Political correctness has gone mad. Respect for the opinion of experts is now at an all-time low. During the US presidential campaigns, the media made a lot of terrible mistakes and is not being trusted any longer. The anger and frustration of American voters paved the way for a triumphant Donald Trump in last week's US Presidential Election. It was a cruel blow for Hillary Clinton and a harsh reality for the European Union and other democratic nations across the globe.
On the basis of polling, I presumed, like many others, that Hillary Clinton would win. Almost all the polls showed that Hillary Clinton was maintaining a lead of two to three points and a good advantage in the Electoral College. But of course, we should have known better!
Hillary Clinton lost because millions of Democrats chose not to vote at all. She trusted the data too much. She trusted the Media too much. Like the pollsters, Mrs Clinton assumed that when people said they didn’t trust or like Trump, then they wouldn't vote for him... she was wrong.
Mrs Clinton thought that by defending abortion, she could win the women's vote; by promising police reform, she could win over the blacks; by bashing Trump on immigrants, she could win the Latinos’votes. Crucially, her advertising turned out to be almost entirely negative.
Out of curiosity, tens of thousands of people used to turn up at Trump's rallies, many of them not Republicans. They showed enthusiastic support for Trump because they were angry about the direction of the nation and the failure of congressional leadership. In crucial elections, enthusiasm does matter. Rhetoric too matters. Public rallies matter.
Losing the White House to a maverick, a bully, a bigot, a businessman, a comedian, who will occupy the highest office in America without an ounce of experience and with a horrid list of lawsuits pending against him, does make me sad and angry and feeling sorry for Hillary Clinton. The election of Trump as the 45th US President is a shattering disappointment for all of us who prayed that Hillary Clinton would be the first woman appointed President of the United States of America come next January.
Jos Edmond Zarb
Birkirkara