Americans have right to presidential race of ideas

If there were any question as to the extent of the political divide in America today, consider what the Democratic and Republican nominees for president have to say about the current state of affairs.

Democrat Hillary Clinton, former U.S. secretary of state, U.S. senator and first lady, is of the opinion that America still is the greatest country in the world, and that it has the potential to be even greater.

Republican Donald Trump, a New York City billionaire businessman who has never sought public office before, believes that America is on a downward spiral and no longer leads internationally. Indeed, Trump swept the GOP primaries and caucuses with a campaign slogan that aptly describes how he views this nation: “Make America Great Again.” He led the field of 17 candidates with about 14 million votes.

Clinton, who garnered more than 15 million votes to win the nomination, faced a determined, strong challenger in U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Sanders, a self-described Democratic socialist, received about 13 million votes, but more importantly, he energized the progressive wing of the Democratic Party with his focus on issues such as wage inequality, exploding college student debt and the need for universal health care.

The contest for president has now moved into the general-election phase, which means that Clinton and Trump must appeal to a broader, more diverse electorate. It will take many millions of votes to win in November, thus necessitating an expansion of the candidates’ political repertories.

From domestic policy, to foreign policy, to the battle against global terrorism, to immigration, to women’s rights and even to America’s leadership role in the world, Trump and Clinton have vastly different positions.

The political conventions were the proper venues for connecting with the party faithful and sharing with the American people their core beliefs.

Trump and Clinton emerged from Cleveland and Philadelphia, respectively, and immediately hit the campaign trail – with the differences between them greater than any two candidates for president in recent memory.

Specific solutions demanded

It is because of this political divide that we believe the American people have a right to hear specific solutions to the problems confronting this nation.

For instance, on the all-important matter of the economy, Trump has said he would ignite a recovery by demanding that American companies bring back all the jobs they shipped abroad to take advantage of low wages and lax environmental standards.

But he has yet to say under what constitutional authority a president can order a private company to shrink its foreign operations.

Indeed, Democratic and Independent voters in the Mahoning Valley were drawn to Trump after he promised that as president he would revive the steel industry and bring back the steel jobs that were lost when the mills closed more than three decades ago.

The GOP nominee has not said how this revival would occur and what kind of manufacturing facilities he envisions.

This lack of specificity obviously did not hurt him in the primary election, but there now is a larger electorate that deserves more than sound bites and clever one-liners.

For her part, Clinton says that within the first 100 days of her presidency, she will propose the largest investment in jobs since World War II. The goal is to create an economy that works for everyone, not just those at the top, the Democratic nominee says.

But, the question that demands an answer is this: Investment in what, exactly? With high technology the key to today’s manufacturing, is Clinton proposing jobs that will require a certain level of education and training? Is the rebuilding of the nation’s infrastructure the foundation of that initiative?

And what about the cost? How will she pay for this major investment in jobs? She has said that the richest Americans will be required to shell out more in taxes, but what does that mean in real terms?

The American people are being called upon to decide between two candidates who have vastly different attitudes and opinions about this country.

The decision of the electorate cannot just be based on some shallow perceptions of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.