MUNICH -- (MunichNOW Opinion) -- Why radical politicians dominate the US election campaign - Opinion from William Clark, a student at the Bavarian International School in Munich.
Trump, Cruz, Sanders: to kick of the US primaries, the candidates with the most extreme views are leading the race.
From a European perspective it is difficult to understand what is happening in America. Last monday's Iowa polls suggest that radical politicians may win the elections and conquer the White House. Donald Trump, who is in opposition to foreigners and doesn’t hesitate to insult his rivals, and US Senator Ted Cruz, are the leading Republicans. Ted Cruz once instigated an uprising against the budget in the Senate that nearly resulted in another government shutdown. Cruz is at 27.6 per cent, Trump at 24.3 and Marco Rubio at 23.1.
Meanwhile, growing enthusiasm is shown towards Bernie Sanders. He calls himself a "democratic socialists " who wants to redistribute wealth to such an extent that the country has never experienced before. In Iowa, he is only 0.3 per cent behind the Democratic favourite Hillary Clinton. Many Americans prefer precisely those candidates who disregard all previous rules of the election.
The rise of Trump, Cruz and Sanders has a common denominator: people observe rules only so long as they accept the game. But in the US, many citizens have lost all respect for the game - that is, the way things are governed and how money and power are distributed in the country. They yearn not only for a new head of state, but also for a new game; that's why they are looking to those who promise new rules.
Trump and Sanders display themselves as advocates of the people against the hated elite
This can be seen in some similarities between Trump and Sanders: Both are considered men who "tell it like it is",even, as in the case of Mr. Trump it is insulting to others. Trump criticized weakness and incompetence in Washington and Sanders spoke up against economic inequality. But even more connects the businessman and the US Senator in that they are considered incorruptible. Trump because he's a billionaire, Sanders because he despises the big bucks. Finally, Trump and Sanders are similar in character, they sound like their voters who want change; both give themselves as advocates of the people in the struggle against the hated elite against the "establishment " of parties, media and corporations.
America's voters are now expressing their suspicions of a manipulated system. Even though the people granted their representatives a clear mandate; when the politicians arrived in Washington, they forged compromises allowed themselves to be dictated to by the banking and industrial world, knuckled under foreign powers and fought only to keep their mandate for as long as possible. Therefore, the upcoming elections may not turn out favourably for the established politicians.
