplorable (true, make no mistake). The problem is, the most die-hard supporters of Trump don’t care and, in a lot of cases, agree with his stances. This election is as much a vote for or against xenophobia and rampant abuse of power as it is for Donald or Hilary.

I watch my American friends’ political activities on Facebook with interest and one thing has become clear: Trump is succeeding because he is purporting to be anti-establishment, as opposed to its cousin who anti-establishment doesn’t talk to anymore, unethical. Hillary, on the other hand, is the most obvious example of the establishment since Bush.

Which hints at the primary tension in this election. The American public, it seems, is (perception-wise) sick of seeing the presidency being passed between two royal families (the Clintons and the Bushes). Now, this ignores the fact that Obama’s time in office has been as fruitful as it has been controversial – see the NSA – and that he has been one of the most charismatic and influential leaders the country has ever seen.

Trump is the opposite of that. The very fact that he has held no form of public office before is seen by many as an advantage and not a detriment.

This leads to his utter ineptitude during the debate. It’s easy to debate against other candidates who don’t have the clout to shout down the absurd rhetoric Donald spews daily. It is much harder to hold a solid debate with a woman with as much political acumen as Clinton. She owns the debate stage because she is used to the public eye. When I see Hillary, it reminds me that the main reason she lost to Obama was because he is a once-in-a-lifetime talent behind a microphone.

In the fallout from the debate, it will be interesting to see what impact the traditional strongholds of political clout will have. We’ve started to see republican-supporting newspapers endorse Hillary, as have a number of higher-level party members. The problem is, they too are part of the political elite that Trump is rallying against.
Either way, I’m glad I live north of the border. I am well aware that a Trump victory spells disaster for the world, but there is more than a month remaining and let’s all hope cooler heads prevail.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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