The debate and beyond

The second US presidential debate now being over, the only step left in knowing the results in one of the most consequential elections in our lifetime will be on November 3. Fifty million Americans have already voted early. The last debate was thus a last chance for the candidates to make their cases to undecided voters.

The more time that passes, the more the United States becomes divided, polarized and bipartisan. We bear the identity of the political party we support, for good or bad, like wearing a badge of honor or bearing a cross. We are identified by our political views and values. Declaring being a Democrat automatically conjures up preconceived notions in others’ minds, as does declaring being a Republican. Most Americans are oblivious to the fact that in some respect Democrats and Republicans are more similar than they are different but watching the last presidential debate on October 22, a viewer would not have noticed that.

A large section of the electorate, even some Republicans, want a change from the tumultuous four years we have experienced. It has been one rollercoaster ride after the other, continuous changes within the administration with people being fired and imprisoned. We have become accustomed to learning about the latest White House decisions from the president’s Twitter feed and this has taken a significant toll on Americans.

Former President Obama recently said, “But the thing is, this is not a reality show, this is reality. And the rest of us have had to live with the consequences of him (President Trump) proving himself incapable of taking the job seriously.” This sums it up.

The last debate was much more of substance and poised than the first one (mostly because of the muted mics for the person whose turn it was not to speak) and we were able to view the contrasts between the two presidential candidates even more clearly.

From what we can gather from President Trump’s outlook for a possible second term, there will be nothing really new. We know that he plans on unrolling “a beautiful healthcare plan” which we have been hearing since his first campaign in 2016. We have yet to see it.

The president, in all his self-praise, told us that not since Abraham Lincoln (who freed the slaves after the Civil War) has there been a president who has done more for the African American community. We have yet to learn what that is.

We were given absolutely no responses as to how he could sign an executive order which became the Muslim ban or how his administration could lock up children in cages at the US-Mexico border. The authorities are now unable to locate the parents of over 500 of these children but we were given no viable explanations or assurances. We were given no explanations about the plans that will replace (or not) the Paris Climate Agreement, what our role in Nato will be, how the exponential rise in Covid-19 will be tackled, why the president has not exercised more authority to urge Congress to quickly pass the pandemic relief stimulus bill that millions of vulnerable Americans are waiting for, the list goes on.

What we heard is a president who refused to take ownership for his mistakes, continually complimented himself and provided absolutely no roadmap to what Americans can expect, looking forward to the next four years. That is certainly because the next four years under a Trump presidency will be much of the same uncertainty and chaos. We will have to continue with our eyes glued to our president’s Twitter feed to learn about what he plans to do next.

Some people suggest that Trump is a better candidate because he is the only president in recent years who has not been a war-monger. That is certainly a huge feather in his cap but subjugation can be carried out without the use of weapons and boots on the ground or drone attacks.

Trump’s policies in the Middle East are discreet forms of Machiavellian manoeuvres where the US brokers ‘peace deals’ between majority Muslim countries and Israel. All this does is undermine the grave human rights abuses on the Palestinians and crushes their hopes of a two-state solution. The ‘peace deals’ also ensure that the countries recognize Israel as a legitimate state, despite Palestine’s issues. These deals do not qualify as ‘wars’ but they certainly do not qualify as ‘peace deals’, either.

What was observed by many Americans in both debates is that Joe Biden has been able to hold his ground a great deal more than was originally expected. Anyone debating against Donald Trump must be ready, willing and able to take the constant punches, often drifting away from the real issues to personal insults. He remained poised and presidential, even when attacked regarding his son’s alleged corruption.

Joe Biden, in contrast to his debate opponent, gave us a clear picture of what his plans are for taxation, pandemic management, the environment, wages, healthcare, immigration, and all the other issues which a prospective head of state is supposed to be outlining to the electorate.

What many outside the United States may not realize is that the Progressive Democratic movement, supporters of socialist, left-leaning Bernie Sanders, are not fans of the “corporate, establishment Democrats”, of which Biden is very much part of. These are the more right-leaning members of the party, who are heavily financed by the corporate sector and thus are inclined to vote on bills in Congress with keeping their corporate donors satisfied. Joe Biden’s healthcare policies, for example, are heavily influenced by the private health insurance and pharmaceutical industries, which is one of the principle points of contention between the Progressives and the establishment Democrats.

There were many Progressives who, when Bernie Sanders withdrew from the campaign, were extremely disappointed, undecided, unwilling to vote or had decided to vote for the Green Party. Many have since shifted back to show support for the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris ticket for three principal reasons: a Biden administration means the end of a Trump administration, his choice of his running mate, his continuity and stability.

In the last few weeks, Joe Biden has managed to make Democrats – establishment and Progressives – and many Republicans feel reassured. He and Kamala Harris give hope to the soundness of a possible Biden administration.

Those who said that a Biden presidency would be “boring” should appreciate the fact that after the mayhem the United Sates (and frankly, the world) has experienced in the last four years, ‘boring’ will be a very welcome change. If sustainability and regaining our respect globally is ‘boring’, then so be it.

The writer is a teacher, writer, political columnist and member of the US Democratic Party.

Email: sabriacballand@ gmail.com

Twitter: @sabriaballand