Presidential elections do not just determine the fate of the next four years in the United States. They shape the fate of the rest of the world, and the world pays close attention.
That means you need a special perspective to do justice to the remarkable spectacle of a presidential cycle. You need the reporters to cover multiple campaigns, working on the shortened news cycles of social media. You need the specialist writers to dig into both the domestic and international issues.
And you need the columnists to make sense of it all for readers at home who are about to vote, and for those overseas who sorely wish they could.
The Guardian’s columnists are as diverse and spirited as our readers. We have traveled with all the candidates, immersed ourselves in the conventions, and been trolled by all sides. (And yes, I do read the comments and mean tweets.)
Across the political coverage in the US, there is so much information at our disposal but so little understanding. To separate the signal from the noise requires perspective, experience and the kind of context you can only get from being there.
It’s expensive to cover US elections. The country is huge, the candidates are many, and the news never stops. But it would be far costlier for us all if our voice were missing.
How can we understand where the Democratic party is heading after Bernie Sanders? What animates and motivates Hillary Clinton?
How can we make sense of Donald Trump when he can barely make sense of his own campaign?
With your help, we can answer those questions. Along the way, you might just understand and appreciate this carnival of an election a little better.
There’s no livelier debate than the one going on between the Guardian’s writers and readers. We won’t always agree, but we will all be smarter for the conversation.
Join that conversation today by making a contribution or becoming a member.
