Monday, May 02, 2016

Surely Trump will be much better than Clinton for India?

A country consists of all kinds of people, rich and poor, healthy and ill, clever and not so clever, abled and disabled, natives and immigrants, all having different expectations from politicians they vote for. So, can you be all things to all the people?  In a country like India, with an overwhelming number of poor, it is easy to campaign on promises of handouts on taxpayer money or divide the people by promising reservations in government jobs but what can you do in a more balanced and wealthy country like the US? Hillary Clinton is campaigning on being all things to all people by promising " civil rights, voting rights, workers rights, women's rights, LGBT rights, and rights for people with disabilities ". That is what the Congress Party in India has tried to be for the past 68 years, resulting in massive corruption, weak security and increasing poverty. Donald Trump seems set to win the primary in Indiana today which will make him odds-on favorite to become the Republican candidate for president. It is accepted wisdom that Clinton will beat Trump easily in November's election, but will she? Trump is hated by some Republicans because he is not right wing enough, such that some have accused him of being a secret agent of the Democrats. " Maybe Donald negotiated a deal with his buddy Hillary Clinton," tweeted Jeb Bush in December. If that is so surely Trump has a greater chance of capturing the center and increasing his appeal to Democratic voters who do not like Clinton. Clinton's challenger, Bernie Sanders claims to be a socialist, which makes him very popular with young people. He knows that he will not succeed against Clinton but is determined to continue fighting till the Democratic convention to make his demands of greater taxes on the rich and more protection for domestic business part of the manifesto. Therein lies the problem for Clinton. Sanders is pulling her far to the left which may make it difficult for her to claim the center. " Her commanding rationale is what it's always been: 'It's my time and the country is ready for a female president, and it ought to be me'. And a combination of running for Bill Clinton and Barack Obama's third terms. That in itself gives you a messaging headache, because those were two different presidencies and two different Democratic parties...," said a Republican pollster. Clinton is disliked by 52% while Trump is disliked by over 60% of voters. What does it matter to us in India who among these two unpopular candidate wins? Bill Clinton imposed sanctions on India after nuclear tests in 1998 while Obama definitely had an understanding with Pakistan to supply sophisticated weapons to its army in return for the killing of Osama bin Laden. She was Secretary of State when Obama illegally bombed Libya, resulting in a failed state. With Clinton we will get a hostile president, at least Trump will be entertaining.

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