Election year in America is a period of fervent activity. However in a sense, it is a restricted election as the main contestants are only from two parties, namely Republican or Democrat. Frankly, there is little to choose between the two, other than minor differences.Theoretically,anybody can stand for an election in the USA, but a candidate who does not belong to these two mainstream parties has no chance whatsoever of winning at the hustings. This is the harsh truth. Both parties have a common thread and that is nationalism,unlike in India where the grand old party , the Congress at many places compromised on India's security like in the Batla House encounter, Dawood, and Samjhauta Express.
Donald Trump when he started the race against 16 contestants was given not an iota of a chance. But like a seasoned boxer he kayoed all the contestants from JebBush to Ted Cruz and finally emerged as the presumptive GOP nominee for the coming presidential election. I recollect one of Donald's statements. When he was reminded that the veterans and the old guard in the Republican party were opposed to him and could be the referees who would declare him out of the race, he replied that he knew it and as a boxer who enters a hostile territory where all the referees are arraigned against him, he would smash all his opponents with knockout and the referees will be presented with a fait accompli. This about sums up the character of Donald Trump.
Donald Trump did indeed incite passions and even his own GOP members have announced that they will support Hillary Clinton. But pollsters and others are hard to put to explain that despite so much antagonism against him, how come Donald won the nomination by crushing his opponents? The fact is that the silent American man came out of his home and voted for Donald as he identified with the views, though extreme of Donald Trump. His diatribes against Muslims, Hispanics and how to fight the ISIS struck a chord with the silent American citizen. He decided that Donald was his best bet to save him and he came out of his home to support Donald , notwithstanding the rhetoric of Mitt Romney and old timers who railed against Donald. These men failed to see the writing on the wall, that America is changing and the people do not want the status quo to continue.
Hillary Clinton will most likely,bar a miracle be the Democratic nominee. She has women voters, blacks, coloreds and big business behind her, but she is identified with Obama administration and an appeasement policy favoring Muslims. She also faces a Congressional indictment on the email scandal and that will dent her chances. Hillary has nothing new to offer and the American man sitting at home , I resume is fed up a status quo where he feels unsafe. It is this silent American who may and will tilt the scales in the final outcome.
the elections are still some months away, but the dice is cast and the American people have to choose between Donald and Hillary . It's like choosing between bad and worse and it's a pity as no other candidate can make it. One bright spark was Bernie Sanders but he has come to a cropper as the Democratic old guard decided to dump him and support Hillary. Frankly, Bernie never stood a chance, despite polls showing he is the best man to face and beat Donald.
Donald in negativity is 10 points ahead of Hillary and his popularity is now 2 points behind the Democrat presumptive nominee. But these are early days and I am sure when the time to cast the vote will come, Donald may well be the winner. A win for Donald will alarm politicians like the British PM and Muslims , who he has declared will not be allowed to enter the USA till their bonafide's is proved. Many in the world are unhappy and Pakistan is hiding its terror at Donald becoming the US president as he has gone on record and stated that the Pak nuclear arsenal is unsafe. Indians, of course are happy and the Hindu Sena has held a prayer meeting for the victory of Donald Trump in the coming election.
One has now to wait for a few months and see what transpires. But there is no doubt that Donald Trump has made a point and he cannot be written off.