Why the elections matter to me — and why it should to you as well
The hard part’s finally over (or so it seems). What’s next for the US and the entire world after what is perhaps one of the most influential elections in US history?
Sitting in my room at 12 AM tuning in to CNN, ABC news, and other news outlets has been all that I have done the past few days, apprehensive and anxiously awaiting for when the next batch of votes would come in from the battleground states that will soon determine who would take the seat as the 46th president of the United States. Needless to say, this gruelling election cycle has urged me, along with millions of spectators all over the world, to weigh in and reflect on the impending future of the United States, and eventually the entire world.
This election year in particular was unlike any other. Among the country’s already overwhelming amount of problems, concerns over things like civil unrest and the looming threat of a pandemic have especially pushed voters to rethink the ways they would vote in the elections.
D v R
Democrats, likely observing COVID-19 protocols, cast most of their votes through mail-in ballots days, even weeks before election day, while Republicans, zealously pushed by incumbent president Donald Trump, voted almost entirely on election day, under the presumption set forth by Trump that mail-in votes would be subject to corruption and fraud. Both parties (D/R) have expressed contention and doubt on the president’s assertions, which are not to mention, founded on baseless claims and are dangerous to preserving the integrity of democracy in the country. Republicans have oddly stayed quiet and have not propped up the president in any way, with the exception of some devoted Trump backers like S. Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham echoing his concerns over electoral fraud.
For American citizens, this election ultimately commands the direction the country will take not only in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, but obviously in the next four years. The nation’s image and influence in the global arena has diminished greatly in the last four years under Trump’s leadership. Owing this to an administration tremendously characterized by unfiltered positions on issues like racial inequality, climate change, and gun control, to name a few, the entirety of Trump’s term has done nothing but further widen the gap that has been dividing the nation for as long as we can recall.
Some notable “achievements” Trump has collected in his last four years in office include the following: (to read more on these issues, links to credible sources can be found in underlined words/phrases)
- Controversial foreign policy on immigrant documentation/entry, which has eight cornerstones (Source):
- Restrict legal immigration
- Complete the border wall with Mexico
- Reduce the number of asylum seekers
- Stop immigrants from receiving benefits
- End the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and deport its recipients
- Restrict travel and visas from certain countries
- Reduce the number of refugees
- Modify the H-1B visa program
- Straining of international relations, especially of those in the EU, Asia, etc.
- Detachment to social reform protests (i.e., BLM movement)
- Withdrawal from the Paris Climate Accord
- Of course, a failed response to the COVID-19 Pandemic (no, it is not all China’s fault) [Sources: 1, 2]
“You’re not American, why do you care?”
It is time, at last, to address this as I am certain a lot of people are probably thinking the same. The United States has long been the role model for policy-making on a global scale, its allies and enemies all closely observing how the country presents itself as the sole superpower (for now). With this in mind, the elections’ influence extends far beyond than just America’s future, it inevitably affects the global chessboard for control and influence. From its military operations in West Asia all the way to diplomacy efforts in Latin America, it is beyond question that the United States exacts a lasting impression around the globe, often at the cost of menacing its own internal affairs.
As expected, leaders and citizens alike are anxious to know these results as a lot hinges on its outcome. The United States is aware that it has extensive control over what happens around the world, and the uncertainty this election has set out for many Americans and foreigners has only fueled the unease over issues like the pandemic and climate change. If the United States elects a leader that remains parted with these concerns, a vacuum develops and international coordination will be hard to come by.
As former US President Barrack Obama put, “The U.S. still underwrites a lot of the world order that we know. Even our adversaries expect us to behave responsibly on the international stage,”
READ: US election result: What Biden’s victory means for rest of world
What stands next for the American people?
This win for the Biden campaign is especially unique as it is only the fifteenth time in US history that an incumbent president running for another term has lost to his challenger in the elections. This victory also means that Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, will be the first female (of color) to hold office as vice president of the United States. Her success has portrayed a whole new dynamic in American politics to a degree unprecedented in American history. Barriers have been broken, and as Harris put, “While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last, because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities.”
While citing women who have had prominent roles in securing civil rights in the country, with the likes of Constance Baker Motley, Fannie Lou Hamer and Shirley Chisholm, she hopes that this offers solace for those who have been historically excluded from political conversations; a marker of progression that will perhaps steer the United States back to the right track.
In his first address as President-elect, Biden underscored the value of uniting the nation, depicting the American people as a collective rather than a division. He has made clear that serving the country, regardless of political party, race, gender, and social class is the priority, and that he will spare no effort in ensuring the nation will overcome its battles.
The first order of business for Biden is setting up a task force of scientists and experts that will finally put attention towards the long-overdue issue of mitigating the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the United States. (READ: U.S. Sets Another Single-Day Record For Coronavirus Cases)
American citizens have had polarizing outlooks on the pandemic (ABC news), with half the population gauging that reopening the economy was more important than controlling the virus (and vice versa).
On top of that, rekindling strained foreign relations is also going to be one of Biden’s first objectives as president. The United States may reshift its focus to nations that once fully confided with their interests/foreign policies pre-Trump (Canada, Germany, etc.) and detach with nations that held a liking for Trump’s policies (N. Korea, the U.K.).
It is still unclear how the next four years would play out for the United States, but a lot of people are hopeful that this marks the beginning of a new day in America. Nobody is spared from criticism, it is the right of the people to express their concerns over their nation, and Joe Biden is no exception from this. Everyone will be watching the United States really closely in the coming months (and years).
Is this a step in the right direction to finally put a stop to the issues that have been crippling America far too long? Only time will tell.
