I keep playing out the implications of this election and what it means moving forward. What we have seen in this election cycle so far is that people on both the left and right are fed up with politics as usual. As such two populist yet opposite candidates have emerged…..
Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump
The 2016 election will be THE turning point in the future of America. Sanders and Trump have both lit a fire of passion and anger in the people who have been forgotten in this “jobless economic recovery”. Sanders feeds off the hopes of these people, Trump their fears.
The 3 most likely outcomes of 2016 point to 4 distinctly different paths our country will take.
1) Bernie Sanders wins. The most beneficial outcome as Bernie moves the country left and the people see the benefits of policy based towards helping the common person moving the economy to help all.
2) Trump wins. We POSSIBLY get some economic policies in trade to benefit the people. If so this is this biggest disaster that could befall us all. As Trump would be sickening on human rights, if his economic trade policies benefit the American people, Trump could fundamentally shift the consciousness of America into a very dark place. THIS is the danger of Trump, making populist economic policies that benefit the people while at the same time demonizing a large percentage of the population.
3) Hillary wins. If she moves towards the left and takes up Bernie’s positions we will be saved from a horrible outcome. (See Bernie above)
4) Hillary wins. If she continues her triangulation supporting TPP, supporting Wall St., etc. and only gets small incremental change, the future looks bleak. The rising anger and the fact that the Democrats would never primary a sitting President, the only side that will be able to run a populist in 2020 will be the republicans. And after seeing Trump run as a populist this cycle, think how bad the next iteration of Trump will be.
Basically we need to take the mood and economic realities of the people into account, and come up with a candidate that will start looking out for the people versus Wall St and friends where only they continue to reap the rewards of a “recovering” economy. If not, 2020 will be a nightmare. And as it is a census year, we truly can’t afford it as the gerrymandering will be set for another 10 years or more.