With Trump victory, America falls for snake-oil salesman

A recent segment of “Jeopardy,” the hit TV game show, had this Final Jeopardy clue: “In the late 1800s, Clark Stanley was a notorious seller of this two-word product, which he advertised as a curative liniment.”

Before the answers from the contestants were revealed by popular host Alex Trebek, a viewer at home shouted out, “Snake Oil.” And then he added this editorial comment: “What Donald Trump has been peddling!”

Unfortunately, a majority of the American voters were in the market for the elixir that Trump began flogging since June 2015, when he entered the race for president, as a cure-all for this nation’s economic lumbago and other aches and pains.

On Tuesday, the Republican nominee, a billionaire real estate developer from New York City, scored a stunning victory over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

However, local Democrats can find solace in the fact that Trump was unable to build on his primary election win in heavily Democratic Mahoning County.

On the other hand, he did carry Democratic Trumbull County – an indication that his pledge to revive the good old days of steel manufacturing in cavernous, smoke-spewing factories along the Mahoning River struck a responsive chord.

Desperation is an affliction of old industrial regions.

Democrat Clinton failed to make political history as the first woman elected president. She was unable to overcome one of the main arguments put forth by Trump and his followers: that the former was temperamentally and physically unfit to be the leader of the most powerful nation on earth.

What the take-no-prisoners presidential campaign showed is that while Clinton has a much thicker skin than the thin-skinned man who grew up rich, his message of making America great again was much more effective than hers of “Stronger Together.”

Before delving into the ramifications of Tuesday’s vote, a brief history of “snake oil” is in order. Here’s an entry in Wikipedia:

“Chinese laborers on railroad gangs involved in building the first transcontinental railroad first gave snake oil, a traditional folk remedy in traditional Chinese medicine, to treat joint pain such as arthritis and bursitis to their fellow workers. When rubbed on the skin at the painful site, snake oil was claimed to bring relief. This claim was ridiculed by rival medicine salesmen, and in time, snake oil became a generic name for many compounds marketed as panaceas or miraculous remedies whose ingredients were usually secret, unidentified, or mischaracterized and mostly inert or ineffective.”

To be sure, Trump’s ascendency to the presidency is the stuff of history books. He had never run for public office when he joined the field of 17 in the primary sweepstakes. Not being a part of the party establishment, he was given little chance of success.

However, his jingoistic message – build a wall to keep the Mexicans out, deport 11 million illegal immigrants, set aside all global trade agreements – resonated with millions of people.

He won the Republican nomination with almost 14 million votes, and rather than change his message to appeal to a wider electorate, he doubled down on his contention that America is no longer great and that federal government policies on a wide array of issues are to blame.

Angry, white male, blue-collar workers were his most ardent supporters because the changes that have swept the country have forced them to take stock of their lives.

By contrast, Clinton, a former secretary of state, U.S. senator from New York and former first lady, offered a message of optimism, unity and hope. She talked about building bridges not only at home – figuratively and literally (as part of her enormous infrastructure improvement plan) – and abroad.

This presidential election was about two visions: one put forth by a billionaire businessman who told the American people that the country has gone to hell in a hand basket and that only a political outsider could turn things around; the other, proffered by a political insider with a view of America as a shining example of democracy.

The fact that millions of voters were drawn to Trump speaks volumes about the divide that exists in this country. It remains to be seen whether Trump is able to win over those Americans who view him as a divider rather than a unifier.

The chances of a national political healing are not good – as evidenced by the last eight years of President Barack Obama’s tenure.

As the first black president in the history of this country, Obama has been an inspiration to many in this country and abroad. But he has also hardened Republican opposition to the extent that the president and his family have been subjected to vile racist comments that have undermined the progress this country has made in race relations.

Another disturbing aspect of Trump’s candidacy was his success in demonizing the mainstream press. His constant attacks on reporters and his pledge to make it easier for people to sue reporters was a dangerous assault on the underpinnings of democracy.