The road to the White House

Presidential elections in America seem interminable. Starting in part within days or weeks of the inauguration of the new president, they drag on for years — in the current instance across both the Obama presidencies. The election is still a year away but election fever is now building apace, mainly focused on who is to be the Republican or Democratic challenger. On the Democratic side, there is really only a single front runner — Hillary Clinton, perhaps one of the most polarising figures (after Obama) ever to tread the political boards. A political animal in every sense of the word Mrs Clinton will, barring accidents, be the Democratic nominee.

Matters are far less clear-cut for the Republicans. The field is wider but narrowing as the primary elections draw closer, and once again it is a profoundly polarising figure that is emerging as the front runner — Donald Trump. Scarcely a day passes without Mr Trump sending fact-checkers into near-meltdown. Facts — as in the hard and verifiable variety — have an elastic quality when filtered through the minds and mouths of those seeking the highest office in America. All are guilty of truth-bending to a greater or lesser degree, but Mr Trump has elevated it almost to an art form. He recently claimed that Arab-Americans (…read ‘Muslims’) cheered on the streets during the 9/11 attacks. There is no evidence of that. Carly Fiorina, also in the Republican running, claimed that the Planned Parenthood organisation was aborting foetuses in order to cut them up for medical experimentation. There is no evidence of that either. Mr Trump again — 81 per cent of white homicide victims are killed by blacks. The actual figure is 15 per cent. Falsehood in pursuit of power is the small change of politics, presidential or otherwise. There is little expectation that politicians are going to stand before any electorate and tell the unvarnished truth. There are honest politicians to be sure, but they fade into the background as the big beasts like Mrs Clinton and Mr Trump slug it out. Dishonest coinage has devalued politics, and cheapened the holding of high office. Whoever wins in 2016, it will not be for their honesty.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 30^th,  2015.

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