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He is a staunch supporter of Donald Trump who voted for President, but Jim Crain is also proud to state that he also voted for Jacinda Arden.
The 84-year-old Korean War veteran, who is confident that Trump will win a second term in office, has lived in New Zealand for 44 years, but has retained his U.S. citizenship and voted in elections in both countries there. moment.
Last month, the Hamilton man cast his vote for the Labor Party for the first time since he moved here, around the same time as when he cast his vote for Trump. He had good reason to support political opposites, he said.
“[Jacinda Ardern] saved New Zealand. It kept the Covid out. I really appreciate it. I don’t appreciate her being a single mom, but I really appreciate her for that. “
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Like many Americans now living in New Zealand, Crain eagerly awaited the outcome of the American election which, regardless of how the vote turns out, will be a historic turning point for his country.
If the Democrats, led by presidential contender Joe Biden, will win back the White House, Senate and Congress, or if Donald Trump and the Republicans again achieve an unexpected victory, it is now a matter in the hands of millions of people making their way . to the voting booths on Wednesday New Zealand time.
The fate of America’s political future may have already been decided, with a large number of early votes recorded; in some states, they represent more than total voter turnout in 2016.
Crain was convinced that Trump had been good for his home country by cutting taxes, strengthening the military and maintaining firm controls on immigration.
KELLY HODEL / THINGS
Ohio-born, New Mexico-raised professor John Oetzel, a communications management professor at the University of Waikato, cautiously predicts a Democratic victory in the US election.
He predicted that Republicans would get 290 electoral votes in the 538-member Electoral College. Either party must claim a minimum of 270 to win.
“I don’t believe in polls. Joe Biden doesn’t know where he is half the time … just the other day he called President George something. He couldn’t even remember the man’s name. “
Trump wasn’t perfect either, he admitted.
“It says too much. If he could keep his mouth shut and let his good deeds speak for him, that would be fine. “
Kelly Hodel / Stuff
Ohio-born, New Mexico-raised Professor John Oetzel, professor of communications management at the University of Waikato, cautiously predicts a Democratic victory in the US elections, but also many legal battles if the vote is anything less. Than a landslide for Joe Biden.
On the opposite side of the political corridor from Crain is John Oetzel, Professor of Management Communication at the University of Waikato.
Like Crain, he and his wife had continued to exercise their voting rights in the United States during the decade they lived in New Zealand and cast their votes early for Biden.
He was predicting a victory for the Democrats that, at the very least, would make family reunions a more pleasant prospect.
Accidentally inciting a fiery feud between relatives over some careless political comment was a danger Oetzel would be happy to leave far behind.
“It’s been a tough four years … I’m a blatant Biden supporter, but even more so a Trump detractor,” he said.
Kelly Hodel / Stuff
Michael Montagna, who lives in Tamahere, did not vote for Donald Trump in 2016, but he couldn’t bring himself to vote for Hillary Clinton.
Communities in his homeland had become increasingly polarized along political lines over the past 30 years, but this process had intensified dramatically during Trump’s time in power. Many families had been divided, including his.
“I’m amazed at how entrenched they are… My immediate family are all Democrats. My parents’ siblings are mostly Republicans. When we go to family gatherings, we don’t talk much about politics. It is not an issue you want to raise.
“In 2016 the polls were wrong. As a researcher, I am very interested in doing surveys and establishing patterns and on that occasion the voting was analogous. There were many undecided voters who changed their minds at the last minute.
“Having said that, the best evidence we have to predict an outcome is the polls.”
Oetzel predicted difficult times if Trump retained power.
“He will rule with a heavy hand. There will be trade wars. He will anger his allies … it will be more of the same, but on steroids. “
His compatriot American Michael Montagna came to New Zealand in August last year and fell in love with both a Kiwi woman and the country as a whole.
The software programmer was one of many Americans who did not vote in 2016, largely due to disillusionment with the Democratic Party and the way potential contender Bernie Sanders had his campaign blocked by the party hierarchy.
He also did not vote in this election, but this time out of carelessness rather than a deliberate election. You accidentally missed the deadline to cast your vote by mail.
“You would think they would have some kind of online system [to vote] in this day and age. They don’t make it easy.
“I would have loved to have voted for Joe Biden … It all comes down to the fact that the country needs someone who doesn’t separate people.”
Like Oetzel, Montagna came from a family of Democrats, with the exception of his mother, “which is about Trump.”
“It all comes down to fear and anxiety.
“He talks to me about many things. I try not to argue with her, but then I look up things on the internet to see what she’s been talking about. “
“Very often, what you have been told is not exactly the truth.”
