After two debates the US political scene is staggering from a change of perspective. Both Hillary Clinton and Tim Kaine have come out guns blazing in a full smear campaign against the republican candidates. In a somewhat shocking change of pace Trump has come out seeming like the calmer more level headed candidate.
On paper the debates should have been clear cut victories for the experienced democrats however neither debate was the easy victory that was expected. Hillary Clintons decades long debate success was questioned by the upstart Trump. Having never held political office and being known as a hothead, Trump showed amazing poise in the face of harsh criticism from Clinton. He even respectfully (and out of character) made a point of referring to Clinton as “Secretary Clinton” which is her official title. The major news networks did mark the presidential debate as a victory for Clinton however the strong anti-trump bias and Trump’s slow start could have played a major role in this call. Analysts on both sides of the spectrum have largely called the debate “disappointing” due to the lack of productive discussion on policy. Hopefully the future presidential debates prove to be more revealing to the undecided voter and less resemble a middle school diss track.
The Vice President debate proved to be much more productive than the Presidential debate. Democrat candidate Tim Kaine came out with the same fiery attitude as Clinton did. The ever level headed Mike Pence refused to sink to Kaine’s level. Although the policy discussion showcased the two platforms very strongly the quality of the debate was significantly decreased by Kaine’s need to get the final word in. Kaine continuously reused catch phrases and misquoted both Trump and Pence. Kaine has made a name for himself as a successful litigator however he failed to use those skills to control the tempo of the debate. Pence seemed to be the stronger leader and forced Kaine into petty squabbles for attention. Both the media and online polls have largely given the debate to Indiana Governor Mike Pence.
The two debates have revealed the campaign strategies for the final month. The democrats are coming out hot headed trying to steal the spotlight from the Trump campaign. Whereas the republicans are showing that they can be levelled head and “Presidential” material. This approach is exactly why Trump selected Mike Pence over someone like Chris Christie. Pence offers a counter balance to Trumps gregarious personality whereas Christie would just amplify it.
Meanwhile…
In Germany, polls have shown a huge drop in the ruling Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) support. Current Chancellor Angela Merkel has been in power since 2005. She is a multiple time winner of the Worlds Most Powerful Woman. Merkel has widely been coined the leader of the free world. Germany has the second most immigrants in the world behind only the USA. With the ongoing migrant crisis Germany has been hit especially hard.
With a significant amount of criticism landing on Merkel’s CDU, many voters have looked to other parties including the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD). The SPD is one of the two primary political parties, with the other being the ruling CDU. The SPD is generally viewed as centre left and the CDU is viewed as centre right. Currently the SPD is polling as the #1 party in Germany. The populist AfD party is garnering new heights of attention. The party is flourishing off the migrant crisis as the party has strict anti migrant rhetoric. The AfD is a right wing party and is currently polling at second in Germany.
Russia has recently completed parliamentary elections. The results of which have been frighteningly predictable. Putin has again flexed his power over the Russian populace as the party he endorsed won the election with a majority of seats in the Duma. The second and third place parties combined still would have trailed behind the victorious United Russia party by more than 20%. For the first time in modern history Crimea has voted for who will hold seats in the Duma.
By: Tyler Kattler
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