Mirsky: The Making of the President 2016

The noted American journalist of the 1960s, Theodore H. White, wrote a series of books about our Presidential Election process. White wrote a book about John F. Kennedy’s ascendancy called “The Making of the President: 1960”, and followed that up with similarly titled books about the 1964 and 1968 Presidential Election Years. Mr. White had a unique style and was able to make it appear as if the American President was actually chosen by some kind of divine process of selection.

Well, so far this year, we know for sure that the Presidential selection process is not “divine”.

In New Hampshire we have known this for a long time, because we get a chance to see these people who will become huge media stars before the rest of the country has a chance to even take a glimpse. The presidential election process in the United States is very strange indeed. But it’s our process and we, as Americans, have to deal with it.

As you may have realized from my previous articles, I support Hillary Clinton for President this year. I’m stating that here to make sure you know where I’m coming from. I am writing to share my views on the current crazy situation.

It is now May of 2016, and we are six months away from the November election, the final showdown. And we don’t quite know what will happen. Actually, the only thing we know for sure is that we don’t know what will happen.

Let’s make one thing clear, New York real estate entrepreneur and bankruptcy expert Donald Trump has taken the Republican Party’s nomination for President in 2016. Trump has won the most delegates, got the most votes among Republicans, and all of his opponents (except for U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan) have dropped out of the race.

So Trump has the Republican nomination. Trump has insulted and excoriated and made racially hateful statements and displayed a disdain for women in general in his rise to the Republican nomination. Trump did all those things because he wanted the Republican nomination. And he got it. That’s because the Republican Party is currently dominated by people who either share those views or don’t mind them too much.

The Democratic Nomination has almost been decided, with Hillary Clinton far ahead in delegates and in popular support. U.S. Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders remains a strong opponent for the Democratic Nomination, because Mr. Sanders has a strong message and also has a lot of campaign money to spend. Those are the facts.

Democrats who support Hillary Clinton also admire Bernie Sanders and share many of the views of Bernie Sanders and his supporters. Bernie Sanders has a powerful role to play here, because he can provide Hillary Clinton with the popular and ideological support she needs to win the election in November, but also because it is not likely that Bernie Sanders can win the Democratic Nomination without destroying the Democratic Party.

Victory for a cause, especially in a democracy such as ours, often requires that the leaders put aside their own personal desires for the greater good of what they are purportedly seeking to achieve.

Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders will both have to come to some kind of accommodation in order to defeat Donald Trump in November.

These are the people, the real human beings, whose conduct and character can change the fate of a nation.

The United States Presidential Election is not decided by Divine Providence; rather, it is decided by what people in positions of power actually do with their power.

If you think Donald Trump cannot win the presidential election in November 2016, think again. He has made it past the first hurdle.

It is now up to people of good will to take the next step.