On the picture the Mayor of Wassenaar, Mr Jan Hoekema, Ambassador Timothy Broas and Mr Willem Post.
The Raadhuis Pauw, in Wassenaar, was the venue for a “Pauwlezing” on Wednesday evening. Mayor Jan Hoekema welcomed some fifty guests attending the presentation, before introducing his special guest, former USA Ambassador Mr. Timothy Broas. President Obama appointed Mr. Broas to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands; a position which he held from March 19, 2014 to February 12, 2016. He is a strong supporter of the Democratic Party and has worked on many past Democratic Presidential Campaigns. With just 60 days remaining until the November 8 presidential election; he briefly briefly to the Netherlands and agreed to generously share some of his impressions, of the current election cycle.
Mr. Willem Post, a widely recognized Dutch political commentator and expert “on all things American,” was also invited to share his views. He briefly mentioned the release of his latest book, “De Spiegel van Amerika” (The Mirror of America). Post, a man of many hats, is associated with the Clingendael Institute as an expert on American politics and foreign policy and has written numerous articles for Dutch newspapers and journals. He has also maintains a close relationship with the city of The Hague and represents the municipality in various capacities.
Former Ambassador Broas, diplomatically predicted that, “the polls will continue to tighten” in an unusually “ugly campaign” adding that one of Clinton’s strengths is that she is “good on national security.”
Post, seemed strongly influenced by the Clinton Camp and described Trump, as a marketeer who “plays with figures” and a “Winner with capital letters’; adding that even “his name (Trump) is a marketing slogan.” As a Republican Presidential Candidate, Trump has earned the confidence and trust of unprecedented numbers of voters—many of whom will be voting for the first time in an election, which pundits on both sides of the political spectrum are describing as the most important elections in a lifetime.
Both speakers were troubled by the unprecedented level of polarization in the U.S. which, when combined with the deep anger felt by voters across the political spectrum, make the outcome of the elections impossible to predict.
Broas, who attended the 2016 July Democratic National Convention, remarked that “the Sanders people were a threat every day” adding that the Clinton people were constantly trying to appease them in order to avoid a “sit-in”or “stand off.”
Trump and Sanders supporters were described as anti-globalists. The former ambassador mentioned that, while serving as the U.S. Ambassador to the Netherlands, he had worked to support the Transatlatic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP) and TTP negotiations with the European Union.
Trump’s temperment and alleged “flip flopping” with respect to NATO was also raised by Post, who even suggested that Trump seeks to abolish or “drop out” of the alliance. The Right Side Broadcasting Network (RSBN.tv) livestreams all of the Trump-Pence campaign events and speeches and posts them on YouTube, where viewers can listen to Trump’s own words. His September 7 “Peace through Strength” on the campaign’s vision for U.S. defense policy in the near future, is likely to be of particular interest.
The evening program, concluded with a short question and answer period, followed by a traditional Dutch borrel—being light reception accompanied by snacks.
