Being not Trump

After Hillary Clinton was confirmed as the Democratic nominee for US president in a tense and often fraught Democratic National Convention, the US now has its first female presidential candidate. This has been a long time coming in a democracy that prides itself to be one of the most advanced in the world. The nomination and possible election of Clinton do not, however, mean that something fundamental about the US is likely to change. This is similar to the election of the first African-American president – Barack Obama – who promised much more in his first election campaign that the more conservative Clinton ever could. This of course does not reduce the importance of the upcoming election. Whatever Clinton’s own controversies might be, she is faced by a potential fascist candidate in the Republican nominee Donald Trump. Despite the dangerous nature of her rival, Clinton is by no means a popular candidate even within the ranks of her own party. The stirring campaign of Bernie Sanders continued to have its after-effects felt in the DNC, with the DNC chair embroiled in a controversy over anti-Sanders emails sent by Clinton.

It is clear that the US presidential election will be shaped by the politics of fear. Trump’s strategy is to play on the fears of the American public of perceived outsiders. Clinton’s strategy is to play on people’s fear of Trump. By standing against Trump, rather than for a strong, progressive and meaningfully inclusive agenda, Clinton may be setting herself up for failure. We have seen that failure already in Britain when anti-Brexit campaigners played on fears, instead of giving a positive message. There are also calls within the Democrats to look into perceived unfairness in the system to select presidential candidates which favours unelected delegates over the party’s electoral base. While it is important to talk about reforming party democracy, it is not clear if the Democratic support base grasps what a difficult choice the US is confronted with. In Trump the US could choose a man whose hatred of minorities closely rivals his misogyny. But Trump’s brashness also makes him an easy target for Clinton to win an election against. What she requires is a clear-cut agenda and a sharp sense of distinguishing herself from Trump in terms of that agenda. This is a task she has been unable to perform and this might even be beyond her. Clinton has long been a member of the US political establishment. This is why the option for voters is not between a progressive and a fascist candidate. Clinton is too implicated in the domestic and foreign policy ‘mistakes’ of the last three decades to be seen as a candidate of change. Her promises sit in contrast with both her history and her list of donors. Her only saving grace seems to be that she is not Trump. Is that going to be enough to win her the US presidential election?