Dear Editor:
TO say that people around the world are looking at the U.S. presidential election campaigns with disbelief would be an understatement. Never before in the history of American presidential campaigning has one candidate so consistently offended so many, so profoundly, while displaying so little respect for women, children, immigrants, Muslims and others and with so little knowledge of the real issues which ought to be engaging his attention.
This one candidate’s violent, misguided, untruthful, crazy and hateful rhetoric is an embarrassment to America. Should he win the November election it would place America in a position where it would lose the moral authority to lecture other countries about moral correctness, women’s rights, religious tolerance and more. And while that candidate’s victory would demonstrate democracy at work, in that the people’s choice is respected, his victory would be a big blow to the democratic process itself.
While it is perhaps good strategy for the Hillary Clinton campaign to allow the other candidate to self-destruct and implode, Mrs. Clinton and her team are continuing to focus on the real issues and are meeting with and addressing problems that confront the electorate, including diaspora communities. The Caribbean Diaspora community included. Secretary Clinton has already outlined what would be some of her priorities for engagement with the Caribbean and its diaspora and continues to take on board new issues which are brought to the fore. Just last Friday, a high-level team of former U.S. officials familiar with U.S. policy toward the Caribbean and Latin America met with diaspora leaders to further discuss and take on board the views of the diaspora and the issues we need addressed when Mrs. Clinton becomes president in 2017. Friday’s meeting discussed a range of issues and recommended action regarding the Caribbean inclusive of Haiti, correspondent banking and climate change.
The Clinton campaign has accepted an invitation to participate in the second annual Florida Conference on Current Caribbean Issues: the Diaspora Discussion to be held this Wednesday and Thursday as part of the Florida International Trade Conference and Expo (FITCE). Representatives of the campaign will have an opportunity to hear experts discuss and offer recommendations on issues such as the impact of de-risking (correspondent banking) on the Caribbean; climate change and the impact of sea level rise; and barriers to trade and investment. These are critical issues for the Caribbean Diaspora and the Caribbean region since these negatively impact the livelihoods of people both in the U.S. and the region.
Against this backdrop therefore, please allow me a few lines Editor, to encourage your readers, especially those in the CARICOM region, to in turn encourage their families in the U.S. to register to vote and to cast their votes for Hillary Clinton. To your Caribbean-American readers in the U.S., I urge that you vote for Hillary Clinton. I know that the campaigns as reported in the media, especially television, have degenerated in recent weeks with little focus on the real issues.
But please be assured that the real issues are being addressed behind the scenes by the Clinton campaign. I can’t speak for the other candidate. Hillary isn’t perfect. None of us is. But she offers the best hope at this time for a secure future for ourselves, our children and our children’s children….our hemisphere and our one world.  And a special word to the Caribbean- American community in Florida. Al Gore lost Florida and the presidency in 2000 by 537 votes. Every vote counts. As Gore said just last week at a rally in Florida, “elections have consequences’! Let’s ensure that the consequences of the 2016 elections are positive ones for us all. Our future is now in our own hands, let our hands be safe hands!
Regards,
Wesley Kirton