Daily Times

“I’m ready to pass the baton, and I know Hillary Clinton is going to take it”, were the words of President Barack Obama, endorsing the presidential elections’ candidate Hillary Clinton. Clinton’s campaign, at its pinnacle, in North Carolina not only fired up the crowd in Charlotte but also has lit a ray of prospect in the people residing in countries other than the US, subduing the insular air which was built up as part of Trump’s campaign. A day later the Independence Day, a gesture by the president to support Clinton has been able to deliver a message. It was not only the support for Clinton that was visible in the cheering crowd but an emotional burst of pent up patriotism was felt in the chants of the people.

Evidently, Clinton, being a seasoned politician and an adept at statecraft, is a competent presidential candidate on factual terms. Clinton can be regarded as the best policy-oriented presidential candidate America currently has. Despite her being the one truly addressing to the problems of the Americans, Trump owns a vast popularity as he has been able to seek the country and the people in their terms; terms that have seemingly struck a particular majority of the masses and neglected the others. Nonetheless, Trump’s attempts have by and large been fissiparous, instigating sentiments of resentment, fear and hopelessness. Although Trump’s attempts at being a social media sensation and a youth mouthpiece have been popular, but they have turned out badly for his political career as his frequent tweeting and use of uncouth language while speaking at public forums have become an amusing taunt for him and often times regarded as unsophisticated and unbecoming behaviour and a non-serious attitude.

America’s greatness can wholly be attributed to its development to being the perfect example of a pluralistic state having a diverse society thriving within. The indifference among people of various descent, the native-americans, Latin-americans, Afro-americans, Chinese-americans, Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Jews, so on and so forth, has led it to be currently the most developed nation in the world. America through its long and oscillating history has managed to hold high the tenets of the American dream where difference based on social class, race or religion are overlooked and equal opportunities are provided on the basis of merit.

The current status of the American state is an evocative of India of the 16th and 17th century, the time when the empire ruled by the Mughals was at its zenith. European travellers of the time marked the land as the golden sparrow, for which India was the land of profound opulence and grandeur. Historians around the world accredit the success of the Mughal Empire to the acceptance and the liberty provided to the vast diversity of cultures, languages and religions. People were free to publically celebrate their religious and cultural festivals and it wasn’t less than being miraculous that on the land where existed the greatest cultural diversity, people lived in with peace and harmony. The emperors despite being one of the best warriors of all times did not monopolize the society to their socio-cultural tendencies rather ensured the liberty of all the different forms. In fact the emergence of the language Urdu was purposed at the intermixing of all the people belonging to various descents. Urdu, an amalgam of Hindi, Sanskrit, Arabic and Persian allowed the sharing of ideas beyond the barriers of the differences in cultures and backgrounds.

It was only when a religious and culture stricken perspective emerged from the emperors when the downfall of the empire started. The ignorance and oppression of the Hindus led to the consolidation of anti-Mughal bodies that then led to series of conflicts against the empire and simultaneously the strengthening of the British resulted into the fall of the empire.

Donald Trump’s overt targets on birtherism and his inductive rationale of labelling terrorists as part and agenda of the Islamic religion is not very popular and have, for him, led to his defame as they defy the basic tenets on which the state of America is based: the American dream where its nature of being inclusive for all and rejecting any sense of differentiation and consequently discrimination to prevail in the society. Trump’s jingoistic temperament not only further lengthens the list of haters he has but ignoring the fact that the non-natives are a great contributing hand to the American economy can have deleterious effects on the socio-economic status of the country. Moreover, Trump’s policy can lead to the uneven development of the people of America resulting into economic agglomeration in all human terms. Agglomeration has always led to the uneven development and has always led to the polarization of the society.

Clinton, after all, seems to be the personification of the American tenets and the support for her is largely based on the sentiments of patriotism and love, contrary to Trump’s who are rather seemingly jingoistic and stricken to their perspective. American nation now rests on the fence and either side are two opposite extremes. It is now banked on the voters whom they decide to choose as their next president and the commander in chief of the US army.