Luck will change on Tuesday. Some directly and some indirectly. You and I, they and us – we will all be affected by ‘them’. By ‘them’ we mean those who will become the next President of America. Kamala Harris or Donald Trump – if either of them becomes President, it will have an impact on the entire world.
The competition is tough, close, so close that it is impossible to predict the outcome. Both Kamala Hares and Donald Trump have been trying to win over voters in their favor with their respective style and strategy. He has disappointed some of his listeners and raised hopes in others. The election campaigns of both were interesting, attractive and entertaining – there was a maze of words, there was wit and there were also sharp comments.
Kamala Harris had only 100 days to make the environment favorable to her. Since she entered the electoral fray late, she had relatively less time to build the image of an electable candidate. In this short time, he charmed everyone with his free-spirited laugh – which did not appear pasted on his face – and his optimism. Because of them, the election and discussion on elections added some spice and made a boring contest, interesting. The result was that she received billions of dollars in donations, received the endorsement of even Republicans, appeared frequently on popular podcasts and on daytime television and news networks, and became a favorite of influencers. Kamala Harris received support and endorsement from Obama to Beyoncé, Taylor Swift to Harrison Ford, Economist to New York Times.
And by the time Diwali approached, his victory seemed certain. Harris’s lead over Trump by a few percent gave the feeling that a moment of change was nearing.
But Kamala’s continued focus on Trump and the dangers of his victory and almost nothing about the America of her dreams has tarnished her image. Especially in the last few days. For some time now, instead of counting the benefits of her brand of politics, she had started counting the dangers of Donald Trump. Instead of introducing people to her commitments and her thinking, she started humming the tune prepared by Joe Biden – “America cannot step back in these turbulent times.”
Meanwhile, Trump kept saying what the public wanted to hear. He had his hand on the pulse of the public. He started the trend of ‘Americanism’. His appeal is emotional, he calls for making America great again, he talks about nationalism and emphasizes the need to be proud to be an American. They do not refer to philosophy or history. They do not believe in detailed investigation of any issue. They talk big, shout and scare you. His critics call him stone-hearted, insane, and a dictator – a man who will destroy the world as soon as he comes to power and destroy whatever little peace remains in the world. But for some others, Trump is the messiah.
Businessman and podcast host Lance Vallanu has described Trump as “divine ruin” – meaning that God has chosen Trump to bring ruin. And what is our status as such that we can disturb the plan of God or His representative?
But even if we leave aside Trump’s devotees and worshipers of nationalism, it is still clear that Trump has been successful in making people believe that America had a great reputation during his tenure, there was no war going on in the world, Migrants were not able to enter the country and the country’s economy was growing by leaps and bounds. She has successfully created the narrative that America’s situation is unstable under the leadership of Joe Biden and Harris will not be able to bring any change in it.
Kamala Harris has charm and glamour, she has passion and enthusiasm but she was never able to separate herself from Joe Biden and his tenure during her election campaign. She could not convince people that if she came to power, she would act her way – her tenure would not be Biden 2.0.
As a result, his shine began to fade. A new dawn seemed to be on the horizon when Kamala Harris was sworn in as Vice President. It seemed as if the Biden-Harris duo had no strength. And people had more expectations from Harris than from Biden. But his tenure as Vice President was quite lackluster. The enthusiasm went away and disappointment started creeping in.
There is no doubt that it would have been a matter of great joy and satisfaction to see a non-white, a woman and a person of Indian origin at the helm of America – as much as it would have been for Rishi Sunak to become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. But one cannot turn away from the truth. Kamala has not been able to instill faith in herself among the people. His leadership does not appear bright. She has not been able to coordinate her colorful alliance properly. His thinking about America’s future and its goals appears one-sided. She has not been able to clarify her view on the Israel-Gaza war. It is not clear what kind of world she wants.
If Harris had faced anyone except Trump, she would have lost badly. But when it comes to devotion and being a representative of God, Harris seems to be a better choice. This is the reason why she got support but she could not utilize it adequately. Still, it would be really awesome if she wins.
Tuesday will be a part of destiny for all of us – whether it will be bad, very bad or the worst remains to be seen. (Copy: Amrish Hardenia)