Who Is Supporting Hillary Clinton, and Who Is Supporting Donald Trump?

Published in Opinión
(Bolivia) on 9 June 2016
by Beatriz Díez (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Miken Trogdon. Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.
“For all of those Bernie Sanders voters who will be left out in the cold by a rigged system of superdelegates, we welcome you with open arms.” With these words, Donald Trump confirmed the view that many of those who support the Democratic senator from Vermont will vote for the magnate Trump in the presidential election in November.

Political scientists assure us that the similarities between Trump and Sanders are minimal when compared with their differences. Nevertheless, as the road to the White House continues, it seems that what unites them is much more notable than what separates them; specifically, the stroke of luck that the sentiment of “everyone against Hillary Clinton” has started to echo in some of the blocks that support Sanders.

In what way can those followers be on Trump’s side, and how much damage can they do to the presumptive Democratic candidate? Erin Fox, one supporter of Sanders, makes it clear that she will not give her support to Hillary Clinton. “I have been a Bernie supporter all this time, and I do not have the intention to vote for either of these candidates, neither Trump nor Clinton. I don’t think either of them has the capability to lead this country,” says Fox, who is the administrator of the Facebook group “Bernie Believers.”* “The country needs policies like those of Bernie Sanders; we have things to change to improve the well-being of this country. I won’t vote for anyone else,”* she emphasized. Erin Fox’s position is comparable to many Sanders followers who see Clinton as the representation of an unequal system that excludes the less fortunate.

On the other hand, Trump presents himself as a candidate against all that is known as “the establishment.” From this position he extends his hand to those who, disappointed by Sanders’ defeat in the primaries, do not want to vote for Hillary. Sanders made it very clear on Tuesday that he is not ready to align his stance with Trump. “We cannot allow Donald Trump to be president of the United States,” the senator said in his speech after a long primary season. But the boos from the public each time that Sanders said Clinton’s name cast doubt on the fact that his followers see Trump as the main enemy to beat.

For Edward Walker, a professor in the sociology department at the University of California at Los Angeles, saying that Sanders and Trump are similar doesn’t make enough sense. “Maybe they are responding to similar macroeconomic phenomena, channeling frustration due to the time of inequality in which we live. But on a fundamental level, they are completely different campaigns.”* Walker remembers how in 2008, many of Hillary Clinton’s supporters assured everyone that they would never vote for Barack Obama in the general election, but when the moment arrived, they gave him their vote. The same thing happens, in Walker’s opinion, with those in the Republican Party who assured us they would not support Trump, yet who are publicly starting to back him little by little. Erin Fox does not agree with the UCLA professor’s reasoning. “In the Facebook group, there are 50,000 people and I know many more outside [the group] who feel the same way I do. I know a large block of American voters, many of whom are Independents who are tired of traditional politics and have to choose ‘the best of the worst’ candidates.”*

*Editor’s note: Although accurately translated, these quoted remarks could not be independently verified.


¿Quiénes apoyan a Hillary Clinton y quiénes a Donald Trump?

POR: BEATRIZ DÍEZ | 09/06/2016 | ED. IMP.
"A todos los votantes de Bernie Sanders que han sido abandonados por un sistema amañado, los recibimos con los brazos abiertos". Con estas palabras, Donald Trump confirmaba una línea de opinión que asegura que muchos partidarios del senador demócrata por Vermont votarán por el magnate en las elecciones presidenciales en Estados Unidos en noviembre.

Las similitudes entre Trump y Sanders son mínimas en comparación con sus diferencias, aseguran los politólogos. Sin embargo, conforme avanza la carrera por llegar a la Casa Blanca, parece que lo que les une es más llamativo que lo que los separa, en una suerte de "todos contra Hillary Clinton" que ha encontrado eco en algunos de los sectores que apoyan a Sanders.

¿En qué medida pueden estos seguidores favorecer a Trump y cuánto daño le pueden hacer a la virtual candidata demócrata? Uno de los seguidores de Bernie Sanders, Erin Fox, tiene claro que no le dará su apoyo a Hillary Clinton. "He sido seguidor de Bernie todo este tiempo y no tengo la intención de votar por ninguno de esos dos candidatos, ni Trump ni Clinton. No creo que ninguno de ellos esté capacitado para liderar este país", dice Fox, que es administrador del grupo de Facebook Bernie Believers (los que creen en Bernie). "El país necesita el tipo de políticas que defiende Bernie Sanders, tenemos cosas que cambiar para poder mejorar el bienestar del país. No votaré por ningún otro", recalca. La postura de Erin Fox es compartida por muchos de los seguidores de Sanders, que ven en Hillary Clinton la representación de un sistema desigual que deja fuera a los menos favorecidos.

En el otro lado, Donald Trump también se presenta como un candidato contrario a lo que se conoce como el establishment. Desde esa postura tiende la mano a los que, decepcionados con la derrota de Sanders en las primarias, no quieren votar por la candidata demócrata. Sanders dejó claro este martes que no está dispuesto a acercar posturas con Trump. "No permitiremos que Donald Trump sea el presidente de Estados Unidos", dijo el senador en su discurso tras una larga jornada de primarias. Pero los silbidos del público cada vez que Sanders pronunció el nombre de Hillary Clinton hacen dudar de que sus seguidores vean a Trump como el gran enemigo a batir.

Para Edward Walker, profesor del departamento de Sociología de la Universidad de California en Los Ángeles (UCLA), decir que Bernie Sanders y Donald Trump se parecen no tiene demasiado sentido. "Quizá están respondiendo a fenómenos macroeconómicos similares, canalizando la frustración por los tiempos de desigualdad en los que vivimos. Pero en un nivel fundamental, son campañas totalmente diferentes”. Walker recuerda cómo en 2008, muchos de los seguidores de Hillary Clinton aseguraron que nunca votarían por Barack Obama en las elecciones generales pero, llegado el momento, sí le dieron su voto. Lo mismo sucede, opina Walker, con aquellos dentro del Partido Republicano que afirmaron que no apoyarían a Trump y poco a poco le han ido respaldando públicamente. Erin Fox no está de acuerdo con el razonamiento del profesor de la UCLA. "En el grupo de Facebook hay unas 50.000 personas y conozco a mucha más gente fuera que se siente igual que yo". "Conozco a un gran bloque de votantes estadounidenses, muchos de los cuales son independientes que están cansados de la política tradicional y de tener que elegir al candidato ´menos malo".
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