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US Elections 2024: America Chooses President Trump again
By Ras H Siddiqui
Sacramento, CA

 

Election season is over in America and the Republicans are rejoicing while the Democrats appear subdued. Numerous articles on this November 5 th go around have already been written and this is in no way the last word on the contest (as of this writing 3 House seats have still not been called) but the picture is clear: To use a tennis term, “Game, Set & Match” go to President Trump and the Republicans as they have won the Presidency, the Senate and the House. But from another point of view, is the situation as bleak as it seems for the Democrats?

The final votes are still not in, but President Donald Trump has won this election with barely 50% of the popular vote compared to 48.4% for Vice President Kamala Harris. This is not a landslide win by any measure, even though the electoral college vote (312-226) makes it look like one. Half of the Americans who voted chose President Trump and the other half did not.

The Republicans have a 53 to 47 lead in the Senate, which although significant, is not the sixty required to push or block anything that they wish. Angus King of Maine and Bernie Sanders of Vermont are Independent but also lean to the Left. This gives the Republicans a 3-vote edge (4 counting the VP if necessary). And not all of them may be Trump-supporting MAGA followers and could even have a  Senator Joe Manchin (Democrat) type of rebel in their midst. Or is this just a dream?

The House lead currently stands at 219-213 in favor of the Republicans who could get two more and the Democrats 1, but that remains to be seen. If the Republicans end up with 221 seats and the Democrats 214, they have the simple majority needed to pass bills through to the Senate but major changes to the law will not be rubber-stamped. Executive orders will get some scrutiny, especially on significant issues like immigration, healthcare, and the economy. On immigration, everyone agrees that there is a need for immediate action on violent criminals and people who repeatedly break the law. But breaking up mixed families is not going to go down well.

President Trump is in a position to go big during his first two years in office. But there will be questions on his cabinet nominees and executive orders, even though they will benefit limited segments of the population. His campaign promises on immigration may also backfire especially in agricultural states like California where “migrants without papers” do perform essential services. If farms do not have workers when needed, the mood amongst large landowners who voted for, and supported the Republicans, may change by the 2026 race. But all this will not impact President Trump himself as he is not going to be a candidate in the next presidential election.

Why did Vice President Harris lose this election? Was there misogyny and racism involved? Maybe. But she really lost to a great salesman who confidently pressed all the right buttons of working-class American voters. Inflation during the past 4 years has hit hard. There are jobs out there, but the economic landscape in our country has become dysfunctional where one can work full-time and barely afford rent. And home ownership has increasingly become a distant dream.

Economic indicators under President Biden may be great, but many people are not happy. Increasing the minimum wage used to be a remedy once but every time it goes up, the expense is passed on directly to the consumer. Retired people on fixed incomes have been struggling. Healthcare, insurance, and grocery costs have gone way up. President Trump addressed some of these issues and it resonated with voters, irrespective of whether they were Asian, Black, Latino, or White. And not everyone invests in the stock market. They are too busy putting food on the table.

Our mainstream media, which was supporting VP Harris, also failed to read the tea leaves correctly. Yes, abortion rights are a major issue which Trump the great salesman was able to deflect by proposing that the decision be left to the states. But other topics that the media kept projecting as important did not gain traction. The American voters showed that they have other more pressing priorities. They voted for Donald Trump and the Republicans this time because they focused more on those priorities.

The Democrats missed the boat, and some of their own supporters did not vote at all. That is our new reality and now not only America, but the world could see a momentous change in how our country operates.

(Ras Siddiqui has been writing for the Pakistan Link and various media outlets in California and South Asia for over three decades)