Monday, September 26, 2016

A Shifting Tide for Our Nation’s Future?

Danny Doherty
Political Editor

Flipping between Fox and MSNBC’s nightly news yesterday gave me a look into why this year’s election is polarizing Americans more than ever. Social media’s staggering influence on our life, our constant attention on a screen, and two candidates who people hate, all make for the most intriguing election in U.S. history.as Senator Clinton’s withholding of pneumonia and Trump’s recent run of keeping his mouth shut turned the table? Has the Washington elite been overtaken? Was Clinton’s comment that a quarter of Americans are “deplorables” her “47%” (Following a comment declaring the 47% of Americans who don’t pay taxes “not important”, he tanked in the polls)
 Fox spent hours blasting Hillary for withholding her illness and for her “deplorable comment,” while MSNBC stayed the course of questioning Trump about his tax returns. The lone difference I am seeing between the liberal and conservative media is that MSNBC continues to talk older issues and never has much new material (Trump’s tax returns have been a hobby horse for months), while conservative media outlets like Fox continue to find new little things to nitpick at Clinton (Clinton Global initiative, emails, “deplorables”). Both tactics have proved positive for each respectable outlet. People still hate Clinton, and people still hate Trump. But are the tides changing?
 Trump’s name has been in the news per usual, but his bromance with Putin and continued hard stance on Islam and immigration have been overshadowed by Clinton, who's kept her name in the bad press section for the first time in a while (her polls numbers rise when she is out of the picture). It is a serious shift, whereas up until this point, it has been just the opposite. Clinton’s post-DNC poll boost of around ten points is finally gone, as Trump has overtaken her nationally and in several Ohio, Florida, and North Carolina polls.  

 With Clinton still looking like a lock to win the election, in large part, the media’s portrayal of each candidate’s issues will prove fatal to one in the end. Will people care more about Trump’s antics, withholding of tax returns, and political inexperience, or Clinton’s lying record, health concerns, and “deplorable comment? Only time will tell.