Editor’s note: The views expressed by guest columnists are not necessarily those of The Costa Rica Star, its advertisers, or its staff. 

By Britt Nelson

With 11 days until the first presidential debate between Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Donald Trump, and 54 days until the national general election in the USA, recent nationwide polls show Trump not only gaining on Clinton but in some polls surpassing her once solid lead among likely voters.

Polls measuring voter support for Clinton and Trump in head-to-head matchups are no longer valid because third-party Libertarian Gary Johnson announced Wednesday that he would be on the ballot in all 50 states and his influence upon the voters can no longer be ignored. Neither can Green Party candidate Dr. Jill Stein be ignored, who as of Sept. 10th, will be on the ballot in 45 states plus Washington, DC. Stein will also have write-in status in three states – Indiana, North Carolina and Georgia, according to www.jill2016.com.

In 4-way Real Clear Politics poll averaging measuring Clinton, Trump, Johnson and Stein; Clinton is only 1.1 percentage points ahead of Trump, with Johnson at 13 points and Stein with 3. But a Rasmussen Reports nationwide poll released Sept. 15 shows Trump at 42 percentage points, Clinton at 40, Johnson at 7 and Stein at 2.

Another nationwide poll by CBS News/New York Times puts Clinton and Trump tied with 42 percentage points each and Johnson with 8 and Stein at 4, according to Real Clear Politics. In a nationwide poll by the liberal California-based Los Angeles Times/University of Southern California, Trump leads Clinton by 6 points.

So what is behind this shift toward controversial Trump and away from scandalous Clinton?

Clinton left the campaign trail this week due to pneumonia which follows a previously patchy campaign schedule. Also hurting Clinton is the release of hacked private emails from former Secretary of State Colin Powell that are critical of both Trump and Clinton.

Powell called Trump a “national disgrace” and an “international pariah” while describing Clinton as “greedy” with “unbridled ambition,” and said, “Everything HRC touches she kind of screws up with hubris.” Hubris is a personality quality of extreme or foolish pride, or dangerous over-confidence and arrogance.

For Powell, 79, a retired 4-star general in the U.S. Army, and former secretary of state under President George Bush from 2001 to 2005, the release of his private emails — never meant for public consumption by the media or voters — must be embarrassing to say the least, but he confirmed the hacked emails were authentic. Exactly who released Powell’s emails to the mainstream media is not known, according to news reports.

In politics today, Powell, 79, a respected patriot and statesman, is not small potatoes, and his words have apparently resonated with voters. His private rebuke of Clinton is now publicly astonishing.

Powell’s words about Trump were nothing new, but for Clinton his words are disastrous. It would have hurt less if Powell had hit Clinton over the head with a baseball bat. He’s an insider with outstanding credentials of long-term government service, and is highly respected among both party establishments and American voters on all sides.

Clinton, meanwhile, says she intends to return to the campaign trail on Thursday with a rally in Greensboro, N.C. after recovering from her collapse – as seen worldwide on video — last Sunday during the 15^th anniversary memorial service for the World Trade Center tragedy. On Friday, Clinton is scheduled to speak in Washington, DC at the Black Women’s Agenda and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, according to the Clinton campaign.

Clinton and Trump will have their first debate in New York on Sept. 26 moderated by NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt. His performance as moderator will be carefully scrutinized by other mainstream media and voters in how he treats each candidate, what questions he asks and the overall tone he sets.

The importance of this first debate between these presidential rivals can’t be underestimated. Every word and every gesture behind those words will be debated by political commentators for days after, until the debate #2 in St. Louis Oct. 9.

Also scheduled during prime time on Sept. 26 is the NFL’s “Monday Night Football” game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints broadcast nationwide.

So will it be Clinton versus Trump or the Falcons and the Saints? Let the ratings decide.

About the Author

Britt Nelson relocated to Costa Rica in 2011 from Florida, where he served as news editor for the Palatka Daily News, a newspaper owned by the New York Times Regional Newspaper Group (NYT-RNG) for 20 years.

Nelson served the NYT-RNG for 18 years in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Florida as a correspondent, reporter, staff writer, senior staff writer training new reporters, copy editor, page designer, editorial writer, editorial page editor and editorial board member.