Race between Clinton, Trump could take rancor to new levels
DONALD Trump’s sweep this week of primaries in five Northeastern states, and Hillary Clinton’s near sweep, increase the likelihood that these two will face off this fall for the presidency. If that’s indeed the case, then voters should brace themselves for a campaign that could be unrivaled for its nastiness.
Trump has shown while moving quickly to the front of a crowded Republican field last year, and staying there as various challengers have bailed out, that he has no reservations about lobbing grenades. Whether it’s criticizing Carly Fiorina’s looks or routinely referring to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz as “Lyin’ Ted,” Trump is comfortable with a no-holds-barred approach.
Certainly Clinton is as well. Steely determination has served her well during her time as first lady (in Arkansas and in Washington) and as secretary of state. Hardball politics comes naturally to her.
A small taste of what’s in store, and an example of what “leadership” looks like today, was on display this week. In response to a reporter’s question Tuesday night about Clinton, Trump said she would make a “horrible president.”
“If Hillary Clinton were a man, I don’t think she’d get 5 percent of the vote,” Trump said. “The only thing she’s got going is the woman’s card and the beautiful thing is, women don’t like her.”
Clinton’s response? “The other day, Mr. Trump accused me of playing the woman card. Well, if fighting for women’s health care and paid family leave and equal pay is playing the woman card, then deal me in!”
So, if the race boils down to these two, we can expect identity politics to play a central role. If he’s the GOP nominee, Trump is sure to hit repeatedly on Clinton’s time as Barack Obama’s secretary of state, as he did during his foreign policy speech Wednesday.
“After Secretary Clinton’s failed intervention in Libya, Islamic terrorists in Benghazi took down our consulate and killed our ambassador and three brave Americans,” he said. “Then, instead of taking charge that night, Hillary Clinton decided to go home and sleep. Incredible.”
Clinton also told “a total lie” when she said the Benghazi attack was prompted by an anti-Islamic video, Trump said. “Our ambassador was murdered and our secretary of state misled the nation. And by the way, she was not awake to take that call at 3 o’clock in the morning.”
These are examples of what the candidates themselves are saying. We can only imagine how the mud will fly when political action committees’ TV ads get ramped up — with Clinton supporters highlighting Trump’s many inconsistencies on issues such as abortion and even his political affiliation, and Trump’s troops underlining Clinton controversies such as her handling of the Benghazi attack and her use of a private email server while secretary of state.
And, this would all be conducted in a campaign featuring two candidates who aren’t exactly bowling over voters as a whole. A new USA Today/Suffolk University poll put the unfavorable ratings for Clinton and Trump above 50 percent each. USA Today political analyst Susan Page notes that nearly one in four voters surveyed viewed both Clinton and Trump negatively.
“The political reality of the negative views voters hold is likely to prompt a flood of attack ads portraying the other candidate in the worst possible light,” Page wrote.
So prepare to buckle up as political discourse, already so acerbic, coarsens even further in pursuit of the highest office in the land.