More independents?

All the attention has been on President Donald Trump recently, and very little attention has been paid to Hillary Clinton.

She, of course, ran against the president. Right up to the counting of the votes, all the smart money was on her. She was predicted to win and become the first female president.

We all know that didn’t happen.

Many Americans were furious over the loss and claimed that Trump was not a legitimate president. Many Clinton supporters will never forget her loss, and some of the attacks on Trump simply may be because he beat her.

Trump certainly deserves much of the criticism he has received. Many of his problems are caused by nobody but himself. Yet, the anger directed at him is in part anger over Clinton’s defeat.

Now, some of that anger may subside.

Some of Clinton’s defenders are showing cracks.

Clinton, the advocate for women’s rights, has been shown to be hypocritical.

In 2008, one of her campaign advisors (her faith advisor, of all things) was accused of sexually harassing a young woman. The accusation reached Clinton. Her response was to keep the man on the job and reassign the woman. The man went on to re-offend.

Clinton’s rhetoric would have led one to predict a different response from her in this situation. This despite the accusations that she did everything to discredit those women involved with her husband’s scandals.

Some pundits declare that she and the entire Clinton clan is finished politically. Many Democrats are racing to disengage themselves from them. It is a movement that could gain momentum.

If the Clintons actually face being dethroned it may in fact take some heat off Trump. Clinton seems no more a proper standard bearer for a major political party than Trump. Her cameo on the Grammy Awards telecast has garnered more criticism than praise and did not do anything to lift her image.

The ultimate outcome may be increasing numbers of voters declaring they belong to no party.

This could be the beginning of the end for the two traditional parties. Great chunks of voters are not happy with either party. This could lead to a crumbling of traditional party identity and more and more politicians with an “I” after their names rather than the old “R” and “D.”

Maybe Americans will start demanding more from their representatives rather than accepting less. Neither party has done themselves or the American people proud.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher