“No matter what name we give it or how we judge it, a candidate’s character is central to political reporting because it is central to a citizen’s decision in voting.” – Roger Mudd, US political journalist
With only two days to go for the US Presidential elections, you would think we’d be pretty certain by now as to which of the two contestants will come out with the prize. But according to the pundits and pollsters, even though Hillary Clinton is slightly ahead, it’s still a toss-up. And this means that over social media and among my friends in med school, the character of the candidates will still ignite fierce debates.
I never fail to be amassed at how the American media can suck us into their obsessions, crazes and current events. They just bombard you from so many angles that you get caught up – sometimes even against your best judgement. Like right now when I’m supposed to be studying for my obstetrics finals!! We know more about the most arcane details of the candidates’ lives than their stand on policies – because that’s what the media focus on.
I used to think that such an approach was a trivialisation of politics, but with the quote above in mind, ultimately the actions of the politician when in office will come down to their character, won’t it? While we may knock our politicians and their politics in the Caribbean, maybe we do need to examine more, to paraphrase Martin Luther King, the content of their character and not the colour or the texture their hair. Not to neglect their stance on the issues, of course!
To listen to Donald Trump, your first thought is, he’s a buffoon. But he did build a real estate empire that made him a billionaire and we cannot just airily dismiss this. And he did this in New York, where Jay Z, referencing Frank Sinatra, assures us that “if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.” But when you look at his character, especially after his views on women were exposed, you realise that in the system in New York and maybe by extension, the US, you don’t need character to be “successful”. As to whether that is a commentary on capitalism, I’m not qualified to say.
And that leads us to his opponent, Hillary Rodham Clinton and her character. Even her most fervent supporters concede she’s an inveterate liar…but she’s been Secretary of State of the US and is now a hairbreadth away from being the President of the United States! She’s also seen as so ambitious for the rungs of power, that she was able to bear the stench of her husband’s infidelities just to be within the system. I found it more than ironic that the revelations of her possibly compromising US national security by keeping her emails on a private server, came out of the computer of her closest aide Huma Abedin – who stuck to an even sleazier politician husband. And when your basis of comparison is Bill Clinton, that’s some sleaze!
So as Guyanese what’s in it for us? We learnt from the two terms of Barrack Obama that presidents can only do so much. They enter a system and by and large they have to follow the rules of the US game. Whether it’s Trump or Clinton, they’ll take actions to further America’s interests and will do what they feel they have to do – especially when it concerns an inconsequential country like ours.
So it’s six of one, half a dozen of the other. A plague on both houses for “forcing” me to spend so much time on them! Back to the books!
