With the election over and Kamala Harris vanquished, there is an audible groan reverberating across the globe. In this Titanic clash there was a fork in the road where the electorate was given a choice as to which direction they wanted the American Story to continue. They chose to follow former President Trump who described America as a "Garbage Can".
Now is the moment to reflect as to how embedded Trump and Harris are in the American narrative and what constitutes the latter. The contrasting visions between the two protagonists couldn't have been starker. Their race and gender are even more defining. Harris is a first generation American of the pigment that the Trump MAGA movement have made abundantly clear is not the kind that they want as Americans. Even more disqualifying is that she is a woman. Trump on the other hand is a multigenerational white male property owner, who has the unlimited resources of the richest man in the world and his dominant social medium platform.
THE STORY OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
The story of the USA isn't nearly as pretty as it is romanticized from a white perspective. It is mired by the slaughter of its indigenous peoples and slavery on a vast scale. What distinguished it, for purposes of this discussion from other settler colonies of that period, is that it won a war of Independence to rid itself of the dictatorial rule of King George III. This was way back in the eighteenth century.
Other British colonized countries. to this day, maintain a relationship with the "mother ship" or severed ties hundreds of years later. They inherited cultural norms and political systems from the "oppressor". The British Empire colonies have Westminster Parliamentary style governmental models and beat them at their national game of cricket, which to many epitomizes the English way of life. These contrasts are illustrated by just looking at sleepy Canada next door where the British monarch's face is still on its currency.
America went to war against the British with a flourish and announced their manifesto in the "Declaration of Independence"
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Thomas Jefferson the author of America' s "Declaration of Independence", laid down the bedrock of what the country would maintain was it's principles. This document was remarkable for its times. Profoundly influenced by the Enlightenment figures particularly John Locke, it was signed by all 13 States. The Declaration was aspirational as the author was well aware that it made no concessions to the slaves and indigenous natives.
Inter alia The Declaration maintained, "We hold these truths to be self evident that all men were created equal, Included was also "...Governments deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed..."
Earth shattering was the statement that "all men were created equal". It was all the more so in that these were the words that the citizenry, led by George Washington, were prepared to lay down their lives for. The estimate of Americans dying in the 8 year long War of Independence was well over 25,000. Some have posited as many as 75,000 out of a population, including slaves, of 2,500,000.
Trump a male white property owner would have agreed to all of this with a wink and a nod. Of course he would have been medically unfit to fight the war as that was a deal for "Suckers and losers". There would have been no place for a Black woman other than being a slave mistress to Jefferson himself.
To ensure that they would not have a repetition of dictatorship The Founding Fathers labored long and hard over a Constitution.
THE AMERICAN CONSTITUTION
So the United States had to invent its own narrative with its own way of governing. Thomas Jefferson had written the manifesto in 1776. After the victory it was fleshed out in a Constitution, (1787), which was designed for its times, a compromise to include the slave states of the South. Central to the exercise was to create a mechanism whereby the country would never be ruled by a King - "A Petty Tyrant". In order to effect this objective they created an elaborate system of three co - equal branches of government. The Executive Branch, which had at its head The President, would be held in check by the independent Legislative and Judicial branches. Among many rights enshrined in the Constitution and its Amendments was the rule of law and that all were equal before the law.
THE STORY CONTINUED - EXPANSION OF ALL CITIZENS' RIGHTS
It took a Civil War nearly a hundred years later where men once again followed a transformational leader, Abraham Lincoln, to move, " that all men were created equal" mantra to rid the country of slavery. Nearly a million died for their beliefs - approximately equal numbers of Unionists (The North) and Confederalists, (The South). Many believe that this division is still the basis of current battle for the heart and soul of America.
Nevertheless the war moved the aspirational needle more than a bit, the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution added "The Negros" to the "all men are created equal" list. Kamala wouldn't have been included as she is a woman. Then followed "Reconstruction" with great advancement of the former slaves only to be negated by Jim Crow and The Klu Klux Klan who introduced draconian segregation laws in The South as well as lynching of "uppity blacks" while effectively depriving them of the vote. All to be reversed by Martin Luther King's Civil Rights protests and Lyndon Baines Johnson's Civil Rights Legislation in the 1960's.
Oh just one more major movement in the "all men are created equal" saga, in 1922 women finally became part of "all men" and the 19th Amendment was passed. This too had been a long and bitter struggle and came well after the United Kingdom's decision. So Kamala would have been finally able to vote. Significantly women's rights were central in the 2024 election. Neither Trump or Vance believe that women were also "created equal", and they said so!
It is fair to say that it has been a long walk. The Founders' original constitution designed to avoid a dictatorship has come to a screeching halt. A Trump victory following a Supreme Court decision limiting a President's criminal liability has paved the way for authoritarian rule - the very reason the War of Independence was fought over. However "all men" include all citizens and they are the ones who have put Trump in power and can remove him!
