So it's finally election day, and I had a four hour drive earlier this morning so I got to listen to a lot of pre-coverage BEFORE the main polls open.
Just over 8 million people have already voted in the US elections, which gives us some idea that the outcome will be tight, and i guess by now, 20.00 UK time that voting proper is in full swing.
TBH I'm a bit sick of it all, and I imagine that's the majority sentiment, which sounds like it's gonna be the only majority thing about this election.
Radio Four this morning was just a load of pre-amble repetition with vox pops from various people in Pennsylvania and other swing states, and many reminders that we may not know for days what the election results actually are.
There are several themes that have come out of this election, to focus on just four....
The failure of the political class to listen
This partly explains why Trump is so popular, he ISN'T one of the classic political class, unlike Biden and Harris, who clearly are.
It's the working classes, not college educated, who have suffered the most in recent years and Trump has tapped into that nicely.
Divisive politics
I really don't like Trump's divisive tactics, damning everything the Democrats have done and positioning himself as anti-immigration, anti-women, that's the whole of the Republican Party, it suggests it dark times for many if he wins.
Personality over rationality
Biden is rational, it's look at the policy not the man (although maybe that's a bad thing in itself, Trump is more look at me charismatic leader type, and he's done a great job of getting people to think back to 2017 when he was in power and things were much better.
That was pre-pandemic, of course, but it's worked, there's literally no way he can deliver his promises, but no one cares, he's offering hope, unlike the rational Democrats.
The threat of violence....?
Trumps teased at it, but honestly I don't think this will come to anything, there may be scuffles if the Democrats win, but it'll all just smooth out to nothing.
I simply don't think life is that bad for enough people thus far.
It's not something that worries me especially! There are still too many people with too much to lose in the US for there to be another civil war.
For now!
But it'll probably happen in my life time!
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