The rise of Hillary Clinton

President Barack Obama is set to return the Democratic Party to the Clintons but what will have been a perfect beginning for the Hillary era has gotten off to a poor start. Wikileaks revelation of a rigged nomination process anchored by the Democratic National Committee in favour of Hillary Clinton has overshadowed the beginning of […]

President Barack Obama is set to return the Democratic Party to the Clintons but what will have been a perfect beginning for the Hillary era has gotten off to a poor start. Wikileaks revelation of a rigged nomination process anchored by the Democratic National Committee in favour of Hillary Clinton has overshadowed the beginning of this era.
In the run up to the DNC Convention in Philadelphia, Debbie Wassermann Shultz has thrown in the towel as chairperson of the party owing to pressure from the camp of Bernie Sanders, the desperado flag bearer to the left. The abrupt departure of Shultz demonstrates disorder among the Democrats as they began their convention yesterday to formally nominate Hillary as their flag bearer for the exalted office of POTUS – President of the United States of America, as Americans fondly refer to it.
Bernie and followers resent the tremendous support Clinton enjoys from super delegates, a group of top party cadres who have made her nomination possible. Unless the Democratic Party unites all of its wings, their opponents could stage a surprise. Already, the latest polls have conferred leadership in the presidential race to Donald Trump, the candidate of the Republican Party. However, Trump’s large numbers at this time arise from what Americans call convention bounce, a reference to generous media visibility for the Republican nominee and his party following his official confirmation.
Still, it is widely believed that having elected an African-American to its Presidency, American voters are now ready to raise the stakes by handing the same office to a woman – and there is possibly no better candidate that fits the bill than Hillary Clinton who has smashed a number of records on her way to this latest contest for the White house. The former First Lady of Arkansas, former FLOTUS (First Lady of the United States), former Senator (the first former First Lady to become so) is in good stead to become that country’s first female President. If Hillary makes it to the White House in January 2017, the second time, it will be as first citizen and her husband, Bill, as First Man or Gentleman. What a stunning experience it will be!
On her way to the White House, Mrs Clinton is dogged by many obstacles; although Americans judge her as competent, they neither like nor trust her. Many Americans think that having been in the corridors of power for too long, Hillary doesn’t have the moral courage to take the required steps to clean what they always refer to as the mess in Washington. They also think that in the course of her political career in the capital, she has possibly done many things to feather her own nest, not least by using a private email server to conduct what was otherwise official business. Mercifully, both the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Justice Department agree that much as Clinton was “extremely careless” in transacting classified information on a private email server, no “reasonable prosecutor” will press criminal charges against her.
Potential voters in Clinton country are equally concerned at the millions of dollars the family has raked from the Wall Street for speaking appointments which they cite as evidence of chummy relationship with a crooked business world. Clinton also faces the scrutiny of being the wife of Bill, someone seen as having a very soft spot for the opposite sex!
However, providence could well be on Clinton’s side as she is being matched with a clumsy, garrulous, inconsistent and self-centred Republican opponent in the person of Trump. How can Trump ever be elected to the White House if all he does is to whip up fear and offer simple-minded solutions to serious national problems? Like when he says he will build a wall to secure American border with Mexico or when he frightens European allies by threatening that President Trump’s America will not defend them against probable Russian invasion except they pay for protection!
Trump cannot realistically hope to be the POTUS in this election after he unfairly characterised the Latino immigrants as rapists and drug couriers; or his mention of Muslims as being the cause of violence in America. Trump’s silly suggestion that Muslims should be banned from entering America and that those inside should bear some form of identification is an indication that he doesn’t understand the foundational philosophy of the country he lives in.
Similarly, Trump’s tantrums against women, even mocking their natural physiognomies, have alienated him from a vast number of voters. As for African-Americans, their attitude to Trump’s quest to be the POTUS is a no-brainer. They have long suspected that Trump was a racist and his continuous outbursts confirm their fear.
Beside his lack of experience in government, Trump’s temperamental character borders on arrogance which only affords him a narrow base among the less fortunate and angry white Americans.
It is up to her to win the trust of American voters ahead of the November elections but analysts have described Hillary Clinton as “one of the best prepared and most knowledgeable candidates ever to seek Presidency” of the United States of America. She will be buoyed by rising approval ratings of the outgoing President Barack Obama as well as dyed in the wool Spanish-speaking, ex-Governor of Virginia and Senator, Tim Kaine, her Vice Presidential pick.