America’s 18-month presidential election has come to a close, with Hillary Clinton conceding defeat to Donald Trump.
It was an election that at times felt like a reality-TV show gone wrong, with one candidate fending off multiple investigations and the other communicating one outlandish comment after another.
It was a low period for America. With 61 percent of Americans reporting an “unfavorable” opinion of Donald Trump and 52 percent reporting an “unfavorable” opinion of Hillary Clinton, Trump and Clinton set records for the worst and second-worst liked U.S. presidential candidates in Gallup-polling history.
Issues took a backseat, but they were, nonetheless, there:
- Deficiencies with the Affordable Care Act, Obama’s signature healthcare law, that were never fixed and that caused price spikes in health insurance.
- Outdated immigration laws that have remained on the books without major reform by Congress since 1986.
- Global terrorism, as the Syrian civil war and the threat of Islamic extremism remained unchecked.
Fear and Loathing
Fear was an overriding factor in the presidential race. For Trump supporters, the election became a choice for nationalism over globalism. Clinton supporters, meanwhile, were simply afraid of Trump.
While elements of prejudice may exist among some Trump supporters as Clinton asserted, the movement itself appears to be a push-back against Progressivism—the idea that humans advance through science and technology regardless of culture, creed or borders.
In all his brash ways, Trump stood for going back to the basics of defining a nation within its borders and among and for its citizens. He spoke to the millions of Americans left out of the benefits of trade, technological advancement and globalization, ignored by political elites and the media and angered by the corruption and political stagnation in Washington and Wall Street.
Trump supporters were often not a pleasant crowd. A majority of the delegates at the Republican National Convention continually interrupted speakers by loudly chanting “Lock her up” in reference to Hillary Clinton. It was a distasteful display of a constituency ruled by base mob mentality, rather than high ideals, and Trump encouraged it. But the message was clear: Trump would represent the “forgotten men and women in our country,” as he called them in his victory speech, and set a priority to restoring jobs to working class Americans.
Hillary’s troubles
Controversies overshadowed Hillary Clinton’s campaign, from start to finish. From her use of a private email server while serving as Secretary of State to the WikiLeaks release of embarrassing email communications of her campaign chairman John Podesta, Secretary Clinton played defense throughout her campaign. She proved herself time and again to be a good fighter. Her marathon 11-hour long testimony to Congress in 2015 on the terror attacks in Benghazi, for example, was a testament to her strength. Her mere survival of that seemed to indicate an ability to overcome anything.
At times, Hillary Clinton seemed certain to win. Her composure during the debates, her support among corporate, cultural and media elites, and her dogged ability to keep on going won her support from many. But, ultimately, that was not enough.
Hillary Clinton’s secret email communications as Secretary of State blighted her campaign by a lack of transparency and public trust. Further complicating matters was the Clinton family’s use of their charitable foundation as a vehicle for political ambitions and private profit.
Leaked emails indicate conflict-of-interest problems in the way the Clintons comingled their public, private and for-profit lives. The overlapping of public-private activities of the former president, in particular, was a vexing issue for the foundation staff. The Clintons and their top staff members were at the center of a complex web interactions among the State Department, the Clinton Foundation and an advisory firm called Teneo Holdings.
The mingling of public- and private lives suggest a habit by the Clintons of serving themselves while pursuing public works. It also raised questions that they potentially rewarded their financial backers with government contracts and grants.
Congress and the government initiated numerous investigations, and the Clintons’ responses at times made matters worse by interfering — or appearing to interfere — with the process. Last Summer, as Hillary Clinton faced a FBI investigation into her handling of classified material, her husband invited himself abroad a plane with Attorney General Loretta Lynch on the tarmac at a Phoenix airport. That private meeting raised questions about the independence of the U.S. justice system and created a perception that Hillary Clinton would receive special treatment in the case. In the end, the FBI did not recommend criminal charges.
Republican Party Sweep
A new chapter begins. The Nov. 8 election day delivered a decisive victory for the Republican party, with a 51-47 seat lead in the Senate, a 239-192 lead in the House.
On Jan. 20, 2017, billionaire, media-magnate Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States.
It will surely usher in a new era in American politics. What that will look like is a great unknown. Donald Trump has promised a lot, while providing few, if any, details.
“We must reclaim our country’s destiny and dream big and bold and daring,” Trump said in his 3:00 a.m. victory speech. “I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America’s interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone — all people and all other nations. We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict.”
**Update on Nov. 15,2016
A day after the election, President Obama acknowledged the “pretty significant differences” he and President-elect Trump have and said he instructed his staff to work toward a “smooth transition” for Trump. “Because we are now all rooting for his success in uniting and leading the country. The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy. And over the next few months, we are going to show that to the world,” Obama said.
Meanwhile, it should be noted, not everyone welcomed the coming change in government. Students, immigrants and others launched protest demonstrations against Trump in Portland, Oregon, Los Angeles, New York and throughout the United States since election day.
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