The joke that is the ‘U.S. Presidential Election’

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By Glen Turner – Special to the Sydenham Current

Is anyone else as mind-boggled by the phenomenon known as the ‘U.S. Presidential Election’?

I certainly am.

On one hand is a candidate (Trump) with zero political experience, with no experience internationally in politics, who made racist statements the day he declared his candidacy. That was followed by his desire to build a wall between Mexico and the U.S., followed by NOT being endorsed by the majority of the people in his own party.

Yet he is still in the race, and is the nominee of the Republican Party.

On the other hand, there is the politically experienced Hillary Clinton, who has held high office, for example Secretary of State, but who has been investigated over and over for suspected impropriety on many occasions, like Whitewater, Benghazi and the e-mail scandal. Granted, she has been exonerated, but the questions remain.

Trump’s campaign so far reminds me of the uproar in ’68 and ’72, when Tricky Dick Nixon was President. You know, the cheat and the liar who had to resign. He campaigned strenuously on the need to make America great again (no peace without honour), and stirred up the fears of Americans after the ’68 Democratic Convention, the shootings at Kent State, and the protests against the Vietnam War by ‘hippies’ and even veterans of that war. Reminder: that was prominent in Hitler’s campaigns prior to his ELECTION in 1933 as Chancellor.

I’m not saying that Trump is a Nazi, but the campaign similarities are quite obvious. Appeal to the lower-classes, rant about lawlessness, stir up divisions among people… and add a little touch of racism and xenophobia.

He even had the gall to attack a gold-star family in public, a family with a Muslim son who died in Iraq.

It appears that GOP fundraisers, Senators, House Rep’s, executive members of the Party, and ‘celebrities’ are abandoning Trump – yet he is raising money for the campaign in huge amounts. Go figure.

I think the most telling poll so far was the one a few months back – thousands of Americans were surveyed, and almost 60% of respondents stated that they didn’t want EITHER Trump or Clinton to win.

I also think that the Republican Party is now so damaged by this election that it will take them YEARS to recover.

But, Trump is enough of a worry that even President Obama has come out on occasion and spoken about him and about how unqualified Trump is to lead the country. That almost never happens, a sitting President getting involved to such an extent.

Will Trump self-destruct? One can only hope.

It just makes ME happier to be living here, and not in a place that can actually consider Trump as President. Others have tried to buy the US Presidency, remember Ross Perot? He failed… maybe Trump won’t be able to buy the office either.


– Photos from Facebook: Clinton, Trump

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