What is quite amazing about this U.S. election is the Democratic candidate. Her central theme, to chart a new path forward, begs one simple question, “Where have you been these past four years?” The lady is running against her own self!
“Everywhere I go, in everyone I meet, I see a nation ready to move forward.” If that isn’t a damning indictment of a government she belongs to … and also begs another question: You have had four years and if this is where your country is — still waiting to move forward — why should the electorate put their trust in you again?
She accuses Trump of threatening to abandon NATO. Far from it. Trump’s threat was based on the US bearing the brunt of the cost to protect well-heeled Europeans. He wanted them to put 2 percent of their GDP towards defense and share the cost. When he was elected, there were only five countries in NATO. It almost doubled to nine by the time he left office and set a trend because of the increase now to 23 countries.
Trump threatened to tax goods from wealthy countries in a similar way to their tariffs on U.S. goods. Ask yourself why one does not see any American cars on European roads. Simple, they are taxed out of reach and not competitive with local products.
Harris called this the Trump tax that would cost American households $4000 per year. But wait one moment. A left of center think tank (Center for American Progress) estimated this figure but the Peterson Institute from the right calculates it to be $1,700. Estimates depend on assumptions and these are biased by the political leaning of the think tanks, often unconsciously.
Did Trump block an immigration deal as Kamala Harris has charged? One has to doubt it. The Republicans in Congress were opposed to it. So was Trump and he called upon them to block it.
Harris also accuses Trump of planning to enact a nationwide abortion ban. Trump calls it a lie. He believes it to be a state issue and should be left to them.
Trump does have a tendency to manufacture his own reality. For example, he believes he did not lose in Georgia in the 2020 election; it was stolen from him. Many, if not all of his supporters, at a Trump rally believe the same. The theme continues to be “Make America Great Again” and MAGA hats are everywhere.
Some say a Trump rally has an aura of a revival meeting and those present are the true believers. Their fervor, if it translates into campaign work and volunteers, will make Trump a formidable opponent.
Then there is Trump’s campaign money for the TV ads and his own if necessary — ads with their repetitive messaging that imprints in the brain.
The issue of likeability also comes in. In the 1950’s, Eisenhower was impossible to beat not just because he was the Supreme Allied Commander who defeated Nazi Germany but because of his famous smile and his likeability.
So which candidate is more likeable in this election? It is not a difficult question.