America would be going to polls to elect 45th President after months of campaign in which all the 50 states giving some anxious moments to both Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican Party candidate Donald Trump. The campaign to the Oval Office has seen some of the worst charges being leveled against each other from tax fraud, sexual harassment and e-mail controversy. Even presidential campaign has seen Donald Trump, once a Republican outsider close the gap on Clinton before falling back after a series of controversies. Both candidates suffer from unpopularity, both within their own parties and among the public at large. Race has always been a huge dividing line in the US election, and the clash between Trump and Clinton is no different. Just 17 per cent of Hispanics and three per cent of black people back Trump. Despite all mudslinging and insinuations the big question is how has Trump survived so long, and managed to get so close to the presidency? It is becoming clear that a large part of Trump’s support is drawn from the White working class angry with economic distress of the recent past. Unemployment, including discouraged, temporary and part-time workers seeking jobs, is 9.7 per cent, higher than the 9.1 per cent average in 2003-2007, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Trump’s populism, mixed with his incendiary racism, has drawn out this discontent. Another feature of resentment is Obamacare, whose premium payments have skyrocketed by as much as 25 per cent this year while red states have been tardy in rolling out Medicaid. Again Trump’s wild promises of slashing premiums have hit a chord. The last time a presidential campaign was anything like this was in 1972. The Democratic Party’s nomination was eventually won by Senator George McGovern, who ran an anti-war campaign against incumbent Republican President Richard Nixon, but was handicapped by his outsider status as well as the scandal and subsequent firing of vice presidential nominee Thomas Eagleton.
