Thoughts on Election Day
W.J. Astore
Some thoughts on this presidential election day:
Trump isn't running against Biden/Harris. He's running against a caricature of the Democratic Party. The usual lies: the "radical left" is coming to take your guns; they hate America; they want open borders so that America will be flooded with non-white foreigners; they're godless socialists; they favor abortion on demand; they want to turn your kids against you by controlling education; and so on. The truth is entirely the opposite: Biden/Harris are in fact the darlings of Wall Street and are without a radical bone in their bodies.
Trump and the Republicans are running without a platform. It's rather remarkable that the Republican Party is totally subservient to Trump. Meanwhile, Trump's "platform" is more of the same, including yet another capital gains tax cut. And if Trump wins, you can count on the "radical" Democrats approving that tax cut.
Trump still wants to overturn Obamacare during a pandemic, which could lead to 20 million people losing their health care coverage. It's no surprise that repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) helps the rich the most, as their taxes will decrease. (As an aside, polls show Americans favor the ACA more than they do Obamacare: they are, of course, the exact same thing.)
Trump's rallies have served as super-spreader events for Covid-19. In short, the president is a pandemic vector, yet his supporters continue to love him and defend him. Death cult?
Way back in April 2019, I picked Biden/Harris as the Democratic dream ticket. You know: an elder white guy balanced by a younger black woman, sort of like a network news team that is supposed to show inclusion and diversity while broadcasting steadiness. Yes, the fix was in from the beginning. Biden has said nothing will fundamentally change under his administration, the one promise he will be certain to keep.
Compared to Biden supporters, Trump supporters are more fired up, more committed to their man and how he makes them feel. Meanwhile, Trump is at pains to show how many people cheer for him at his rallies. If Trump loses, how will these supporters process that loss?
I can't remember a presidential election in which foreign policy has been so infrequently discussed. Presidents possess the most latitude in dealing with other countries, yet rarely did Biden or Trump answer any questions in detail about world affairs. The impression from their "debates" is that China and Russia are enemies and that a new cold war is essentially inevitable. Neither candidate talked about defense spending except to stress it probably would go up. The U.S. dominance of the world's trade in weapons went unremarked upon. America's wars they pretty much ignored.
A final thought: If you think your vote is worthless, you're wrong. If it was worthless, various forces wouldn't be trying to buy it, or block it, or otherwise restrict it. The choices may be depressing, but I've found voting itself to be uplifting. Get out there and vote!