An unprecedented crisis in US society

 An unprecedented crisis in US society

The US presidential campaign has shown the depth of the schism in society, risking heavy consequences.

Vladimir Mashin, November 05 New Eastern Outlook

Trump Harris The crisis of American society 

Self-immolation

As former President Barack Obama said, ‘the country is embittered and divided’. According to a US newspaper, because of the various labels, this time people will cast their vote ‘either for a fascist or an idiot’.

Trump and Harris both agree that American democracy is a papier-mâché wreckage

Even the Washington Post newspaper on November 1, 2024, called the situation a ‘burning of the dignity of the nation’, since the current elections are the worst in the history of the United States. Many of the 59 presidential elections were ‘elections between mediocre candidates with a few scoundrels here and there, however, this year’s election is the worst of all’. According to the newspaper, Trump is laconic, promising to end the war between Russia and Ukraine in 24 hours.

Harris, on the other hand, is verbose. Here is how she explained the situation in the Middle East: “The work we have done has led to a number of Israeli movements in the region, which were caused by or resulted from a number of things, including our propaganda of what should happen in the region…We will not stop trying to achieve what is necessary for the United States to clearly define its position on the need to end the war”.

In exchanging attacks on each other, both candidates diligently avoided burning economic issues: the national debt has increased by $1.8 trillion in the last year alone, exceeding $35 trillion.

They did not promise to do anything to solve the main problem, i.e. expenses related to social benefits.

Trump and Harris both agree that American democracy is a papier-mâché wreckage. 

Tensions in the US are rising

According to the US press, 11,000 different political groups spent more than $14 billion on the election campaign. Although Americans are trying to make a show of the events related to the elections, the situation in the country is heating up and electrifying. Rich people prefer to leave Washington and a number of other cities while the votes are being counted. Meanwhile, the press continues to add fuel to the atmosphere of tension and fear. The New York Times newspaper called for the entire editorial board not to vote for Trump because he is a threat to democracy and another Trump term will harm the climate, destroy alliances and strengthen autocrats.

The influential US newspaper The Economist is urging everybody to vote for Harris, or else the US will face unacceptable risks.

Kamala Harris only had 4 months to present her election campaign, and her speeches mostly revolved around attacks on the outrageous behaviour and conservative positions of her opponent. The vice president demanded the return of abortion rights on a national scale. Seeing as inflation has hit Americans hard, the Democratic candidate is promising to cut food and housing costs for families in need and raise taxes for big businesses.

D. Trump attacks his opponent in every speech, sometimes with obscene language, focuses on stopping immigration and mass deportation of illegal immigrants. He promises to end inflation and “make America affordable again”. The Republican proposes to reduce taxes by trillions of dollars, which will be possible thanks to strong economic growth and import tariffs.

Harris wants to maintain international support for Ukraine and advocates for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Meanwhile, Trump claims that he will end the war in Ukraine in 24 hours and proclaims himself a staunch defender of Israel in the Middle East.

Vote counting after the November 5 elections will probably continue for several days, especially in the so-called swing states. The media reports that both parties are already preparing lawsuits over possible violations, so the days following the vote count will be the most dangerous.

In the US, there is a special voting system. The presidential election depends on the votes of the Electoral College, which is made up of just 538 members. Therefore, more than once citizens have voted for one candidate while the electors preferred another, for example when in 2016 Clinton received 2.89 million more votes, but lost by the number of electors. Special attention is being paid to the vote count in Pennsylvania, which has 19 electors; it is expected that the final result will be announced a few days later there.

Tired, worried and nervous American voters – 75 million at this point – preferred to vote earlier than November 5.

Certain observers describe the current situation in the US as a lethargic or cold civil war, which may well lead to serious clashes. 

Vladimir Mashin, Candidate of Historical Sciences, political observer, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”