Aidonian's blog

2020 is not only the year of the covid19 pandemic but also a historical US election. In 2016 Donald Trump said he would only recognize the election results if he wins. That in itself is very problematic to say the least. This election is no different. From the beginning, Trump has attacked every opponent from the democrats. Because the GOP has become a Trump party. 

4 years ago

Four years ago Trump has won from Clinton.  While Clinton won the popular vote by not much, Trump has won the most electoral collegemen who decide who becomes the next president. Clinton was a bad candidate: corrupt, a candidate who said to CEO\”s that politicians should have two faces: a public face and a corporate one. This is no different for Trump. 

People were tired of the corruption, of the talk down to the ordinary people, even to people who would vote for Trump. Trump campaigned on the platform of corruption and that he would drain the swamp. Even though he is as much part of the corrruption and the swamp as Clinton and other GOP and democrats. 

In a country where the myth of the American dream is still real and a hoax at the same time. why? Ordinary people have to work at least three jobs to be able to get by. There are alot homeless Americans who still have jobs, but live from trailers, from their cars, etc…

Ordinary people have a hard time to get medical help without ending up being broke. Racial inequality, gender inequality. Systemic racism towards Hispanics and African Americans and police brutality towards these communities. Trump campagned on these frustrations and used them for his advantage. When elected, Trump only looked to the CEO\”s and stock markets and used the far right to further his campagn and further divide the country. 

2020 election

These things that I mentioned earlier are still there. A pandemic increased the inequality in America. Especially since Trump did nothing to prevent the pandemic. Under Obama there was a office to prevent pandemics, but under trump that office was scrapped. Obamacare (while flawed) the GOP and Trump wanted it gone. Private insurance companies made so much money from demanding high fees from ordinary people, while under Obamacare that was not really possible. Obamacare was not perfect but a start for universal healthcare like we have in Belgium and Canada. 

Trump attacked the mainstraim media for being fake news. This has been going on for the last 4 years now. During the pandemic Trump did not care for the public healthcare. He undermined public health officials and did not want a lockdown. He lied, lied and lied as he did so many times. About his opponents, about his handling of the pandemic. He said it again he would only recognize the election results if he would in. He attacked mail in votes as fraudulent even though he did it himself in Florida. 

During the debates, especially the first one, he handled himself very poorly. Biden behaved presidential. At that time, he contracted covid19 from a superspreader event where a third supreme justice was nominated. A second debate was cancelled because Trump did not want to do a virtual one. A third debate was one where Trump showed he could behave. 

During the first debate he called a far right group “Proud Boys” to stand back and stand by instead of denouncing. It took him two-three days to actually do so. But the damage was done. The far right, neonazi\”s saw in Trump a ideal candidate, one who supported them. 

When election day came, a lot of people voted early. alot of people voted by mail, overseas, etc.. Since Trump supporters voted in person, it seemed first that he won. But when the votes for Biden were being counted, it became clear that Biden could win. 

Trump freaked out and lashed out, claiming that there were fraudulent elections and wanted the election counts to be stopped, which is not possible. Voter fraud was not possible, not impossible, but not possible. Even though Trump claimed that voter fraud was happening. Even claiming that he had won. Many people were appalled by his behavior. Now comes the hard time what will happen now on 07/11/2020 the media claimed that Biden had won. He has won the popular vote, but not that much, but he has more than 270 electorates, which is what counts here.

What will happen now?

That\”s a good question. Trump undermined democracy and the democratic process and fair elections. Alot of scenario\”s can happen now. But Biden is now president elect. 

The thing is. Even if Biden can bring the US back together and do something about the inequality and systemic racism, the structure, the organisations behind Trump that brought him to power are still there. So long as they are dismantled, change is going to be hard. 

Biden, Trump are both part of the establishment. The same establishment that doesn\”t want social change like universal halthcare, strong unions, strong labor laws that favors the workers and not the CEO\”s, take care of police brutality, systemic racism. The establishment who 4 years ago favored Trump and used far right and neo nazi\”s to divide the country. The things that Biden wanted to do, is in contrast with what the establishment wanted: back to normal. Its why Bernie Sanders lost. Its why AOC has a hard time in congress and in her own party and got reelected even though her opponent spent millions on his campaign and still lost. With the right campaign and platform, change can happen. But not without a fight. The estastblishment will not go down without a fight to keep it as it is. 

As marxist, I\”m glad that Trump lost, but not that happy that Biden won either. Like I said earlier. Both candidates are part of the establishment and represent the establishment. Bernie and AOC represented real change, but they need time to build a movement to make sure that they can win at some point in the future. Beter wages for workers, more protection for workers, more protection for people who rent, healthcare who should be more unverisal instead of based on who makes the most money who can get the best treatment, laws to prevent inequality, racisme and to enforce it. Will Biden make it happen? Will the GOP do to Biden what they did to Obama in his 8 years while he was in office? We will see?

Regardless of what happens the next four years. Biden & Harris have a tough road ahead. But to solve the problems of the US, it will take more than 1 term. Like in all western countries, the problems are systemic and to solve those, we need to get rid of the current system because that\”s system is what allows poverty, ineaquality (racial, wage and gender) and uses hate and division to divide the people so they could remain in power. Make no mistake. Just because Trump lost, doesn\”t mean the people behind him are gone.