America’s Choice

 

In less than two months Americans will make a choice, a choice that comes at perhaps the most defining moment in US political history. The effects of the changes to the political landscape from four years ago do not only linger on but create deep schisms in the US political psyche. These schisms do not traverse the  lines of political agenda or policies but are schisms of division that bear horrible consequences for the future direction of American society. The choice is one of measuring character, values, decency and honesty, all of which define the moral compass not only of the candidates but of Americans by and large. 

The character flaws of the incumbent President run deep and are well talked about, and as Election Day nears more tell all stories spew out into the public domain, from his closet former advisors to his family. As if the thousands of recorded lies of Donald Trump needed any more proof these new narratives while reaffirming his lack of decency, truth and moral values perhaps will not dent the 30 odd percent of his base  supporters. Trump has sold to them large doses of fear and hyperbole which he knows is not entirely true but it is what they have wanted to hear. 

Four years ago in electing Trump a marginalised blue white collar workers and a largely mid western white population signalled that they believed the USA was being flooded with immigrants and that their jobs were shipped aboard. Trump promised a wall which Mexico would pay for, he would engage China in a trade war, he would roll back medical care for all and the list goes on. Today his message of fear is that the protests over the police having killed unarmed black men and women are violent and this threatens white suburbia. The fact that 93% of the protests have been peaceful is not relevant to his base, to them Trump as president has said that these protests are led by thugs and looters is enough proof.

On the flip side the Democratic Party has its own unique set of challenges. After the unifying and effective leadership of Barrack Obama the party  four years ago became the vestige if the Clintons. With Bernie Sanders presenting a too radical alternative to the party Hilary Clinton was propelled to take on Trump. Bad political strategy and an over whelming belief in the polls caused crucial swing states to go to the Trump camp. It just became obvious that while in polls people preferred Clinton the party could not get that support to come to the polls on Election Day. The challenge in this election is if the Biden-Harris ticket can muster the Democratic Party vote bank to the pols and more importantly swing the marginalised voters back to their fold.

While President Trumps base has largely remained intact and it has ignored his failures and character flaws it assures him between 30 to 38% of the electorates support. The Biden camp would seem to have an edge on the popular vote but for them the crucial issue will be if they have enough of a lead in the swing states, the very states that Trump edged into his side in 2016. Back in that election it is estimated that Trumps margin was so thin in these swing states that the total number of voters who helped him clinch the election could have fitted into on football pitch.

Over the next fifty odd days Trumps strategy will be to kindle the fires of fear, extolling his divisive pitch that a Biden victory will mean an end to white suburbia. His attacks on Biden will echo more along the lines that only Trump is the patriot and good for America, a rally call that appeals to his base. He will deflect critics of his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic by continuing to lie that under his watch America handled the crisis better than any country. This is a claim that goes against the facts and with 190,000 Americans having perished to the virus Trump will ignore this issue.

Biden must not make the mistakes that Hilary Clinton made by ignoring the swing states during the campaign trail. He must also continue to hit Trump on his weakest points; the pandemic handling by Trump. There is a plethora of statements in Trumps own words that highlight his bungling of the crisis and then all the misstatements and outright lies that came from the President. Some have suggested that President Trump exhibited “homicidal negligence” in the manner he handled the COVID-19 crisis. 

Nothing irks Trump more than the Russian issue and his soft stance towards Putin. While it was established through the Mueller investigation that out of the ordinary links existed between key Trump confidants and the Russians, with some of them going to jail, Trump anchors his defence on the fact that direct collision between his campaign and the Russians was not established to the extent of no shadow of doubt. Irrespective of that investigation to any omniscient observer it is clear that Trump holds back his criticism of Putin, most recently over allegations that the Russians offered bounties in Afghanistan to those who killed US and NATO troops. This is Trumps Achilles heel and the Biden camp should continue to hammer away at it.

This election for America poses the choice of decency over crudeness, unity over divisiveness, truth over lies, multiracial empathy over racism and most of all good governance over chaos in the White House. The Biden-Harris ticket is clearly the choice over the Trump-Pence camp who after four years have failed in every respect by dividing America, ignoring the threats of the pandemic leaving 190,000 dead and creation of a swamp of nepotism and sycophancy in the government like never before. 

The prospect of a Trump victory cannot be ruled out, which might well be because of Biden’s electoral strategy failures, a Trump loss could well be a major challenge for Americans. He will not concede a loss easily, mail 8n ballots will become and issue and perhaps the courts will have to intervene. More dangerously the white supremacist supporters of Trump will perhaps take to the streets and civil disobedience backed by guns cannot be ruled out. 

If Trump does win the best thing for the US would be that the Republicans lose control on the Senate and with the House controlled by the Democrats there could be some checks and balances restored to a rouge President. This is a highly likely scenario and something that should be watched. However, a victorious Trump will edge to the dictatorial style he loves and we may see him more unhinged. That can only be avoided if people who find it repulsive the way Trump has thickened the swamp he promised to clear they should come out and vote in large numbers. This is America’s most defining election become a part of it.