This article is published on the eve of the U.S. presidential election to coincide with the occasion. With so much at stake and two unorthodox candidates vying for the White House, it has been a tense campaign and one of the most dramatic and controversial in history. The final round of this political battle is taking place on November 8, 2016. Two contenders: Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton, which one will win the election?
This is the first time in U.S. history that the American people end up with two unlikely presidential candidates to vote for. Clinton, from the beginning, has been the hand-picked presidential candidate for the Democratic Party. Her rival, Bernie Sanders, did not stand a chance. Trump, in turn, started his campaign as the underdog. Most people underestimated him. They thought he was not capable of standing up to those powerful rival senators and governors. Hated by his own party, he beat all the odds to win the Republican nomination. Therefore, one can speculate that Trump's destiny is the absolute sine qua non of his political success.
What’s unusual about Trump is this. He is politically inexperienced and very vocal. He is a man who doesn’t hesitate to say what’s on his mind. With such an attitude, he creates friends and foes alike. Trump says things as they are whether one likes it or not. He is not a typical politician, so he does not circumvent delicate issues. At times, he makes hateful statements that offend certain people. However, he had his share of problems as well. Recently, eight women have come out accusing Trump of sexual impropriety and others of some unfair business deals. Despite all his troubles, he is today one step to the presidency.
Clinton, in turn, carries a heavy load of political baggage; however, she has the intellect and all the kinds of stuff of a president. Despite her qualifications, will she win? Her enemies criticized her for several things. While she worked as Secretary of State, insurgents attacked the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya. Her political opponents blamed her for the lax security at the U.S. embassy that led to the death of the U.S. ambassador Christopher and staff members.
Another issue both Clintons are criticized for is Haiti. Bill Clinton was one of the people in charge of managing the donated funds for rebuilding Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. During the last presidential debate, Trump accused Hilary of using her charity for the wrong purpose. He claimed that through cronyism Clinton's family and friends acquired lucrative contracts in Haiti. Hilary's brother, Anthony Rodham, is said to be extracting gold in Haiti. Others hired through Clinton’s charity squandered funds that were designed for the reconstruction of Haiti.
Then, the intermittent distraction about official emails that Clinton placed on private servers has dug a big hole in her political career. It is a big problem that keeps getting bigger and bigger. Here is one clear example. A week prior to the presidential election, the omnipotent email scandal resurfaces, based on Wikileaks recent revelation. What makes the matter worse is that the FBI is conducting a probe as to whether classified documents were in those emails. A few days before the election, Clinton is in hot Water, and Trump is looking good. It is bad news for Clinton. Some polls suggest that Trump is running neck-and-neck with Clinton; others say he is leading in some states.
It is a very close election. With so much eagerness, one can't help wondering if Trump’s destiny supersedes Clinton’s know-how to win the election. However, Clinton is still a potential candidate who cannot be underestimated. In my opinion, Trump is winning because, far from being perfect, he is, indeed, the lesser of the two evils.
