“In any case, it would appear that almost all of the Democratic hopefuls appear to be an improvement over Trump.

Los Angeles, CA — More than a year away from the next presidential elections in the United States, the political heat is definitely on the rise here in the land of milk and honey. President Donald Trump, unlike our own President Digong, appears to be reviled across the land and among all demographic groupings. This makes the race for the Democratic primaries more exciting, with pollsters indicating that any of the three Democratic frontrunners, to wit, Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Kamala Harris, beating Trump by at least 20 points if elections were to be held today.

Recently, I saw the third of the debates among Democratic presidential aspirants. The consensus among opinion makers here is that there is no longer a frontrunner in the Democratic primaries. Former Vice President Biden was far from being impressive and struck me as your average suave talking traditional politician, probably in the mold of our own Mar Roxas.

More inspiring was Beto O’Rourke who recognized the elephant in the room and vowed to ban all assault rifles in the land that considers the right to bear firearms as a constitutional right. O’Rourke clearly gambled away his political future but in a manner that was clearly measured since he comes from the state where there has been a rash of mass shootings utilizing high powered assault weapons.

Also impressive was Sanders who without a doubt was the most progressive of all the Democratic aspirants, promising to end the influence of interest groups and American capitalist interests in US politics. I know that many of my classmates from the University of Michigan, renowned (or notorious, depending on one’s point of view) for being the bastion of progressive thought in the US, have thrown their support behind Sanders, because of his left-leaning, if not radical views. His biggest liability appears to be his age, as he appears to be the most senior of all the aspirants.

Interestingly, even Sanders does not appear to be a proponent for a major change in US foreign policy. While he will certainly be more vocal in raising the issue of human rights in the Philippines, it has been a consistent feature of US politics that all their presidents and presidentiables appear to be consistent in maintaining the current thrust of their foreign policy. This means that while there may be an easing of the trade war with China under a Democratic president, China will nonetheless be viewed as a national security concern given America’s resolve to maintain its hegemony in the Asia-Pacific region.

In any case, it would appear that almost all of the Democratic hopefuls appear to be an improvement over Trump. For now, all of them appear to be committed to the advantages of free trade over protectionism. This means more exports from the countries of the world into the US, while the latter is expected to retain its comparative advantage by pushing for high-technology industries, including the manufacture of energy generating technologies, notable of which is in the field of liquid natural gas where America remains the sole manufacturer of turbines and plants, since even Siemens, a German brand, manufactures its LNG plants in South Carolina.

A Democratic president of the United States, despite the expected increased criticism of our human rights record in the Philippines, appears to be more in line with our national interest. This is because an easing of the trade war with China will surely restore commercial predictability, which is crucial to our own development. A US president who is also a lesser warmonger than the current President will also contribute to peace and stability in our region.

For these reasons, may the best Democratic presidential aspirant become the next president of the United States.