(MENAFN- Morocco World News) Is Hillary Clinton harming her chance to be nominated for the highest office in the land by standing up for Muslims?
The answer is, sadly, a resounding yes. Americans in general, Republicans or Democrats (and surprisingly Independents), have a very unfavorable opinion of Islam, and as Hillary Clinton continues to oppose Donald Trump's call to ban Muslims from entering the US, she is alienating many Americans who wouldotherwise vote for her. 76 percent of Independent voters (see graph) who would make a difference in the election view Islam unfavorably, and it is likely that vote for Trump than seeing someone in the Oval Office who goes against their values. When Donald Trump decided to run for the presidency, many thought that he was nothing but a nuisance and he would eventually drop out after getting free publicity for his assets. They never expected that by simply calling Mexicans rapists he could change the rules of the game. Blaming immigrants for all ills is not something new; it happens all over the world. But this time, Trump was able to double down when he said that America should ban Muslims from entering the US.
This is exactly what Americans want to hear, and they credit Trump as someone who 'tells it like it is', free from any political correctness.
In 2009, the unemployment rate in the US was 10 percent. Today it is 4.9 percent, which is the lowest rate in 15 years. Obviously Americans cannot blame the economy, when the numbers speak for themselves and we have more people working. Who is to blame when the economy is doing well? Trump was able to find a scapegoat for America by demonizing Mexican immigrants and Muslims.
During the Republican primaries, Hillary was ahead of Trump by double digits. We now see some polls that show that Trump is actually beating her. The reason for Trump's success is that his rhetoric is different from everyone else, while many Americans feel that Hillary is just more of the same. They have grownfatigued of more of the same and they are now starting to feel hopeful when they hear Trump's empowered speeches. When Hillary says that Americans need to work with Muslims to beat terror, Rambo-mentality Americans believe that they don't need to work with them, they just need to cluster bomb them and make them disappear from the face of the Earth. Since 9/11, the majority of polls show clearly that Muslims are on America's most hated list. In order for Hillary to win the hearts and the mind of those who are not sure who to vote for, she needs to steer away from defending Muslims. She can work with the Muslim world when she becomes president. Muslims themselves should advise Hillary that she does not need to side with them when she starts debating Trump. She should simply avoid talking about a subjectthat clearly favors Trump. Politics is a game, and in order for Hillary to win,she will sadly need to play dirty. Otherwise, Mr. Trump will win and America will be lost as the country of hope, freedom, and democracy, where there is no difference between Muslims, Jews, Christians, or any religion or lack thereof. We are now seeing people who just recently were so sure that they would never side with Trump or for what he stands for, scrambling to support him, fearing they will be left out if he becomes the President.
Trump will say and do anything and everything to get elected. Hillary should be smarter and beat him at his own game. IfImmigration and Muslims issues are issues that helphim, Hillarywill need to find a way to demonstrate to the American people thatimmigration and Muslims are just a ruse invented by Trump, and that falling for his trap is not the solution. Hillary Clinton will also need to understand thatthat more of the same will not cut it this time. She needs to remember that during her last try, she was ahead of Obama, and we all know the rest. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News' editorial policy
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