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OPINION: I arrived in Washington DC in August of last year, and one of the first things I noticed about Americans is that they are very open in their political views. Garden signs, bumper stickers, flags, banners, social media profiles are awash in their political allegiances.
At first, I understood that this was passion. But it has become increasingly obvious that it is more about division. Nowhere is this more evident than in this presidential election.
The cycle has stoked deep tribal passions, pitting President Donald Trump’s opponents against his vocal supporters. Last year it felt like a coming storm, and now, in the last week, the winds are picking up.
Ross D. Franklin / AP
Expect Donald Trump to declare himself the winner overnight, even as the mail-in ballot count turns against him, says Abbas Nazari, a Kiwi Fulbright scholar at Georgetown University in Washington DC.
As passionate as they may sound, Americans are also tired of the whole process. Many wish they could read the newspaper or participate in a speech without bursting a blood vessel. With less than a week to go before the election, Americans are living their lives as normally as possible, when you factor in the growing cases of Covid-19, a historic recession, the worst wildfires on record, and heightened “electoral anxiety. “. ”. A tour of downtown DC, where all the office buildings and shops have their windows upholstered, is a clear sign of the charged atmosphere in this country.
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In this election, voters see the economy, health care, Supreme Court appointments, the coronavirus outbreak and violent crime as their top five priorities. In 2020, life in America has changed and politics has become so divisive that a Republican and a Democrat might have the same five priorities, but for opposite reasons.
Andrew Harnik / AP
Polls mostly point to a Joe Biden win, but loyal Democrats remain cautious.
Take violent crime for example. George Floyd’s police assassination sparked thousands of nationwide demonstrations, perhaps the largest civil movement in American history, with an analysis showing that more than 93 percent were peaceful. However, many cities saw several weeks of looting and rioting, and businesses that had not yet closed due to the pandemic were forced to cover their windows.
The Trump administration has labeled the protesters anarchists, while positing an image of Trump as the president of law and order. Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee, has called for changes in surveillance and increased funding for mental health support, while deploring looting and vandalism.
In Philadelphia this week, the police assassination of Walter Wallace, and the protests that followed, may prove to be a deciding factor in which candidate wins the crucial make-believe state of Pennsylvania. And that’s just one problem. Bring up any other topic and passions and divisions flare up again.
ABBAS NAZARI / Supplied
Stores in Washington DC are boarded up in anticipation of riots.
All the polls point to a Biden victory. A simulation of 40,000 different election scenarios showed that nine out of 10 results earned a Biden victory. For those loyal to the Democrats, however, the sting of Hilary Clinton’s defeat in 2016 is still fresh.
A recently retired federal employee who voted for Clinton is skeptical of recent polls favoring Biden, especially in critical states. The former national security analyst personally dropped her ballot in court, “given the questions about our postal system and the mail-in ballots that did not arrive, along with other ongoing efforts to suppress the vote.”
Using mail-in ballots will mean that the results will not be clear on Election Night. If the past four years are anything to go through, Trump will see the mirage of an early victory slip past him as more mail-in ballots are counted, and he will declare himself the winner. That is why he has persistently tweeted about “fraudulent” absentee ballots and a “rigged election”, even though there is no proof.
ABBAS NAZARI / Supplied
Military police outside the White House during the June protests over George Floyd’s death.
All signs point to a protracted state-by-state court battle, and if he makes it to the Supreme Court, Trump, who has appointed three Supreme Court justices, may lean on the 6-3 ideological divide to rule in his favor.
Many DC residents I spoke to are anxious about this election and fear for the direction of the country if Trump is re-elected.
Ross, a 38-year-old graduate student and former businessman, says that “many Americans are exhausted by the current state of politics,” noting the “extreme polarization we live with, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic.” However, he remains hopeful that Americans “realize that more unites us than separates us, so that we can get back to work on the things that really matter.”
Supplied
Abbas Nazari: “A Biden victory will not be a panacea for the current American condition.”
While many are hopeful that a Biden presidency will usher in a new normal in the White House, restore America’s global standing, and ease tensions across the country, I remain skeptical. For 40 percent of the voting population, Trump is their man, regardless of his indiscretions. A Biden victory will not be a panacea for the current American condition.
If Biden wins, the deep divisions in America will not heal overnight. Biden’s campaign slogan, “A Battle for America’s Soul,” is appropriate for the time. As the country grows more partisan and politics more tribal, the battle for America’s soul will continue.
* Abbas Nazari isa New Zealand Fulbright Scholar in the Master’s Program in Security Studies at Georgetown University, Washington DC.
