Ariel F. Nepomuceno / DECISION TIME
After the dramatic release of a 2005 videotape of Donald Trump making crude tasteless comments about women and agreeing to vulgar sexual conduct against women, mid-October United States presidential survey results showed Hillary Clinton leading Trump by five to 11 percentage points. His statement that his status gives him a free pass when it comes to the opposite sex horrified the American populace and caused shivers to many.
This candidate who has a great dislike for racial diversity who has absolutely no clear pronouncement on how to run the US and who has consistently failed to present a coherent, workable and acceptable economic and sociopolitical agenda for his country is getting really notoriously popular these days because of his continuing talent for sexism.
Deeper gender battle
But there is a bothersome demographic divide in almost all survey results. Numerous press reports observed a big gender split with Clinton losing votes among men by almost 11 percentage points and Trump losing among women by 33 points.
They say if Trump does not win the US presidential election, it will be by reason of the overwhelming disapproval of the women voters. And there are so many valid reasons and these should resonate not only with women but with men, as well.
It is certainly contemptible for both men and women to disregard issues of sexual assault, rape culture, harassment and degradation of women as if the latter were within the commerce of men. Even the very conservative female members of the Republican Party have come out to openly criticize and ridicule their candidate.
Ignoring the Issue
SO how can one vote for someone who does not take seriously the long time misery of women in a world of incessant abuse, misuse and harm. History is replete with these
unfortunate stories.
Now witness Trump’s many anti-women behavioral failures: Once he said he was disgusted about Clinton and women going to the bathroom often and that Clinton was conveniently using the “woman card” to lure the electorate. Worst of all, he described this woman’s card as one that gets you a salary discount or that makes one live in poverty, be sexually exploited and get countless benefits.
Pushing too far
Talking about the military, Trump was undaunted. He mentioned that sexual assault is an expected result of allowing women to serve in the military. His racial and religious prejudice was, likewise, manifested when he publicly attacked one Khizr Khan, the father of a soldier who died fighting in Iraq, and shamelessly stated that the reason Khan’s wife did not explain her side was because she was not allowed to have anything to say. And who even bothers to rigorously debate with a former Miss Universe via twitter in the wee hours of the morning or describe another beauty queen as “Miss Piggy”?
Clearly, these comments were just too gruesome that former First Lady Barbra Bush and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had to say “enough.”
Because of the negative effect of the women sector’s reaction to his pronouncement, Trump is now in a wild offensive and threatened lawsuits against press people and media outlets that publish his sexual tirades. Now willing to shut up, he ended up saying the women who complain and attack him are liars, horrible individuals and not pretty enough to be harassed in the first place.
Historic chance
IN this rare political milieu, it is up to Clinton to leverage on the growing disenchantment of many Americans with Trump and transform the same into real, actual votes. They say Trump is the best gift to the very much divided women’s movement. That this will catapult the installation of the first female US chief executive remains to be seen.
In fact, the survey last week shows that Trump is slowly catching up, especially after the recent Federal Bureau of Investigation’s revival of the e-mail issue. Truly, a very worrisome presidential landscape is looming in the horizon.
Gender equality and respect for women are timely and important campaign issues. It should be talked
about and taken seriously as an agenda for more inclusive growth, especially in a democratic giant like the US. We shall hold our breath, watch and wait with much anticipation.
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