Will Trump’s Economy be Biden’s America?
How is president-elect, Joe Biden going to unite a deeply divided nation, one that has celebrated an accomplished “businessman”, who it seems has lacked in just about everything else?
Four years ago, everyone remembers where they were when they first heard that Donald Trump had become the 45th President of the United States of America. Same could probably be said for a handful of moments in our lifetime, for example: When Nelson Mandela passed away; Lady Diana’s sudden death and perhaps even, when (dare I say it) Michael Jackson was found dead in his Los Angeles home.
Except, this wasn’t a day of mourning and melancholy, as it had been for those above. Instead, the very opposite became true for many disenfranchised Americans the world over. The (white) working class (whose jobs had slowly trickled back to South East Asia, whose politics was not in the least bit representative of its views and in all likelihood, whose America had in fact, not been great for a very long time) — for this base, the time had now come.
And so, in a weird twist of events, the election of Trump gave impetus to the alienated “fortunates” to have their say and to make their mark. Even when in some cases, those marks turned out to be pretty downright degrading.
Yet, in that same period of time (and without fail), many older, mostly white males I’ve had the painstaking opportunity to discuss US politics with, have all had the same thing to say about Trump:
“But have you seen what he’s done / is doing for the economy?”
And so the conversation goes…
• But he made fun of people with disabilities on live television.
• He told white supremacists to “stand back and stand by” and on numerous occasions called them, “very fine people”.
• He momentarily imposed a Muslim travel ban.
• He put immigrant children in cages at a migrant detention centre in Texas.
“But have you seen what he’s done / is doing for the economy? He’s not allowing China to bully the US any longer & has imposed strict trade tariffs on imports — thus bolstering the economy!”
• He still has yet to release his tax returns. In fact, New York Times (in an explosive exposé) recently uncovered that he had all but paid $750 in federal income tax the year he was elected.
• He left the Paris Agreement, causing a devastating blow towards curbing climate change.
• He called former US soldiers who died in combat and former prisoners of war, “losers” and “suckers”.
“But look at what he’s done for the economy. He’s brought jobs back to America and the rich are paying less tax, which is good for everyone!”
• He tried to blackmail the president of Ukraine by withholding aid if he didn’t assist Trump in getting dirt on Joe Biden’s son, Hunter.
• He called Mexican immigrants, “rapists”.
• He told congresswoman of colour to “go back to where they came from”.
• He referred to African nations as “shithole countries”
“But for god’s sake, have you SEEN WHAT HE’S DONE FOR THE US ECONOMY?”
Watching Van Jones’s (CNN) 2 min breakdown of what replacing Donald Trump means to so many people (who themselves have been alienated and disenfranchised to extremity over the past few years) I couldn’t help but think about WHY so many older, mostly white men have told me the same thing time and time again…”Look at what he’s doing for the economy!”
As if by giving people jobs and allowing top earners to earn even more, we can sanctimoniously give those in elected positions (and in the highest office in any Western government) the day off from being held responsible for radically skewed views on race, misogyny, classism, ageism, disabilities and pretty much anything that holds other virtuous individuals accountable to their fellow citizens.
It got me thinking. Perhaps the problem with politics in 2020 is the complete and utter polarisation of one party / ideology over another. The fact that we can never simply agree to disagree — on anything. In many ways, the very same thing that’s made America’s economy so strong (and it’s politics so frustrating) is the notion of a “WINNER TAKES ALL” mentality, which pitches people against one another until they’re no longer able to see views for what they are — “opinions”.
Fact is, the world’s changing. People of colour are becoming more representative of their constituencies, as are people with disabilities, people of different genders and sex and in some cases, people who are native to their lands who’ve literally been there for centuries (shock horror). In fact, for the first time EVER, the world’s leading democracy now has a black, partially South Asian, American female as its Vice-President and the Democrats could not be prouder.
In a world that has been flipped on its head and where things no longer make sense, the typically older, mostly white male voting base can’t help but feel alienated from the pack. The demographic is losing its grip on the global world order and as society explodes into diversity and becomes one giant cultural melting pot, this particular base continues to drift further and further away from popular opinion. The economy is often the last standing pin in a series of bowling pins that have toppled from its control and really, it has nowhere else to turn.
Except in reality, it does. This group of individuals still holds a lot of influence in many key ways and so Biden’s America (and the rest of the world) would do well to finally begin repairing the damage Dr. Orange has done and slowly progress towards connecting the “disenfranchised have’s” with their “woke, progressive” counterparts.
If he can do that, he might just have a shot at shifting the narrative from a “WINNER TAKES ALL” attitude to a more formidable “WINNER FOR ALL” approach instead.