A Presidential Dilemma
Image: Reuters
American voters head to the polls in November in what has already been a contentious and volatile Presidential election.
In a race between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, it seems the US people aren’t being given a lot of choice. One is an egomaniacal celebrity property developer/convicted criminal, and the other is an octogenarian whose cognitive ability has been called into question.
The former believes it’s his right to reassume the Presidency, while the latter refuses to yield or even reassure the American people that he is mentally capable of continuing in the position. Both are very rich and powerful, and both have utilised their wealth and influence to their ultimate advantage.
But neither represent the best nor brightest of the United States, only the richest and most ruthless. This is the inevitable end game of bipartisan politics George Washington warned against in his 1796 Farewell Address, a dichotomy of democracy.
Dreams Denied
Margaret Thatcher once said: “Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy.” It’s a country built on an ideal, founded in the sincere belief that all are created free and should be given equal opportunity to make the most of that freedom. A country where anyone can become President. But that’s not really the case.
The economic reality of running a presidential campaign is prohibitive for most Americans, 11.5% of whom live under the poverty line, according to 2022 census data. The 2020 election between Trump and Biden was the most expensive in history, totalling nearly $11 billion between the two campaigns.
Meanwhile, most Americans can’t afford basic healthcare and they are expected to make a discerning choice between arrogance and incompetence. Surely the American people deserve a higher standard of statesman.
Donald Trump is not a great orator, but he is an excellent salesman and he done a superb job of selling his repackaged version of the American Dream. Under the banner of ‘making America great again’, Trump ignited fervour and nationalistic passion across the political spectrum, inspiring believers while reviling opposers. If he didn’t make America great again, he certainly made it interesting. But that sort of polarising relationship with the public makes another Trump presidency dangerous and difficult for the United States.
Joe Biden is a career politician, serving as the Democratic Senator for Delaware from 1973 until he assumed the vice-presidency when Barack Obama took office in 2009. Biden has long had his sights on being President, previously running unsuccessfully in 1988 and 2008. With a long list of political achievements to his name, his recent career has been marred by a severe and noticeable decline in his mental acuity. Forgetting questions, bumbling through press conferences and a decidedly poor performance in a recent televised debate have done nothing to quell these concerns.
Number One With A Bullet
This week saw the attempted assassination of former President and presumptive nominee Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was killed on-site by the Secret Service and is reported to have acted alone. It is the greatest failure of the Secret Service in decades, echoing the failed assassination of Ronald Reagan in 1981. Either that, or it’s a devious, albeit clumsy and cliché, attempt to bolster Trump’s public image by faking an assassination.
With official investigations underway and conspiracy theories abound, it will be difficult to determine fact from fiction. More than 60 years after the assassination of JFK, the truth has been mired in misinformation and wild speculation, rendered unable to be truly known.
Nevertheless, Trump has naturally leveraged the attempt on his life to strengthen his campaign run, sporting a bandage over his right ear during his appearance at the Republican National Convention.
While the election is four months away, political pundits are already expecting a win for Trump. At this point, it’s a grim choice between celebrity and senility.
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