David Chen and Thomas Fann
The US presidential election is only two months away and according to all kinds of polls, the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton leads Republican Donald Trump by four to six percentage points. The gap doesn't mean much at this time even though some political pundits and the media talk show hosts have predicted Mr. Trump’s defeat come November. I do not know in which crystal balls these “experts” see, but definitely I do not agree. As a famous quote goes: "The opera is not over until the fat lady sings," similarly no one can foresee the winner of an election until final results come in. Therefore the prediction about Mrs. Clinton’s so-called landslide victory over Trump does not hold water.
It is worth mentioning, however, that quite a few American voters believe that the electoral system is a selection of the lesser of two evils. The 2016 US presidential election so far proves to be no different. The two candidates seem to enjoy the same unfavorable rating of 50 percent each. Like it or not, this is a recurring phenomenon facing the American electorates every four years.
Let's talk about Donald Trump. He may be a megalomaniac, a loud mouth, an unethical businessman and so on and so forth. You may even conclude that he is not a moral person. But, as history shows repeatedly, good character does not automatically make a good leader. For instance, Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. -220 A.D.), was a two-bit hood while young but ended up being widely recognized as one of the best Chinese emperors by historians. Good character makes a good man, but vision and guts make a great leader. I believe Donald Trump is that kind of a leader. His campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again" emphasizes homeland-building as the first step; he believes the United States is not capable of solving the world’s problems; he vows to do his utmost to resolve the illegal immigration issue, which Hillary Clinton doesn’t dare to touch with a ten-foot pole; he wants to fight for US interests, even to the point of breaching existing contracts; he pledges to work with our competitors instead of destroying them with nuclear weapons... Yes, Donald Trump sounds a little crazy sometimes, but he does have charisma and can inspire a multitude of fans and followers in a very short time. He is indeed a different kind of Presidential candidate. This is why the 2016 race is so hard to predict.
As for the crooked Hillary, she may be one tough cookie to have weathered her husband’s sexual escapades, but she hasn’t demonstrated a bit of vision in her life. While a US Senator, she went along with sending troops to Iraq; while as Secretary of State, her policies toward Libya and Syria was catastrophic. And don’t forget her Email-gate that is still very much in the news today. To top it all, what about the appearances of quid pro quo in her messy involvement with the Clinton Foundation? Hillary maybe currently leading in the polls, but her way to the White House still faces many roadblocks: 1) Her Email scandal may get her indicted by the federal court. 2) Even democrats may get tired of watching reruns of a TV soap opera starring an uninspiring prima donna. 3) Hillary’s health may very well be a problem.
Currently, the Republican Party is in disarray. Quite a few party elites still hold grudges against Trump for a number of perceived slights against them. It is believed that most of them will sooner or later return to the Republican fold. There are also signs showing the African-Americans and the Hispanics may re-think which way to cast their votes that have long been taken for granted by the Democratic Party. They may answer to the poll one way and vote the other. This is why the poll results can be misleading.
All in all, though the 2016 Presidential election looks like an evenly matched game, I am betting on the can-do Trump to be the eventual winner.
It is worth mentioning, however, that quite a few American voters believe that the electoral system is a selection of the lesser of two evils. The 2016 US presidential election so far proves to be no different. The two candidates seem to enjoy the same unfavorable rating of 50 percent each. Like it or not, this is a recurring phenomenon facing the American electorates every four years.
Let's talk about Donald Trump. He may be a megalomaniac, a loud mouth, an unethical businessman and so on and so forth. You may even conclude that he is not a moral person. But, as history shows repeatedly, good character does not automatically make a good leader. For instance, Liu Bang, the first emperor of the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. -220 A.D.), was a two-bit hood while young but ended up being widely recognized as one of the best Chinese emperors by historians. Good character makes a good man, but vision and guts make a great leader. I believe Donald Trump is that kind of a leader. His campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again" emphasizes homeland-building as the first step; he believes the United States is not capable of solving the world’s problems; he vows to do his utmost to resolve the illegal immigration issue, which Hillary Clinton doesn’t dare to touch with a ten-foot pole; he wants to fight for US interests, even to the point of breaching existing contracts; he pledges to work with our competitors instead of destroying them with nuclear weapons... Yes, Donald Trump sounds a little crazy sometimes, but he does have charisma and can inspire a multitude of fans and followers in a very short time. He is indeed a different kind of Presidential candidate. This is why the 2016 race is so hard to predict.
As for the crooked Hillary, she may be one tough cookie to have weathered her husband’s sexual escapades, but she hasn’t demonstrated a bit of vision in her life. While a US Senator, she went along with sending troops to Iraq; while as Secretary of State, her policies toward Libya and Syria was catastrophic. And don’t forget her Email-gate that is still very much in the news today. To top it all, what about the appearances of quid pro quo in her messy involvement with the Clinton Foundation? Hillary maybe currently leading in the polls, but her way to the White House still faces many roadblocks: 1) Her Email scandal may get her indicted by the federal court. 2) Even democrats may get tired of watching reruns of a TV soap opera starring an uninspiring prima donna. 3) Hillary’s health may very well be a problem.
Currently, the Republican Party is in disarray. Quite a few party elites still hold grudges against Trump for a number of perceived slights against them. It is believed that most of them will sooner or later return to the Republican fold. There are also signs showing the African-Americans and the Hispanics may re-think which way to cast their votes that have long been taken for granted by the Democratic Party. They may answer to the poll one way and vote the other. This is why the poll results can be misleading.
All in all, though the 2016 Presidential election looks like an evenly matched game, I am betting on the can-do Trump to be the eventual winner.
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