Clinton v Trump: American voters must choose the lesser of two evils as this toxic contest draws to a close
IT’S weird, wacky and downright nasty, brimming with bile and anger.
I’ve never seen an American election like it — and this is the sixth I’ve covered.
I’m calling it the Marmite Election, because it comes down to two candidates who are either loved or loathed, with the loathing far outweighing the loving.
Frankly, most voters I’ve talked to across this land of 323million people don’t really like either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton.
Never has the American electorate been quite so polarised. And in a ballot of negatives, it seems that on Tuesday the nation will be voting more for the least-worst option than for anything positive.
US analysts have even come up with the term Lesser Evilism.
The candidates have chucked so much muck at each other, it’s not surprising a ton of manure got dumped outside a Democrat office in Ohio last week. That seemed to sum it up.
Trump calls her “Crooked Hillary”. She retorts that he’s a woman groper unfit to run the country.
I’ve got three degrees and I love Trump
It’s knockabout, celebrity politics for the reality TV age that doesn’t leave much room for policies.
But whatever the outcome, Trump has changed the political culture. He’s ripped up the old campaign playbook. He’s trampled on the unwritten code of American democracy.
Whether he wins or not — and I’m still not writing him off, because I don’t think we fully realise his impact and appeal — he has laid waste to the US political system.
His provocative, at times outrageous, comments stole the news agenda from day one — and he’s never let up.
Trump has challenged the status quo, dared to thumb his nose at the establishment and raised serious questions about the whole process of electing a President.
On the campaign trail this week in the key swing states of Florida, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio and Virginia, I was surprised by the depth and variety of support for The Donald.
It wasn’t just older, white men with less education.
At a pavement cafe in Tampa, Florida, Fred Mastro, an IT guy of Puerto Rican descent, told me: “I simply don’t trust Hillary. So I guess Trump gets my vote as he’s the lesser of two evils.”
In Raleigh, North Carolina, car attendant Tyrone insisted not all African Americans are for Hillary.
“I reckon Trump will get us more jobs,” he said.
Many Trump supporters are keeping quiet at the moment
At Tabanero cigar factory, in the historic Hispanic district of Ybor City, Florida, Jake was pulling on a cigar and squeezing a Hillary stress ball. He said: “Trump is a cartoon figure. But he’s got something about him.”
And he agreed with boss Jim Collins that many Trump supporters are keeping quiet at the moment.
“Trust me, on election day they’ll all come out of the closet and vote for Trump,” he prophesied. “He could win this state.”
At the Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia, Betsy, a 32-year-old white teacher, wanted me to know that women backed Trump, though she had reservations.
She admitted: “It pains me to say I’ll vote Trump. But I trust him more than Hillary.” While Sheree McGarry, a vivacious accountant in her late 30s, was keen to demonstrate that well-educated whites were behind Trump too.
She said: “I’ve got three degrees and I love Trump. He’s got great ideas, he’s outside the corrupt establishment and he knows how to put the country right.”
Retired Hispanic manual worker Rodrigo nodded in agreement. “I’m voting for Trump.” Another stereotype confounded.
Trump appeals to a disaffected, disenchanted heart of America. That might explain how a self-proclaimed billionaire has managed to portray himself as a Galahad to the gathered and grumpy masses.
He’s tapped into a protest vote that some say resonates with Brexit. He’s run on a ticket of the outsider antidote to a corrupt two-party system.
He’s channelled the anger of citizens who see the American Dream slipping over the horizon, who feel abandoned and betrayed by the political classes. They call them the disaffectorati.
Even so, the polls say the majority of Americans still find Trump toxic, which suggests it should be a shoo-in for Hillary.
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Her qualifications would appear to make her an ideal candidate. A former First Lady, senator and Secretary of State. So why do so many voters find her hard to like?
The words quoted to me time and again on the campaign trail are “unappealing” and “untrustworthy”.
The things that should make her electable seem to count against her in the eyes of many.
She is the embodiment of the Washington establishment. She’s seen by her detractors as an ultimate insider caught up in the corrupt cocoon of power.
Hillary is half of the Clinton dynasty that has all but owned the Democratic Party for a quarter of a century. When she ran against Barack Obama in 2008 many thought she looked entitled, as if she only had to turn up to be gifted the Presidency.
But as Obama dazzled, she dimmed and was eventually eclipsed.
Watching Obama at a rally in North Carolina this week, I was reminded why he won two terms.
When she ran against Barack Obama in 2008 many thought she looked entitled
Like Bill Clinton before, he has things Hillary will never have — charm, charisma, the X factor.
Students in the audience were in awe. For many he is their political inspiration. Whereas the enthusiasm for Hillary often seems tepid.
She is hugely experienced and highly knowledgeable. But, quite simply, she’s not very exciting.
Young women I talked to didn’t seem that excited about a woman in the White House.
“It’s not about gender,” they said. “It’s about picking the right person.” And many question her integrity.
The latest FBI investigation into her private emails has not helped.
They add to the catalogue of grievances listed by her doubters, dating back to her days in Arkansas when Bill was governor in the 1980s.
She admits using a private email server in high office was an error she would not repeat. Obama says it was an “honest mistake”.
It was certainly ill-advised. But so far there’s no evidence it was a crime. Yet the dirt sticks.
Republicans ride round with bumper stickers such as “Clinton’s a criminal”, “Hillary for Prison” and even “Liar, Liar, Pantsuit on Fire”.
At times she seems caught in a cobweb of censure and cynicism. And the polls are tightening.
She may well defeat Trump on Tuesday, but sceptics are already saying, “God help Hillary”.
For she might make it to the White House only to inherit a nation of discontent, stirred up by Trump.
Many fear his buccaneering brand of politics could leave behind a hate-fuelled gridlock in Washington and a mass of Middle America who truly believe the election, and life in general, has been rigged against them.
At Daytona Beach, Florida, driver Nick offered me his “Uber prediction”.
He’s counted campaign posters on his trips all year and said: “There are thousands for Trump but I’ve honestly only seen two or three for Hillary. On that basis I reckon Trump will win Florida by a mile.”
Maybe taxi man will prove more accurate than pollster man. So what could it all mean for the UK?
Well, if Hillary wins, not much will change. She’s been in the public domain for three decades.
Westminster knows what she’s about. She’s unlikely to rock the transatlantic boat.
There are thousands of campaign posters for Trump but I’ve honestly only seen two or three for Hillary
But if Trump makes it to the White House, nobody’s sure. He’s a maverick, unpredictable and with no record in public office.
All I can offer you is a small insight garnered when I spoke to him earlier this year.
I asked The Donald for his views on the Special Relationship between the US and the UK.
He told me: “Oh, it will be special. I own golf courses in Britain.”
Watch Jeremy Thompson on the US election every day on Sky News