Carnival of the Bizarre and Brazen

To say that the US elections this year has been the most dramatic would be an understatement. From comedy relief provided by Donald Trump and his detractors especially by Saturday Night Live and all the satirical talk shows, to the appallingly offensive comments by the brash businessman turned Republican nominee (why one wonders) and the last minute bombshells surrounding Hillary Clinton's email investigation, it has been a carnival of the bizarre and brazen.

At no other time has the US or the world that loves to watch the presidential debates, seen such vitriolic attacks on rivals. Nobody could have matched Trump's unbelievable jibes-'crooked Hillary', 'it's disgusting' (when Clinton took a bathroom break) 'you would go to jail', 'such a nasty woman' and how the entire system was 'rigged' in her favour, including the election.

Clinton too could not resist saying things like 'basket of deplorables' referring to his supporters, which of course she regretted publicly although other than that, her tirades were a mew compared to Trump's constant barks of abusive remarks.

Clinton's failure to address the mystery of the missing emails was heavily exploited by her opponent although the last minute decision of the FBI chief to stick with the organisation's earlier decision 'not to prosecute' Clinton, certainly was a trump card lost for Republicans.

Meanwhile, Trump has managed to outrage an incredible mix of voters. He called Mexicans rapists and drug peddlers and advocated building of a wall to keep Mexican immigrants out. He said Muslims were coming in droves and had to be stopped as they were mostly terrorists; he proposed deporting them and even made disparaging comments about the family of a Muslim American soldier who had died in the line of duty. He has offended the Chinese by saying that China was the root of all evil, taking jobs away from the American people. He has made fun of people's appearances, ethnicity and even disability, making him a caricature rather than a viable candidate.

Most of all he has displayed a blatantly misogynistic side that has offended the women of America and the world. His sexually aggressive comments in a videotaped released by the media and subsequent testimonies of several women whom he allegedly groped or sexually abused, his anti-abortion stance – all of this have been like poison darts for women. Worst of all is the way he dealt with the scandals, dismissing his lewd comments as 'locker room' talk and saying disparaging things about the looks of those women who had accused him of sexual harassment.

So even after all this in addition to his denial of climate change and any kind of scientific data, will he still come out a winner? It would be something like the Mad Hatter's Tea Party if that should so happen. True, white, gun-loving, blue collared Americans are cued into his anti immigrant, more jobs, anti establishment rhetoric while non-college educated married women seem to find his devotion to his wife and family more important than his grossly anti-women remarks.

But when it comes to the crunch who will the majority of Americans vote for? Will they buy Trump's promise to take back the White House again and give back American jobs? Or, will they put their trust on Clinton's vow to make sure that everyone gets to share the American pie?

Obviously the unprecedented turnout of Latino voters and high percentage of African American voters (thanks to Obama and Michelle's overwhelming endorsement) as well as educated millennials and college educated women will no doubt tilt the balance in favour of Hillary. Celebrity fanatics may be swayed by the dramatic support of musicians like Beyonce (who emphasized on the 'first woman president' theme), Jay Z, Chance the Rapper, Bruce Springsteen, Lady Gaga and Jon Bon Jovi but it's hard to say for sure.

If Hillary does win, and the odds are very much in her favour, (especially if she triumphs in the swing states like Florida, Michigan, Iowa and North Carolina) it will mean voters have chosen a 'big hearted America' that is inclusive of people of all colour, race, religion and sex, that is for women's reproductive rights, higher taxes for the wealthy, affordable healthcare and higher education and a salient policy that does not allow assault weapons to be in the hands of violent individuals. It might also mean prolonged wars in the Middle East which is not a big priority for American voters at the moment.  If Trump becomes the president of the United States and follows through with the ways in which he will make 'America great again' it may send chills down many people's spines – in the US and the world over. Except of course Russia where he is so adored that his face appears on traditional Russian dolls.