The quest will soon be over. American voters will troop to the voting polls today to elect their 46th president. This election may be viewed as a referendum on the Trump presidency.
As of April 2020, Trump’s approval rating was 44.3 percent, the lowest among the recent presidents seeking reelection. In the past 50 years, three presidents failed to win a second term—Gerard Ford in 1976, Jimmy Carter in 1980 and George H. W. Bush, Sr. in 1992. The Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, holds a 9-point lead over Trump as millions of Americans cast their votes. Over 80 million voters have already voted. Americans are flocking to the polls in record numbers to vote like their very lives depend on it. We have seen the long queues of voters—white, black, men, women, young and old—waiting long hours just to exercise their right to vote. Supporters of both parties consider today’s political exercise as the most important election in their life. So much is at stake for the American people in this election, including their democratic way of life.
Election is being held amid a surging pandemic, which has infected over 9 million Americans and claimed more than 230,000 lives. The most pressing issues at stake include how to contain the virus, reverse the downturn of the US economy and start the road to recovery. As the nation grapples with Covid-19, economic worries and the turmoil in the streets over racial injustice boil across America. The people need someone they can trust to run the country efficiently, address the pandemic and manage the economy. Trump’s mishandling of the pandemic has become a central issue of this campaign although Trump has tried to downplay it. In a rally last week, Trump bewailed: “Covid, Covid, Covid. On November 4, you won’t be hearing about it.” He even held rallies attended by thousands of his followers without people wearing mask and observing physical distancing. Aside from the pandemic, the economy is a top concern among the Americans. Businesses have shuttered amid the ravaging coronavirus. Unemployment hit record highs reaching 14.7% in April. Since Trump assumed the presidency, the US has contracted a national debt to the tune of more than $7 trillion. How can Trump claim that the country has seen “the best economy we’ve ever had in the history of our country” when its national debt has exploded to an unprecedented level. Racial unrest and social injustice against people of color and minorities are critical issues hugging the current political debate. George Floyd’s final words—“I cannot breathe”—has become a political slogan that has incensed Americans. The country needs a president who can heal and unite America; not one who will stoke racism and division and promote white supremacy and violence.
“This campaign is not just about winning votes. It’s about winning the heart and, yes, the soul of America,” said Biden in the Democratic National Convention in August. Who would make a better president? Who is better equipped and qualified to hold the reins of government for the next four years and prevent the spread of the deadly virus, which has devastated its economy? Who possesses the leadership, character, and experience to lead the nation out of its crippling problems? These are the myriad questions that every American voter should answer.
As President Trump arrived in New Hampshire to rally his supporters a week before election, the largest newspaper in the state, The New Hampshire Union Leader, announced in bold headline, “Our Choice is Joe Biden.” It was the first time in over 100 years that the respected conservative paper has endorsed a Democratic candidate for president. The editors denounced Trump that he “is 100 percent wrong for America,” citing his character flaws and unfitness for the job. In contrast, former President Obama glowingly endorsed Biden by saying that Biden “made me a better president, and he’s got the character and the experience to make us a better country. Joe knows that a president’s first job is to keep us safe from all threats, foreign, domestic, and microscopic.”
Losing an election is the worst defeat one can suffer. It feels great while the candidate is occupied with campaign hustings, hobnobbing with the crowd, enjoying the applause of the audience and fleshing the adoring supporters. But once the election is over and the candidate lost, the weariness and the frustrations set in. Tempers flare and just like Richard M. Nixon when he lost his gubernatorial contest against Governor Jerry Brown of California following his defeat to John F. Kennedy in the presidential contest of 1960, he snapped back at the press who had gathered to get his statement: “I leave you gentlemen now and you will now write it. You will interpret it. That’s your right. But as I leave you I want you to know—just how much you will be missing. You don’t have Nixon to kick around anymore because, gentlemen, this is my last press conference.”
After a nasty and brutal campaign, who do you think will give a swan song? My bold bet is Trump.