Ashura9
JF-Expert Member
- Oct 21, 2012
- 740
- 485
The primaries
Battle lines
The prospect of Trump v Clinton is grim. But look carefully and 2016 offers a faint promise of something better
HILLARY CLINTON will be the Democratic nominee; the man most likely to face her in November on the Republican ticket is Donald Trump.
Those are the battle lines after the primaries on Super Tuesday. In many ways this is profoundly gloomy. Mr Trump has said ever more repellent things about immigrants, women and Muslims and declined to condemn white supremacists. But he changes his sales pitch as easily as his socks: in a speech after winning seven out of 11 states, he stopped snarling and tried to sound presidential. It would be unwise to underestimate his ability to feign gravitas and transform himself into an apparent centrist.
The only obstacle between Mr Trump and the Oval Office would be Mrs Clinton. She is a formidable and in some ways admirable candidate, but flawed. She is unloved by bits of her party’s base and subject to an investigation into whether she mishandled classified information.
Small wonder that so many who contemplate American politics today sink into despair. But with a large dose of optimism and continued faith in the good sense of American voters, it is just possible to see November’s election in a more positive light. The vote for the presidency could yet yield the reshaping of the two main parties and a political realignment that leads to a less stagnant and gridlocked government.
The Econimist
Battle lines
The prospect of Trump v Clinton is grim. But look carefully and 2016 offers a faint promise of something better
HILLARY CLINTON will be the Democratic nominee; the man most likely to face her in November on the Republican ticket is Donald Trump.
Those are the battle lines after the primaries on Super Tuesday. In many ways this is profoundly gloomy. Mr Trump has said ever more repellent things about immigrants, women and Muslims and declined to condemn white supremacists. But he changes his sales pitch as easily as his socks: in a speech after winning seven out of 11 states, he stopped snarling and tried to sound presidential. It would be unwise to underestimate his ability to feign gravitas and transform himself into an apparent centrist.
The only obstacle between Mr Trump and the Oval Office would be Mrs Clinton. She is a formidable and in some ways admirable candidate, but flawed. She is unloved by bits of her party’s base and subject to an investigation into whether she mishandled classified information.
Small wonder that so many who contemplate American politics today sink into despair. But with a large dose of optimism and continued faith in the good sense of American voters, it is just possible to see November’s election in a more positive light. The vote for the presidency could yet yield the reshaping of the two main parties and a political realignment that leads to a less stagnant and gridlocked government.
The Econimist
