Why Hillary? Why Hillary Clinton will be good for Africa

What an eventful weekend this has been in the US presidential race! Donald Trump was caught on tape, pants on fire, basically bragging about sexually assaulting women eleven years ago. He defended himself by claiming to have been an impressionable 59-year old, but he has since “grown up” and is finally taking “full” responsibility. Wait…was he actually taking responsibility, or was he bashing Bill, and blaming him for having whispered worse stuff in his ears on the golf course in that apology video? In a strange twist, he dismissed his comments as locker-room banter at the debate, basically saying, “Sorry, not sorry.” Why am I not surprised?

Trump is an aggressive misogynist, basically. I mean apart from several rape suits in courts one which includes a then 13-year old Jane Doe, didn’t he once say that Megan Kelly had blood coming out of her mouth and her “everywhere”? Didn’t he fat-shame former Miss Universe Alicia Machado just last week and told everyone via twitter to checkout her nonexistent sex tape? Oh, and he called Heidi Cruz and Carly Fiorina ugly during the primaries. But that’s not all. To Trump, women are either pigs, dogs, slobs or disgusting animals, unless he’s sleeping with them wants to, or it’s his daughter Ivanka, in which case, she’s a hot piece of ass. Which is just equally disgusting and creepy! He’s the worst of the worst kind of misogynists if that is even possible. Plus he has zero chills for people of colour, Muslims, war veterans, the disabled and LGBTQs. He’s bigoted on so many levels; it is hard to keep track. Sad to say that the GOP leadership has been on board up until now. I guess it is because Alicia Machado and the Khans are not their mothers and daughters and wives? But let’s not focus on Trump. Talking or rather writing about this man leaves a very bad taste in my mouth and at the risk of sounding paranoid, I actually think I’ll detox my computer once this campaign madness is over.

Nothing pleases me more than seeing Hillary Clinton shred him to pieces, especially in the debates. He probably thought Hillary Clinton is like his opponents in the primary, whom he talked down on, when he wasn’t bragging about the size of his genitals and fingers. Last night, Trump admitted that Hillary is a fighter, she’s no quitter and she never gives up no matter what. Graceful and armed with facts and her occasional humor and laugher, Hillary was able to weather Trump’s insults and attacks without flinching. Her sharp mind enabled her to poke holes in his claims without descending to his level. Trump’s meltdowns still cast aspersions on his “excellent temperament.” Can you imagine him handling a crisis about Aleppo with a defiant Putin? Imagine Rodriguez Duterte rattling him or Xi Jinping. Did you see how he threw Mike Pence under the bus tonight? Ha ha ha!

I’m proud of Hillary, now more than ever before. She’s not only fighting Trump, she’s fighting every bit of misogyny to ever exist. She did 75% of the work after the first debate and not only did tonight’s performance solidify her base, it brought in many undecided voters. Her numbers have been soaring steadily, especially in key battleground states of Pennsylvania and Florida where she’s had a 12-point lead before the debate and an over 5-point lead countrywide from to multiple polls. And don’t forget that she’s commanding a decisive lead in the Electoral College votes. Not only will she make history by being the first female president of the USA, she’ll have beaten a populist in 2016―the year of fascism. The USA is safer and better, as is the world, with Hillary.

It has been dark lately. Terror. The refugee crisis. Shrinking human rights. Low tolerance from rightists. Dwindling global economic fortunes. The dysfunction at the UN and failure to reach an agreement over Aleppo. See? The world is scary. But things can improve with President Hillary Clinton. Her clear head, command of policy and ability to find common ground are her greatest treasures. She’s strategically positioned to form a better deal on matters race, gender, climate, trade and security. But what about Africa? What would her presidency mean for us? Will we be more accepting of powerful women moving forward? C’mon people…you know what I’m talking about…Martha Karua for President? Can I get an amen? Don’t accuse me of playing the woman card, the Odingas and Kenyattas have been playing the man card for like what? Forever? In addition to changing mindsets and gender politics, Hillary Clinton’s track record in the sub-Saharan is good, though it could use some dusting up. The South Sudan peace deal was all thanks to her. It isn’t working as it should, but whose fault is that? I trust her to help resolve the chaos in CAR, DRC, Burundi and Darfur once in office. Or at least the dictators besieging this continent won’t be as relaxed as they’ve been under Obama―who spend a large chunk of his first years in office resuscitating an economy he’d found in the ICU. That aside, being so focused on his father’s land would have made the birther lie far worse. So African leaders settled into their modus operandi, believing they were untouchable. To be fair, Obama did try highhandedness, but on the wrong demographic, Libya, and he has since taken full responsibility. But Libya is not Burundi or South Sudan.

But most importantly, the trade policy that president Obama initiated on this continent is unprecedented and commendable. He personally launched the 6th Global Entrepreneurial Summit in Nairobi last year, opening our doors to key global investors. Will President Clinton build it up? My guess is yes. Plus, there’s room for renegotiating better terms. All these plus the remarkable work of the Clinton Foundation on matters HIV/AIDS is why I root for Hillary Clinton, not Trump, whose only job on this continent is what? Sending his sons to slain our wild animals and post pictures on Instagram?

I understand that there is no perfect relationship in politics and that partnering with a powerful party is bound to tilt the scales in power’s favor, but I’m sure we have some leverage. With good leaders on our end, all is possible. Wouldn’t it be nice to deal with an experienced diplomat, a human rights crusader, armed with a myriad of policy issues to make a case to, for our social, economic and political wellbeing? President Hillary Clinton is that person!

I invite you to write to me at ccamayi@yahoo.com

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