The population of America expanded exponentially over the centuries as the country sponge like mopped up refugees from Western and Eastern Europe including Russia.
IMMIGRATION AS PART OF THE STORY
America throughout the nearly four hundred years since The Pilgrim Fathers has attracted boundless numbers of immigrants. These have been welcomed. On the Statue of Liberty which immigrants passed on their way to Ellis Island was the welcoming message, "Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breath free...". Even after the 1924 Immigration Act which created national quotas for immigration, the legal and illegal immigration to America has provided an unparalleled source of workers highly skilled and unskilled that have allowed America to become the military and industrial powerhouse of the world.
As everyone except the indigenous Native Americans is either an immigrant themselves or descendants of immigrants or slaves there has been generally an acceptance of them with a path to citizenship. With the country trending to have a minority of white skinned citizens, immigration legal and illegal became the major platform of the Trump Republican Party. The rhetoric towards those who derive from "shit hole countries" has been openly racist.
Number one on Trump's agenda regardless of the economic consequences is the rounding up and deporting of 11 million "illegals". Ironically the Trump triumph could not have been achieved had such large numbers of Latino immigrant men switched to him.
So the world watched as America frog marched to isolationism and authoritarianism.
WORLD INVOLVEMENT AS PART OF THE STORY
America's leadership in the world has been a wedge issue ever since it has become relevant. It is fair to argue that America wouldn't have been involved in WW1 had not the Germans torpedoed their submarines or WW11 had the Japanese not bombed Pearl Harbor. Not that there weren't protagonists for defending world democracy but the country was so split that direct involvement was out of the question. Opposition to WW11 was to a large extent pro Nazi and Franklin Roosevelt had to struggle to support the Allied Forces.
Notwithstanding the division prior to the World Wars, Americans honor the veterans of those clashes and proudly maintain that their involvement helped the world fight off fascism. The anti war party had the same name as Trump often uses to describe his overall philosophy (sic), "America First". Trump has championed an isolationist policy, that together with his bromance with Putin has put the fear of G-D in the Ukrainians.
Following WW11 American sentiment to become the leader of the world's Democracies became more bipartisan. All Presidents from FDR to Biden have unhesitatingly supported the role as it also ensures the safety of the USA. All except Trump that is.
There have been many misadventures such as Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan and after the Cold War ended the necessity of NATO was questioned. However with an authoritarian axis once again being formed between Russia, China, Iran and North Korea there is an urgency, not shared by Trump who admires the leadership of those countries, for America to continue to lead the "Free World". Trump's ascendency to Commander in Chief will impact the world order dramatically. This especially if two four star generals who served under him in the most senior of positions, characterization of him being a "Fascist to the core" proves correct.
THE 2024 ELECTION AND THE AMERICAN STORY,
It is an irony that this election Trump's opponent was a transformative woman leader, who is pigmented and a first generation immigrant who has reveled in the "American Story". The Trump campaign was openly misogynistic particularly towards Harris. They strung epithets galore in describing her - "dumb" , "shit" "trash". The Trump/Vance team wore their favoring of the "bros" on their sleeves. Their push culminated with three hour interviews with the titular social media head of the testosterone laden gender, Joe Rogan. They appear to be the side that recognize that there has been a revolution in communication in the form of the internet. There is now a generation that only get their news from that medium.
Inexplicably a chunk of the Trade Unionists voted for Trump when the Harris/Biden administration have done more for Unions since FDR. The suburban Republican women voted for the abortion rights referenda and also voted for Trump. swallowing the non sequitur that they could have it both ways.
The massive smear campaign against Harris worked. She underperformed many down ballot Democrats. The seriously flawed candidate won. Trump has the mindset of the Pre Enlightenment period. He is ignorant of the fact that the America that he wants to make great again would never have ever been great in the first place under the policies and autocracy he proposes. The question is how far back he will take it.
AT THE END OF THE DAY
The alignment of American political parties has been radically altered. There is no longer a Republican Party which espouses small government, few regulations, open trade, democracy and America's role as the leader of the "Free World".Instead there is a Trump Party which is autocratic, wants to control everything, misogynistic, racist, is against free trade and is happy to let the rest of the world be controlled by other autocrats.
The Kamala Democratic Party with their main plank being "Freedom" and the continuation of the American story.- "They are not going back". did not carry the day. Unhappily with the resounding defeat going back is exactly what will happen. The Democratic Party needs to get back to its roots and rid themselves of the image of being in the thrall of the cultural elites and join in the communication revolution.
The good news is that Trump can't deliver on his wild promises. In two years time the Women movements will have grown stronger. The downtrodden males will still be downtrodden in spite of Trump. The Blue States will thwart every move he makes to push the clock back. If he carries through on his tariff plans he will plunge America into a recession. The latter would be worsened if Musk cuts 2 trillion from the budget. So the MAGA Trump party will receive setbacks galore in the midterms.
Don't take Jay H. Ell's word for any of this as he confidently forecast that Harris would win the Presidency!
