Thursday, August 4, 2016

Clintons may be forced to become Democrats

Here’s the thing the Clintons and the Democratic Party don’t get, don’t want to get, or God knows what. Sure, a lot of Donald Trump supporters are just as loony as their candidate, but many mirror the same disenfranchisement felt by Bernie Sanders supporters, and Trump’s directness and plain speaking appeals to them, and they believe (wrongly) that he can or will try to help them.

It’s easy to scorn Trump supporters, but the Clintons have been running more or less neck and neck with Trump until recently. Despite all the money and campaigning, the Clintons’ numbers had not been moving much and roughly half the electorate preferred Trump over the Clintons. If Trump were to win, it would mean a majority (probably) of the American voting public preferred Trump over the Clintons.

Bearing in mind that Obama, a much-disparaged person of color, was elected twice with a comfortable margin, you have to ask what is happening. Has half the country suddenly become openly racist, misogynistic or homophobic? Not likely. At least some Trump supporters are angry, frustrated, and looking for answers, and they have not found them with the Democratic Party. If the Clintons want these votes, they’re going to have to stop pandering to moderate Republicans and deal head on with some bread-and-butter issues they’ve been avoiding, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Trump is a gift to the Clintons, but if he drops out as recent gossip suggests he might, and he is replaced by a saner conservative voice, the Clintons will be in trouble. They’ll have to start sounding like Democrats.

©2016 Kvick Thoughts. All rights reserved.