UNDER THE MICRSCOPE

Though my wife and I lived in the United States of America for six years in the 80s, we never took any interest in American elections. Back then, the Republican and Democratic Parties were like Tweedledum and Tweedledee, interchangeable and not really much different from each other.

Nowadays, that has changed. The Republican Party has morphed into a right-wing, reactionary and White Supremacist entity with just one leader, Donald J. Trump, who wields powers over his mesmerized followers, mostly made up of working-class whites and hillbillies with a smattering of blacks and Asians. Interestingly, many Filipino-Americans are Republicans.

The Democratic Party, on the other hand, has shifted gears and has become more  progressive, and, some say, more radical. It embraces causes like reproductive freedom, equal rights for the LGBTQA+ sector, women’s rights, Black Lives Matter and universal health care. 

Thus, American society is now polarized, to the point where it seems there can be no agreement between the sectors. The divide is so wide that most pundits think America is now two countries sharing the same territory. Elections are tightly contested and resulted in the election of Mr. Trump in 2016. The electoral college system  made it possible for him to be declared president in spite of losing the popular vote.

The next four years were filled with radical changes in governance. Foreign policy directions were reversed. Big business was favored. Environmental regulations were rolled back and oil was back in favor. But mostly, it was about Trump and Trump alone. The USA was becoming Trump Inc.

Hillary Clinton’s stunning defeat and its consequences have led to Democrats radically rethinking their election strategy. Grassroots campaigns led to a Democratic comeback in the 2018 mid-term elections giving them control of Congress. It was an exercise that led to the successful 2020 presidential campaign that put Joe Biden in the White House.

Now, it’s election fever again in the USA. Trump, as expected, managed to grab the Republican Party nomination. President Biden was certain to secure the Democratic Party nomination, had it not been for the presidential debate fiasco that led people to believe he was too old for the job at the age of 81. The choice between Trump and Biden was an agonizing decision for many voters, who thought Trump was unfit for office, especially after his criminal conviction, but who also believe Biden would not last four years in the Oval Office.

Hence, the uproar in the Democratic party with one leader after another calling on Joe Biden to quit the race and hand over the leadership to a younger and more energetic candidate. Initially, Biden resisted the calls, but within a fortnight, he came around and declared he was no longer running for president.

After the failed assassination attempt on Trump, by a registered Republican at that, Trump’s chances appeared to have greatly increased with the imagery of the moment when he  raised his fist in defiance and shouted, “Fight! Fight! Fight! while holding on to his torn and bloody right earlobe. This was followed by his formal nomination at the Republican Party convention where his followers were full of adoration for him. Surveys showed he had increased his formerly narrow lead over Biden as a result.

Then, Kamala Harris happened. As soon as Biden endorsed her, as so many other Democratic leaders did, Vice President Harris responded with a rousing acceptance speech and immediately threw the gauntlet at Trump. Her presidential aspirations received such widespread approval that she raised $200 million in the first week alone. Her fund raising for July, meaning just two weeks into her assumed nomination, raised $310 million, more than double what Trump raised for the whole month.

Harris’ campaign has energized the Democratic base, which had been lethargic for a while during the Biden campaign. Two thirds of the donations were from amounts of $200 or less, indicating a groundswell of support for Harris. Volunteers are swamping phone lines raring to campaign for her.

All this has rattled Trump, who has resorted to his usual name-calling and personal attacks on Harris. His choice of Vice President, JD Vance, has done nothing to increase his popularity, but has rather dragged it down. Republicans are very worried, even rattled, and they should be.

Why am I so interested in this? To put it simply, Kamala Harris, if she were to win, will be the first of many: first woman, first woman of color and first person of South Asian descent to be elected President of the United States of America. A glass ceiling that has never been shattered may fall this time.

Let the campaign begin!