Electoral battles

This is bad for the US

America’s presidential election process is well underway. As always, it is wise to take much of what is said by the candidates during this primary season with a pinch of salt. Nevertheless, the level of debate this year has reached new lows and there could be long-term consequences to what has been said. Is it time for America’s allies to be worried? 

This period is often described as the ‘silly season’ in the United States. The long, drawn out primary period that starts at the beginning of the election year and runs through to the Republican and Democratic conventions in the summer is the culmination of a process that now lasts some 18 months, with less visible preparations happening even farther in advance. This process has two main characteristics. 

The first is the candidates’ moves to the margins of the political spectrum, where Democrats adopt more liberal positions and Republicans move to the right in response to the fact that primary voters tend to be more partisan than the general electorate.  The second associated trend is to use any available tactic to undercut rivals, including media blitzes, exaggerated claims, rumour-spreading and mischaracterizations of rival policies.