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Abroad in America, Deciphering the 2016 Presidential Race Abroad in America, Deciphering the 2016 Presidential Race
(about 17 hours later)
The last election I covered didn’t work out so well for me. It was May 2013, and I was in Pakistan. As I was returning from a polling station in the southern city of Lahore, military intelligence officials flagged down my car. Hours later I was on a plane out of the country, having been deported.The last election I covered didn’t work out so well for me. It was May 2013, and I was in Pakistan. As I was returning from a polling station in the southern city of Lahore, military intelligence officials flagged down my car. Hours later I was on a plane out of the country, having been deported.
Elections are a fraught business in many parts of the world. In many of those countries, the American way of choosing a president seems ideal, however imperfect. The electoral machine resembles a classic, Detroit-model limousine: large, showy and expensive, yet robust and broadly predictable.Elections are a fraught business in many parts of the world. In many of those countries, the American way of choosing a president seems ideal, however imperfect. The electoral machine resembles a classic, Detroit-model limousine: large, showy and expensive, yet robust and broadly predictable.
This year’s race, at the outset, looked set to follow in that vein as a contest between the scions of two storied political dynasties, Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush. Then the upstart billionaire and reality TV star Donald J. Trump thrust himself into the fray, shredding the script, dismissing Mr. Bush and upending most notions of what is possible, or acceptable, in an American political contest.This year’s race, at the outset, looked set to follow in that vein as a contest between the scions of two storied political dynasties, Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush. Then the upstart billionaire and reality TV star Donald J. Trump thrust himself into the fray, shredding the script, dismissing Mr. Bush and upending most notions of what is possible, or acceptable, in an American political contest.
I have come from my regular base in Cairo to the United States to help with The New York Times’s coverage of the 2016 campaign. You might wonder what I can add, given that I’m Irish and my American colleagues are already producing a stream of illuminating and incisive stories. I hope to supplement that coverage with reporting that responds to the queries of our international readers, and approaches the election — in all its drama, significance and absurdity — in much the same way as we would events abroad.I have come from my regular base in Cairo to the United States to help with The New York Times’s coverage of the 2016 campaign. You might wonder what I can add, given that I’m Irish and my American colleagues are already producing a stream of illuminating and incisive stories. I hope to supplement that coverage with reporting that responds to the queries of our international readers, and approaches the election — in all its drama, significance and absurdity — in much the same way as we would events abroad.
The series will be called Abroad in America. This feverish political season has transfixed the world outside America, too. The election’s first act — the primary contests, when the two main parties select their ultimate candidates — attracts an unusual degree of international scrutiny. Violence at rallies, incendiary speeches, race baiting, attacks on journalists and judges, proposals to bar Muslims or Mexicans — the primaries signaled a sudden sea change that left non-Americans watching with fascination, puzzlement and a profound sense of trepidation. For some countries, the changes resonate strongly at home.The series will be called Abroad in America. This feverish political season has transfixed the world outside America, too. The election’s first act — the primary contests, when the two main parties select their ultimate candidates — attracts an unusual degree of international scrutiny. Violence at rallies, incendiary speeches, race baiting, attacks on journalists and judges, proposals to bar Muslims or Mexicans — the primaries signaled a sudden sea change that left non-Americans watching with fascination, puzzlement and a profound sense of trepidation. For some countries, the changes resonate strongly at home.
Mr. Trump’s success chimes with nationalist surges across Europe and the “Brexit” vote. Disillusionment with traditional elites, hostility toward immigrants and anger among the losers from globalization — all resonate elsewhere. Yet it is odd and disturbing to hear terms like fascism and demagogy, most frequently associated with the European fringe or rickety third-world governments, being used in the context of an American campaign.Mr. Trump’s success chimes with nationalist surges across Europe and the “Brexit” vote. Disillusionment with traditional elites, hostility toward immigrants and anger among the losers from globalization — all resonate elsewhere. Yet it is odd and disturbing to hear terms like fascism and demagogy, most frequently associated with the European fringe or rickety third-world governments, being used in the context of an American campaign.
Mrs. Clinton’s campaign is haunted by the high levels of hostility even among many voters on the left. And so the election, which starts in earnest in the coming weeks, is shaping up as a close unpopularity contest: In the latest polls, Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton both have 40 percent support. But it is not just about the winner in November.Mrs. Clinton’s campaign is haunted by the high levels of hostility even among many voters on the left. And so the election, which starts in earnest in the coming weeks, is shaping up as a close unpopularity contest: In the latest polls, Mr. Trump and Mrs. Clinton both have 40 percent support. But it is not just about the winner in November.
The process has thrown up urgent new questions — about race, guns and the global economy, among others — as well as anguished soul searching about the very process of selecting a president. Where will the politics of resentment and anger ultimately lead? Does the United States suffer, as one writer suggested, from too much democracy? Could this be an “extinction-level event” for representative government?The process has thrown up urgent new questions — about race, guns and the global economy, among others — as well as anguished soul searching about the very process of selecting a president. Where will the politics of resentment and anger ultimately lead? Does the United States suffer, as one writer suggested, from too much democracy? Could this be an “extinction-level event” for representative government?
My reporting will focus more at ground level. Some of my efforts will be explanatory — unraveling the intricacies and curiosities like the Electoral College, a source of befuddlement to many foreigners (and some Americans). More broadly, though, I hope to turn my focus as a foreign correspondent to deciphering the fears, hopes and motivations that are driving voters of every hue, and will determine the most powerful leader on the planet.My reporting will focus more at ground level. Some of my efforts will be explanatory — unraveling the intricacies and curiosities like the Electoral College, a source of befuddlement to many foreigners (and some Americans). More broadly, though, I hope to turn my focus as a foreign correspondent to deciphering the fears, hopes and motivations that are driving voters of every hue, and will determine the most powerful leader on the planet.
My journey will also be driven by you, the readers. I’ll be posting on Twitter and Instagram, and soliciting your questions and concerns. What infuriates, intrigues or mystifies you about the elections? I’ll be starting the journey on Monday at the Republic National Convention in Cleveland. Please join me on the way. My journey will also be driven by you, the readers. I’ll be posting on Twitter and Instagram, and soliciting your questions and concerns. What infuriates, intrigues or mystifies you about the elections? I’ll be starting the journey on Monday at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Please join me on the way.