BEN VERSUS DONALD: THE 2015 AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PRIMARIES

By Namakando Nalikando-Sinyama I may not have had the opportunity of sitting through an evening to watch any of their televised Live Debates where the two were pitted against each other for the purpose of selling their candidacy but what I can state with a great degree of certitude is this that, Ben Carson will not win the US Republican Party nomination despite his recently reported overall nationwide lead in the polls for two reasons. Simply put, with no tongue in cheek, he is Black and he is coming out too religious in a Secular State. Can someone tell him that Americans are not in the least interested in his professed Adventist faith in a predominantly secular and inter/multi-religious nation! The main themes in American politics right now as I see them, just in case Ben does not see or let alone hear too well are, same sex marriages, The threat of the Revolutionary State of Iran and its Nuclear ambitions vis a vis The Nuclear Deal, The resurgence and influence of Vladimir Putin and Russia on the world stage, Energy Crisis and its Greener Options, Climate Change, Immigration, Abortion, Jobs, jobs, jobs and NOT the US/ISRAEL (CIA/MOSSAD) created ISIS/ISIL Middle Eastern menace! For a start, this gentleman does not even command any semblance of significant support from his own people the African Americans, his people who should have come to his support by default generally consider him a sell-out. The G.O.P, which stands for (Grand Old Party), is thus stuck with a not so ‘clever’, bossy and ill-mannered, uncouth filthy rich Donald Trump and a lethargic and unalluring Ben Carson. Here is why the GOP is in a mess and in more of a political fix than the Democrats. Look, the fact that Trump is a Real Estate mogul and multi-Billionaire, does not necessarily qualify him to be presidential material by default in any way. The whole American Nation may be suffering some degree of excessive dosage of affirmative action with Hussain Obama’s ascension to power against all odds. To expect the man with Gifted surgical Hands to also make it as a Republican president beating the Democrats is, am afraid asking for way too much from the American people. What people do not realise is that, for Obama to have done it, the stars were perfectly aligned in his favour. Barack came on the scene at a time when there was mass revolt and rejection of Republicans under Bush and the messed up Foreign Policy which was sparking all manner of armed conflicts around the globe. The domestic economy was not spared as it was beleaguered by one of the worst recessions in living memory which consequently resulted in all time low domestic employment statistics and Home Foreclosures. Many local companies had to desperately institute hurtful and sometimes very radical survival strategies like externalising their manufacturing industries and take advantage of cheaper labour abroad. As a result, we saw countries like India, South Korea and China favoured as more viable locations of new and expanded operations much to the detriment of their local labour market. There was an unsettling atmosphere and a revolutionary wave of an over powering desire by the people to see immediate change in the way the country was being run. This is the environment which Obama exploited successfully with much tact and finesse. His teleprompter aided oratory skills did certainly come in handy as well. A Trump candidacy will almost certainly give America an even worse of image than it already has in the world since he is threateningly posturing himself in a very bullish and hawkish manner. This front apparently is one that is flaunted by most candidates courting their respective parties for presidential election nominations all for the sake of Israel and the preservation or protection of American strategic Interests abroad as is manifested in the proposed foreign policy direction. The different interest groups and individual business families have been openly declaring their support for various candidates by pouring huge sums of campaign money behind their preferred candidates who promise to uphold their professed family values. The ever present undesirable historical influence of the general Jewish Lobby especially AIPAC has been overbearing on the goings on in American politics. They quietly lurk in the shadows and watch to see who among the available candidates is offering the greatest amount of support for Israel by promising to be the most ruthless president who would be more than willing and ready to obliterate Israel’s enemies in the world at their behest or one that can be easily manipulated to do so at their whims during their tenure of American Presidential Office. Talk about being caught up between the Devil and a Deep Blue Sea behind them. Yes; their party is very much between The Scylla and Charybdis of sorts. I do not intend to insinuate any sexist agenda and carelessly issue views that would be deemed blatantly disparaging towards the women folk but Hilary Clinton’s candidacy also deserves its fair share of time under the microscope. There is no doubt whatsoever that she is currently the obvious democratic front runner. This she should profusely thank Joe Biden for, by his last minute refusal to run against her after much speculation. Just image how her campaign and race would have been thrown into disarray had he decided to run in the very last minute effectively throwing spanners in her campaign works. Look, Biden was edging Hillary in some polls even without him having stood yet ! Such was his popularity and appeal in the democratic ranks. Perhaps, looked at differently, this to some extent revealed the deep set displeasure with the likely Hillary’s adoption as candidate. Even without the Arab Spring that led to the Benghazi Gate debacle where Hillary Clinton was made to testify before the House Select Committee on Benghazi to answer questions about her actions in 2012 when the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked by freedom fighters they mistakenly called ‘terrorists’ and four Americans were killed, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens. Republicans in Congress have been investigating the attack and appear determined to discover if Clinton acted inappropriately and if she did enough to prevent American deaths. These series of hearings have been seen by many as simply a way for some interested parties who sought to destroy her campaign since they do not find any form of culpable behaviour whatsoever in her conduct. She already had or has a problem selling the Clinton name which cannot be easily shaken off. Her husband did not exactly leave office with skyrocketing approval ratings. The people have not suddenly developed collective amnesia. The American public may be slightly fatigued though and thus fed-up with hearing the nearly dynastic Clinton name which over the years has been synonymous with scandal. This is the same problem that Jeb Bush unfortunately has. I do not know him personally but he does not really strike me as an innately terrible and evil person unlike his brother and father who have been immortalised in the annals of notoriety. He is simply guilty by association and what is worse is that, he carries the Bush genes which can easily regress into the dreaded Bushism Doctrine. Hillary does seem to be facing yet another almost insurmountable hurdle against her candidacy for the office of President of The USA. She challenges the very basis and definition of what it means to be American with her aspirations for the top job. To perhaps put it more crudely, is America really ready to be ruled by a female President? If you are familiar with American historical posturing in world affairs, then you would be better placed to answer this question from a point of knowledge rather than just airing or parroting a half thought through opinion inspired by misplaced women’s lib propaganda and equality balderdash. One thing is for sure though, even when American has always prided itself in being democratic, the truth of the matter is that there are invisible forces that determine who eventually becomes The President in those United States.