Shahzeb Khan
WE are about to witness one of America’s most consequential elections. It follows up on another historic election, that of 2016. When it took place, it was America’s most polarizing election in recent memory. Donald Trump emerged as a radical, unconventional conservative and his run prompted a fierce backlash from the left. The resulting race was bitter and deeply unsettled America. After Trump won under controversial circumstances, further discord was unleashed. For the next four years, Trump’s first term saw endless controversies and only divided America further and further. In response, America’s left and Democratic Party underwent their own gear-shift as the next election approached. New, staunchly leftist ideas started to take hold among Democrats, such as the Green New Deal and democratic socialism. As the 2020 race began, the Democratic Party’s new platform was just as much a break with the past as Trump’s had been. Meanwhile, Trump had four years to consolidate his vision of an America swung sharply to the right. The 2020 presidential election was on track to leave behind 2016 in the dust and become not only a vicious but also epic battle for the heart and soul of America.
Then catastrophe upon catastrophe started to pile upon the nation. A slew of unexpected events unrelated to the election shook things up all throughout 2020: impeachment, QasemSoleimani’s assassination and resulting war crisis, legalization of landmines, the global emergence of COVID-19, America in the grip of the pandemic, the economic crash, George Floyd’s death and ensuing mass protests, the second wave of the coronavirus, the emerging Cold War with China, the unprecedented wildfires, the perilously hyperactive hurricane season, the third wave of the coronavirus, RBG’s death and Supreme Court vacancy, and the infection of the President amidst a massive outbreak in the White House. Tremendous national crises over shadowed the upcoming election, so that it became the first presidential race in living memory which Americans hardly paid attention to, with several months of no campaigning. Now that the election is finally the nation’s top focus. America is on the cusp of what is likely to be its biggest shift of 2020.
2020 will go down as one of the most important presidential elections in US history. It occurs against the backdrop of the worst pandemic since the Spanish Flu, the biggest economic downturn since the Great Depression and the most intense protest movement and civil unrest since that of the ‘60s and ‘70s. A spate of extreme weather events unlike any before is the strongest indicator yet of the biggest global climatic shift since the end of the last Ice Age. America’s response to all of these events has been starkly divided along partisan lines. For the last four years, Americans were at each other’s throats over how the nation was to be run. Now, they are at each other’s throats over how to manage the disasters that are bringing the nation to its knees. The election will bring all of America’s current upheavals to a head, but it will not be the end. On 3 November, when Americans go to the polls for the last time, their nation’s monumental struggle will only be beginning. As important as the election is, it does look as though it may not change things very much. America’s current challenges appear insurmountable, so does it matter who is at the top? But the choices presented before the people could not be clearer. Both sides have a completely different outlook and approach towards handling things. If voters choose wisely, they will be able to select the government that works best for these circumstances, provided they can overcome the obstacles to a free and fair election. One of the biggest upsets of 2020 is how the integrity of the election has been threatened. Never before have political analysts seriously discussed the possibility of the election being cancelled. That certainly won’t happen, but the potential for disputing the election result is huge. It could also produce further chaos, even violence. So Americans face one of their biggest challenges yet as the election draws to a finish and will be in for a long road ahead.
The encouraging sign is that Americans appear ready to take it on. Despite the hardships most are enduring, early voting has smashed records, with more than 93 million ballots cast, and it looks like voter turnout will far exceed that of the 2016 race, which was [in-]famous for lack of involvement. Americans now realize how much is at stake. People are changing their entire approach. The magazine Scientific American, for example, endorsed Joe Biden for President, its first presidential endorsement in 175 years of existence, after Trump remarked on climate change “It will start getting cooler. You just watch” and “I don’t think science knows, really”. Such blatant dismissals make it impossible for people engaged in scientific issues to stay politically neutral. Americans just need to know one thing, that voting is only the beginning. It simply means deciding who takes the lead and, whether their choice wins or not, there is a lot more that people need to do to help their nation navigate the vast challenges of the present moment and long-term future. Amidst crisis all over the globe, America is losing its status as world leader due to its failures. This election could decide what finally becomes of that status.
—The writer is Director at Pakistan’s People Led Disaster Management.
