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101: How Does One Get Elected These Days

Grete Mautner, November 18

4232341231231Ever since Donald Trump was presented to the world as the new President-elect of the United States, analysts at both side of the Atlantic are arguing what allowed a cowboy billionaire to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. This is no idle chatter, mind you, since the understanding of this phenomenon is imperative for political elites across the world to succeed.

To be more specific, the French national government is the next one to be tested, since the influential Republican party is to hold its presidential primaries on November 27. Immediately after that, on December 4, a referendum on the ongoin electoral reform is going to be held in Italy, which may result in the resignation of Italy’s Prime Minister Matteo Renzi. Further still, on March 2017 the Netherlands are planning to hold its parliamentary elections, which may turn out to be a pretty heartbreaking experience for the country where right-wing nationalists are gradually getting an upper hand .

That is why European think tanks are carefully examining the reasons behind Hillary’s defeat for EU politicians to avoid her mistakes in the future. If we take a closer look at Hillary’s political program, one may notice that it was built entirely on blatant Russophobia and countless scandals, which means there were no subtance behind her promises.

For example, the former policy director for UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Steve Hilton would note that today half of all Americans earn less today after eight years of Bush and eight years of Obama, and when incomes are down and it’s no wonder that they look to someone to try to make a difference in their lives. Today, a total of 102 million Americans have found themselves unable to get employed, which was reported long before the campaign started, yet the White House insists that these figures aren’t that big of a deal, while the situation is being aggravated further by a mindbogling amount of mortgages and loans Americans are forced to pay these days. According to a report compiled by Nerd Wallet the average American now carries more than 90,000 dollars in debt.

Curiously, the notorious socialist media source WSWS, under the Obama administration more Americans have found themselves consigned to economic ghettos, living in neighborhoods where more than 40 percent subsist below the poverty level. According to the Pew Research Center, over 49% of the public says their family’s income is falling behind the cost of living.

However, one of the most pressing issues facing America has been largely ignored by both the corporate media and the Democratic party, the AlterNet would note long before the final vote was cast. Similarly, the fact that The Financial Times published an article on 21 facts about the explosive growth of poverty in America wouldn’t be a serious enough reason to question Hillary’s judgement.

So, how would the elites react? Nobody asked the possible Democratic candidates a single question about the bitter poverty American families are forced to face today The candidates themselves have brought up poverty, either in their prepared remarks or in response to more abstract questions about the economy. Sanders brought up poverty in all but two debates, broaching the topic 12 times, while Clinton would bring the issue up 5 times in total.

It curious that Trump was the only one to recognize this problems as the most pressing one. One could get away with just bashing Russia back in the Cold War days, but now it looks like a sure way to throw away your election campaign. But it seems unlikely that there’s intelligent enough politicians left in the EU to recognize this fact, and if there is some, they’re too buzy bashing Trump anyway. The times have changed and those who do not want to adapt will soon be relics of the past, just like Obama’s administration is. Obama could cooperate with Russia in such area as the fight against terror, climate change, struggle against poverty and the preservation of the rule of law in international politics. Instead he got entangled in anti-Russian hysteria, allowing Trump to score an easy win over the Democrats and their neocon agenda.

Grete Mautner is an indepenent researcher and journalist from Germany, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook.