America's 'life or death' election

Donald Trump v Hillary Clinton (Image: CBS Miami)

American politics has always been at the forefront of the global news agenda. The United States has become so powerful, the outcome of their general elections are a matter of life or death for the rest of the world. This particular campaign, where its citizens are set to take to polling stations in less than two months from now, has never seen the stakes so high.

Here, we have two front-runners. On the Democrat corner, we have Hillary Clinton and on the Republican corner, we have Donald Trump. I may have described it as a boxing match just now, but even that is an understatement. Having never visited the States, and only judging by my self-interest and research, this is turning into a bloody battle not likely to escape our minds anytime soon. I mean, between the pair of them, there have been insults coming from one side and accusations from the other. My head is pounding after reading countless number of stories, predictions and watching interviews by so-called experts. In this modern digital age, the drama is endless and people who are eligible to vote are apparently split.

The problem here is that there are three near equal number of people in this situation and the 'winner' of this election will be decided by which group turns up to vote the most. First, there is the typical individual who dislikes both Clinton and Trump. They feel they are forced to choose the better of two evils. A large chunk of these are staunch supporters of Democrat Bernie Sanders and Republican Ted Cruz, both of whom were rather close in being Presidential candidates themselves. Sanders attracted the younger audience who previously felt disengaged and ignored by previous administrations, particularly when it came to economic and environmental policies. Cruz meanwhile attracted the traditional Republican voter - the backers of Ronald Reagan and George HW Bush for example.

Ted Cruz campaigning (Image: Wall Street Journal)

But, since neither Sanders or Cruz are running, and their fans being seen as to represent a large proportion of the American population, it's going to be interesting to see where their priorities would lay. While Sanders has endorsed Clinton, will his followers listen? And with Cruz failing to endorse Trump, will his supporters sin and vote Democrat for the first time ever? We shall see.

The second group of people are the Clinton-backers. They want to write history and elect US's first female President. But of course, added to this group are African Americans and Latin Americans who are set in their millions to back Hillary after being continuously offended by Trump these past few months. Those who follow US politics are widely familiar with her. She's the wife of Bill, a President for eight years during the 1990s. She was Secretary of State under current President Barack Obama in his first term. We know her policies, we get the gist of what she stands for. She has a wealth of A-List backers such as Meryl Streep, Katy Perry and Ellen DeGeneres. Hillary knows who loves her and equally, who loathes her. Even at this stage of campaigning, however, we're never too sure of the ratio of who despises her against those who adore her.

Then we have the third group - the Trump-backers. The businessman, the American Lord Sugar if you like, and a serial film cameo actor wants to be seen as the 'America comes first' sort of guy. The US Celebrity Apprentice presenter alleges he knows the common folk, targeting the, supposed, ignored regions of the United States. Basically, he is luring those who feel previous administrations have sold their economy-boosting industries to foreign investors. This, I guess, nationalist approach has worked wonders for its supporters around the world - heck, it certainly did the trick in the EU referendum we Brits had to endure earlier this year. It's a tactic not used in the States before - certainly not at this scale - and this is scaring traditional Republican voters witless.

Border between USA and Mexico (Image: Joe for America)

What is scaring many Americans in general is what Trump is pledging to do. His international policies and views are controversial to say the least. He wants a wall to be built between USA and Mexico, he wants to be pally with Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, despite their hostile views towards the global community. I, personally, see beyond these. They appear to be empty threats. The wall will never be built, although I do see tougher immigration legislation between USA and Mexico if Trump is elected. And his friendships between Russia and North Korea will be halted once Europe and the Middle East bring their warnings to the table.

However, I see myself confused by his pledge to the alleged ignored. Will the remote parts of Utah or South Carolina or Texas for example, get their needs heard by a President Trump? Remember, he's been a businessman for most of his life. We all know about his impressive portfolio of hotels and golf courses. We all know about his lavish lifestyle and his 'billions'. We all know about his history of bankruptcy. But has his long career ever benefited these remote communities? What sort of deal are they truly after? That, Trump doesn't really know. It is true to say they aren't happy with their 'jobs moving abroad' but isn't Trump guilty of doing just that?

While Trump has come up with wacky and insensitive notions, I don't believe he is as dangerous as we make him out to be. I doubt his key policies would ever get passed House of Congress, they're not daft (or are they?). He's just trying to get votes from people who don't usually turn out to polling stations. Calling him 'dangerous' gives him the credit and confirms his intentions - to frighten the establishment, and so on. However, I urge those people who want to vote for him to read between the lines. You can't predict the future, but you can't change the past - and Trump's past is his present, and most probably his future too.

As I'm not a US citizen, I am unable to influence who the nation 'should' vote for. I truly believe Obama has done a splendid job for America. While the gun culture is still sadly rife, the country is in a better state financially and globally. Their reputation as a country with dreams and ambition is close to full restoration from the dire Bush administration. I do wish he served another term so that he could complete his vision and the rest of the nation can milk the benefits. But I suppose, rules are rules, and he has to move on. For sure, however, the outcome of this election will ride on the global outlook for the long-term.