Hillary Clinton is on a book tour promoting her latest memoir What Happened. This book gives her account of the campaign leading to that fateful day in November 2016 when the presidential election was hers to lose – and she lost it.
Clinton curiously omits a question mark from her book title. This is her story and her version of events, but it is by no means an exhaustive account. Readers will enjoy her flowing narrative, which explains many facets of her failed election campaign. However, they will be disappointed by the fact that she barely begins to explain what happened.
There is, of course, an apology directed towards the millions in the US who were counting on her winning. She acknowledges that she let them down: “I couldn’t get the job done, and I’ll have to live with that for the rest of my life.” Clinton highlights that sexism played an important part in her defeat. As the first woman to be a “credible candidate for president”, Clinton “looked and sounded different than any presidential candidate”.
She addresses the problem of her apparent ‘unlikeability’. With the exception of close family members and friends, few have good words to say about her. Boris Johnson famously described her as a woman with “dyed blonde hair and pouty lips, and a steely blue stare, like a sadistic nurse in a mental hospital”.
Others are equally uncomplimentary. Critics often ask her why she won’t just go away. Perhaps, she is a flawed and unsuitable champion of the challenges ahead.
She chooses to downplay the seriousness of the FBI investigations, and she doesn’t make any reference to the reported disagreements within the campaign. She refuses to acknowledge that she was a flawed candidate who had been in public life for several years. Many were simply tired of her.
In contrast, Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes’ book Shattered, takes an impartial look at the workings of the Clinton campaign. They describe a campaign characterised by constant infighting, conflicting messages and clashing egos. Her campaign presented one overarching political lesson: a leader who cannot muster his organisation is doomed to fail. The campaign itself cannot be relegated to the annals of history. Both Clinton’s memoirs and the Allen/Parnes book uncover some lessons which point to some troubling developments in politics.
Donald Trump remains woefully unfit for the office he occupies
Anger was one factor which led people in their droves to vote for Donald Trump. He successfully managed to tap into the raw sentiments of those who are fearful of the changes they see in society. Immigration, scarce job opportunities and a seemingly bleak future were some of the major concerns. From within the Democratic Party, Clinton faced a challenge by Senator Bernie Sanders. She acknowledges that he “tapped into powerful emotional currents in the electorate” and inspired a mass movement which forced “a conversation about the Democratic Party’s values and priorities”. Similar developments are taking shape throughout the world. Strong emotions are now a major part of political campaigning. If not restrained and countered with sound policy proposals and reasonable political actors, such emotions can turn into destructive populism. Given that our democracies are in a fragile state, this can be concerning.
We must now deal with the reality of foreign interference by unfriendly regimes. Russia had an interest in affecting the outcome of the US presidential elections. Facebook adverts paid in roubles, fake news stories concocted in Macedonia, the hacking of e-mail accounts belonging to members of the Clinton campaign team and their release by WikiLeaks all served to create a climate which was artificially conditioned by foreign actors.
In her book, Clinton is rightly concerned: “This is about the future. In the 19th century, nations fought two kinds of wars: on land and at sea. In the 20th century, that expanded to the skies. In the 21st century, wars will increasingly be fought in cyberspace.”
She challenges Trump to find a solution: “No foreign power in modern history has attacked us with so few consequences, and that puts us all at risk.”
These developments will undoubtedly have repercussions across the globe. The US remains a beacon for those who treasure the principles of separation of powers, meritocracy and democracy. The idea of the ‘American Dream’ is still appealing. The Constitution remains a guiding light.
Alas, the election of Trump dents that confidence even in the minds of the most ardent pro-American. Trump remains woefully unfit for the office he occupies. He is extremely inarticulate and prone to buffoonery in the most serious of occasions.
He lacks several virtues which are sorely needed in politics – discipline, respectability, gravitas, and prudence. Clinton had best summed him up in one of her major speeches: “A man you can bait with a tweet is not a man we can trust with nuclear weapons.”
Fortunately, the Republican Party is offering some resistance too. Trump will increasingly find himself isolated. His presidency will, eventually, resemble that of an independent candidate with just a handful of members of congress and senators to lend him his support.
The sorry situation in the US does not bode well for our democracies. When one looks at this great nation now divided, vulnerable to foreign interference and led by a figure lifted out of a bad tragic-comedy, one can’t help but ask – what hope is there for the rest of us?
André DeBattista is an independent researcher in politics and international relations.