Why Hillary Clinton was Trumped

By James Osolo.

The American election is over and Donald Trump is the president, yes I know you still can’t believe it. As a Hillary Clinton supporter neither can I but we must now try to  why and how he won.

I have been following the American politics since 2008 and during this moment I have come to understand the American electorate. Hillary Clinton lose was not such an unexplainable scenario as the pundits will want to put it . I am sure most people are wondering how with the support of the Obama’s, the Bidens (in fact she even lost in Joe Bidens home state), 7 newspaper endorsements, Outspending Trump in ads, most billionaire backers, wall Street backing, Obama’s. Hollywood-types even queen bee, but still she couldn’t defeat someone as disqualified as Donald Trump. What really happened?

The coronation of Hilary Clinton as the democratic presidential candidate begun in 2000 when she contested for the senate seat after Bill Clinton term as president had ended, many people who knows Hillary say she’s a meticulous planner so the plan begun but nobody in America projected the coming of Barack H. Obama. So in 2008 when Obama came from nowhere and defeated Clinton it was a surprise to many people but it was suppose to show clearly to the Democratic Party that Hillary lacks one most important thing in politics and that is a loyal following, she’s not likable and having been in the government for 30 year nobody trusted or believed in anything she says.

Hillary is not charismatic unlike Obama or her husband. She can’t move a crowd, though her backs says she compensates this by being a policy wonk but is that really necessary in politics?

After losing to Obama in 2008 she began planning for her second coming. She believed this time she would be more ready than ever, so she campaigned for Obama vigorously with a hope and belief that Obama will reciprocate in 8 years time. After the election the story is known that she was appointed in the cabinet where she did a great job. This, however depends on whom you have asked. According to many though, she still remains the most travelled Secretary of State ever in the History of United States.

She left her post after the Obama’s second term election to prepare for the campaign, something she had always been planning for. She brought together a team of great minds including the team Obama,  the guys who Orchestrated the election and re-election of the first American black president. This was done with great hope that it would translate to another history made; of the first woman president of US

The Democratic Party who had loved Bill Clinton presidency, had hoped that she wins the party nomination in 2008 until Obama came to displace her. Everyone in the Democratic Party believed it was her moment, even the party’s major donors lined behind her. Everyone was behind her except the democratic base that had rejected her 8 years ago.

Nobody dared challenge her, it’s said even Obama sympathized with her and despite not liking her told off those who wanted his support earlier on that it was Hillary’s time. Even the more famous and likeable Joe Biden was told to keep up to let the apparent heir have her moment.

That’s when Bennie Sanders came up, it’s important to note that Bennie Sanders was not even a democrat, this is an independent guy who came up and despite all the ground organisation Hillary had put in place he still manage to give her a run for her money and even with the support of all the party bigwigs he still manage to defeat her in very many states infact its alleged that he was rigged out by the party machinery. After the lose Bennie sanders said and I quote ‘I think the discontent of the American people is far, far greater than the pundits understand’. And yes he was right that people were so discontented with the system that they wanted anything but the system even if it was Donald Trump

No matter how hard she tried  the truth was that she had no fan base at all. The only surviving support was the Obama coalition which was half hearted towards her since they had just rejected her 8 years ago.

And this is the reason she performed so poorly even in  originally Democratic States losing states like Michigan or Wisconsin which had not gone Republican for years. She lost because of the rigged system and the belief  by the party that they could decide to the  people whom to choose. And I can say it with certainty, without the help of the Obama she could have done much worse. That’s how bad she was. Those who voted for her voted out of sympathy or out of love for Obama but not because liked her. I too supported her for that very reason

Now to those wondering what Donald Trump will do on 20^th January, 2017 when he finally takes on the instruments of power, the answer is nothing. An American president only has a unilateral decision on international trade and foreign policy.

So this lose squarely rest on the Democratic Party and the belief by some few people in Washington that candidates can be chosen in some board room meetings.

The Writer is a political commentator based in Mombasa Kenya.