Clinton vs Trump, expats say leadership crisis in US

PUNE: Most of the 100-odd Americans in the city feel their country is stuck between the devil and the deep blue sea this presidential election.
Hours before the country goes to polls on November 8, most expats in the city seem to be unhappy with their choices for president Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump.
As they sift through the numerous pages of the ballot form to cast their vote, they are unanimous on one thing: “Candidates on the ballot reveal a serious crisis of leadership in the US.”
Americans living abroad can register and request their ‘absentee ballot’ with the Federal Post Card Application, and when it arrives via post, email or fax they can fill it out and send in their ballot.
Cyrus Bharucha, of California, faxed his vote to the California-San Diego office a few days ago. “We have two democrats running for the Senate, including Indian-American Kamala Harris. I voted for her because I like being a tad patriotic,” said Bharucha, who has voted from Pune twice in the past in 2008 and 2012.
Bharucha has been following the US elections since the 1960’s. “This is by far the nastiest election. I wish Bernie Sanders had won the democratic vote, as Trump would have lost to him. I took a $1 bet with a friend that Hillary would be President, never thinking that Trump would be her rival. I hope Clinton wins because she has one of the smartest men in her corner Bill Clinton,” he said.
Bharucha added that in situations like this, when you don’t like any candidate, the empty box provided in the ballot forms comes to play. “You can fill in whatever name you like, even their mother’s name,” he joked.
Jessica Chandras is originally from San Jose, California, and voted by absentee ballot this time. “Trump does not have the experience to speak deeply about issues. So we get stuck just on the surface with rhetoric like “build a wall”, without actually discussing logistics and viable alternatives. Something like that is just not realistic, but it is flashy and can easily fit in a sound-bite on the news. I like that Clinton has a lot of experience and trust that she knows how to do her job. I should trust her just as I trust someone to fix my computer, educate me or build houses,” said the 28-year-old, who is a PhD candidate in anthropology in George Washington University, Washington DC.
Chandras said that though her peers are staunchly against Trump, many people she talks to in India are Trump supporters. “I understand his appeal over Clinton’s, especially when people I speak with like that he is from outside the system. But he is such a dangerous person because he is leading a conversation in America that normalizes misogyny, xenophobia, isolationism, and racism, without recognizing it. Even if he isn’t elected, these attitudes have now been brought into the spotlight, thanks to his campaign. The rest of the world may not feel it but it is very scary back home, especially for a woman of colour like myself,” said Chandras, who is also half-Indian.
Pune-based Jill Sheldekar, who hails from Arizona, requested an overseas ballot online. “Unfortunately in this election, we have a very poor selection. Regardless, it is important to participate because it is our responsibility as citizens of a democracy,” said Sheldekar.
Sheldekar feels the candidates reveal a serious crisis of leadership in the US. “The fact that the Republican nominee has so many followers is a sign of how destitute our education system is and how fed up people are with the rampant corruption that exists in DC and Wall Street On the other hand, you have a career politician, who has spent most of her life in one of the most sordid professions on the planet,” she said.
She feels the election night will not end the problems created by this polarization. “The hypocrisy and blatant lying on both sides of the campaign has created a very toxic mood in American politics. Just about everyone I know is praying for it to be over,” she said.
Dual citizen of Austria and USA, Danella Newman, currently studying at the Savitribai Phule Pune University, said. “I think it’s extremely important for Americans in Pune and anywhere else in the world to vote, even more so in these elections. As dramatic as this sounds, I believe the possibility of having Donald Trump as a world power’s president is threatening not only to the US, but to any other nation. I am not only voting for Hillary Clinton as a preventive measure, but actually believe she is fit for the job,” said Newman, an international student of Masters of Euroculture in Germany and Spain.
US citizen Uma Nidmarty moved to Pune three months ago. She feels that neither candidate is appealing. “Hillary Clinton has a long track record of being corrupt, so I could not vote for her. I am not fond of Trump either. But at this point of time, things are so bad in the US that any change will do. Even if it means nominating someone like Trump as president, I am willing to take that chance,” Nidmarty said.