Hmmm, was the startling outcome of the U.S. presidential race more predictable than we realized?
I happened upon an online article last Monday about a giant sinkhole swallowing a downtown street in the city of Fukuoka in Southern Japan. The sinkhole, half the size of an Olympic pool, cut off power, water and gas supplies to parts of the city. I could not help but wonder if it was prophetic given that we were on the eve of election day in the polarizing race for U.S. president.
The day after election day we woke up to the harsh reality that Donald Trump proved all the experts wrong, leaving Hillary Clinton and the Republicans in a massive political sinkhole, as he stormed to victory. So it seems the Japan story was indeed prophetic.
There is a great divide between those who believe this is good news and those who are horrified by it. Let’s set that issue aside for the moment to address the how behind this stunning development. How did Donald Trump pull off the political upset of our generation?
Part of the answer lies in the simple matter of timing. Success in the political arena is at least 50% based on running for the right party at the right time. Catch the wave of cynicism, which inevitably comes after one party has been in power for too long, and you’re on your way.
However, the cynicism has to run very deep for someone as arrogant and crass – and many will argue dangerous – as Donald Trump to carry the day. I myself do not track American politics. But a source of mine, who shall remain nameless, cued me into how deep, wide and festering the discontent has become with the Democratic Party and with Hillary Clinton.
Many of us refused to believe that Donald Trump could ever become president. In any lesser-of-two-evils comparison, we thought he would always come out with the short end of the stick. I wrote a blog post some time back warning that we should not make the mistake of thinking it could not happen. But honestly, I still did not believe it would happen.
All of us in the anybody-but-Trump camp underestimated key factors:
The size of the silent majority in the U.S. and how deep their feelings of abandonment run.
The power of a simple but forceful message, however extremist and however crassly communicated, consistently and unapologetically delivered, to rally those who feel cheated and left behind.
How engrained the better the devil you know school of thought has become. In an era where politicians so often harbour hidden agendas and speak out of both sides of their mouths, Donald’s Trump’s what you see is what you get image has a perverse appeal to many.
We refused to believe it could happen because we so vehemently did not want it to happen. We were naïve and in denial. Our eyes our open now.
My unnamed source believes that Trump’s victory had to happen because the alternative, which those of us north of the border are not fully attuned to, was the greater of the evils. It’s a tough pill to swallow and an exorbitant price to pay.
We can only hope that the ripples of the political sinkhole that has turned the U.S. on its head do not become a tsunami that capsizes all of us who were too naïve to see what was coming. Hold on tight. It is going to be a bumpy ride.
~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.
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Tags: Democrat · Donald Trump · Hilary Clinton · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · Republican · silent majorityNo Comments