Tight race in a divided country

Tight race in a divided country

A few weeks ago, many Americans would have guffawed (अट्टहास करना/ खिलखिलाकर हंसना) at any suggestion that there could be a nail-biting finish to the November 8 presidential election. Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton had a comfortable lead in the polls, around 12 percentage points in some surveys. The campaign of Republican nominee Donald Trump had been dealt multiple blows (आघात / झटके) stemming from the “Access Hollywood” tapes, where he was caught boasting (डींग मारना/ घमंडपूर्ण बातें करना) about groping women without their consent. His popularity plummeted (घटना / कम होना) further after at least nine women alleged he had sexually assaulted them years ago. However, with less than a week to voting day, the race has tightened. For the first time since May, Mr. Trump is leading in one major poll. The game changer is FBI Director James Comey’s announcement that his agency was reopening inquiries into Ms. Clinton’s email record after discovering correspondence relating to her in the computer of Anthony Weiner, estranged (रंजिशजदा/ विरक्त) husband of her aide Huma Abedin. There are multiple undercurrents to this vicious (दोषपूर्ण / पतित) election battle that need to be parsed.

In the blue corner, Ms. Clinton still enjoys an overwhelming (अपरिहार्य/ तीव्र) statistical probability of winning the 270 electoral college votes required to secure the presidency. She maintained a statesmanlike poise throughout the presidential debates, and in Email-gate the FBI has failed to unearth any evidence of criminality against her so far. Yet her problem lies in the perception of untrustworthiness created by her use of a private server while she was Secretary of State, her proximity (निकटता / घनिष्ठता) to deep-pocketed donors on Wall Street and her hard line on a fiscally expansive welfare agenda for the middle class. In the red corner, Mr. Trump has refused to tone down his abrasive rhetoric (शब्दाडंबरपूर्ण/वाक्पटुता) against women, Latinos, Muslims, African-Americans and the differently abled despite the expected backlash from these demographics and growing alienation (अलगाव/ विरक्ति की भावना) from mainstream Republican Party leaders. He has similarly hurled defiance (अवहेलना / अवज्ञा) in the teeth of those demanding that he release his tax returns. His brazen invitation to Russian hackers to go hunting for Ms. Clinton’s emails, and allegations about his shadowy financial connections to associates of Vladimir Putin raise troubling questions. That 21 months of feverish campaigning have ended not with a bang but a collective groan (रंज करना/ पीड़ित या दुखी होना) of disappointment in two such untrusted and uninspiring candidates says a lot about how bitterly polarized the electorate is. No matter who wins this ugly election, America’s leaders will have to initiate an honest national conversation about reconciling (सामंजस्य करना/ संधि कराना) its social mores (आचार-विचार) . Else, the world’s only superpower will find itself diminished.