A sorry affair

There is no election screened with more interest than the US presidential race. This is not only because it’s an entertaining spectacle which starts a year prior to the actual election but also because of the power a US president wields in today’s world. A changing of the guard tends to raise anxieties in the minds of both US allies and enemies. It is no wonder then that the 2016 election has been viewed first with consternation, then disbelief and as it nears the end with something akin to open-mouthed horror.

After a very wide field of candidates was slowly culled through the primaries, the two candidates left standing are the least popular ones in recent history. On one side is Clinton, a woman whose image has been tarnished in no small part due to her husband’s philandering reputation and on the other side is Trump whose campaign has thrived on a steady stream of lies, scandals and jaw dropping gaffes.

The latest round in this slow motion wreck was a town hall debate that took place on October 9. It came fresh on the heels of a leaked video which showed Trump bragging about his ability to assault women with impunity due to his celebrity status.

After offering a non-apology and losing support from several prominent Republicans though others still bafflingly stand by him, Trump decided to hit back by bringing up the accusations that have been dogging Bill Clinton for decades. While the ex-president’s long and appalling history of misconduct is a serious matter, it must be remembered that he remained largely unscathed even after the most damning of allegations came to light. Meanwhile, his wife’s campaign is now being targeted though she is not the one accused of sexual misconduct. Post-debate, pundits are trying to decide who won, but there is mutual consensus that the biggest loser in this whole mess is the American public. The ugliest aspects of democracy are front and centre in this election and there is no clear road back to the moral high ground.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 11^th, 2016.

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