The Trump-Clinton Cliff Hanger

The US presidential elections of 2016 are going to be one of the most rivetting polls in recent memory.

- Parsa Venkateshwar Rao Jr

THE STARK AND harsh truth that stares pundits in the face is that the liberals dislike Hillary Clinton. The conservative bastion loathes Donald Trump in equal measure. The editorials of conservative mouthpieces Weekly Standard, National Review and The New Republic deride Trump openly. Most conservatives feel that Trump is actually a Democrat in Republican disguise. 

The revulsion for Trump has ensured that the liberal media has united around Clinton. Even the conservative media outlets are flocking to the Clinton side, seeing her as a candidate of last resort. Despite fluctuations in polling numbers, Trump is no pushover. He will put up a fight and a nasty one at that. Trump continues to hold sway over working class whites. A large number of people from the Republican establishment will vote for him too. Never mind that he is an incoherent and belligerent bully. It seems pretty clear that the deep chasm of class and colour can’t be bridged by Clinton. She must draw solace from the fact that the Latinos, women and African-Americans will be on her side. 

The middle class and the posh plutocrats will most likely vote for Trump. To do so they must overcome their contempt for a man who reminds them constantly of the Dickensian character, Bounderby. Bounderby is forever boasting of how he is a self- made man.