By Arun Srivastava
Left and Right politics do exist in America, but the divide has never been so pronounced as it is shaping up this time just ahead of the D-Day, when the Americans would be electing their next president in November this year. The blame for polarising this year’s presidential election on the left and right streak goes to the Republican candidate Donald Trump. Joe Biden making way for Kamala Harris has made Trump conscious of the tough challenge he would face in the incumbent vice-president. He obviously launched a vile campaign against her and started depicting her as a hardened leftist; using it as a metaphor of her being a hardened criminal.
Rightist leaders have eccentric attitude of hitting their opponents below the belt and maligning them. Pursuing this tactics Trump made an obnoxious comment only on this Wednesday about Harris that is too at US’s largest annual gathering of Black journalists. Trump asked the journalists: “Is she Indian or is she Black? She was Indian all the way, and all of a sudden she made a turn and became a Black person.” This observation even made White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to say: “It’s insulting. What he just said is repulsive.”
Since launching her campaign Harris has been facing a barrage of sexist from Republicans. Traumatic indeed, while Trump has made a point to inflict personal insults on her and in his pursuit he has even refused to abide by the advice that he should tone down his rhetoric in this campaign. “I’m not gonna be nice!” he told. His hatred for Harris and especially for her being black is so acute that he has turned his guns against the Association of Black Journalists. He called their organisation ABJ as a “fake network”.
Trump has been actively trying to court Black voters and has even held events in cities with Black populations but it does not appear to work as his repulsive comments against Harris has further antagonised the blacks. Traditionally, the blacks have been loyal to Democratic Party.
Ironically, the rightwing political leaders and journalists do not find anything wrong with Trump’s insinuation against Harris and are overtly extending their support. It is universally known that Trump playing safe does not like to openly identify with the rightist forces, but he has been close to the rightist political leaders and organisations. This time, he has preferred to openly identify with the rightist ideology for the sake of getting their votes as they are on the surge. As in several European countries, the rightists are striving hard, using all the available resources and machinations, to ensure the victory of Trump.
In the victory of Trump, the rightists visualise a bright future ahead. Proud Boys, the ultra-rightist body of youths, has already announced their unconditional support to Trump. Besides, appeal has been made to rightist leaders of Germany and France to put a word with their supporters in US, to rally behind Trump. The most interesting development has been the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, the overseas branch of RSS, has flagged its members, obviously at the direction of its parent organisation to support Trump.
Trump describing Kamala as a leftist has helped him to gain the support of the saffron ecosystem. In India, the public faces of saffron ecosystem, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and BJP leader Narendra Modi, have been sworn enemies of the leftist forces and have also coined the term “Urban Naxal” to insinuate them. Modi has put significant number of activists, academics and students in jail on false and fabricated cases for more than six years without any trial. These so-called “Urban Naxals” are highly qualified university faculty members and scholars with progressive, leftist political orientation.
Significantly, in US the Indian diaspora is vertically split on the issue of supporting Modi. Nevertheless, the neo-migrants, especially belonging to OBC and EBC castes, from UP and Bihar and eastern Hindi speaking states, have been quite soft towards the Indian prime minister, who just secured a slightly diminished third term in May this year. During Lok Sabha elections, the neo-migrants went all out for seeking support for Modi. It is said that at least 20 cities in the US saw car rallies expressing support for Modi and urging diaspora Indians to travel to India and cast their vote. The strength of the Indian diaspora is estimated at 36 million, of whom 21 million are NRIs. The PIOs are soft towards RSS and especially Modi. This political allegiance primarily owes to their family’s ideological connect back home to Modi-magnified Hindutva.
With US voting day merely 90 days away, Trump instead of offering a concrete economic package, is simply insinuating Kamala Harris is bad for the country. He nurses the belief that his jibes against Harris would impress the rightist forces and fetch votes. But it does not appear to be happening. In contrast, Harris is gaining ground with leftist forces deciding to support her.
The Proud Boys is a neo-fascist rightist organization that engages in political violence. The group’s leaders have been convicted of violently opposing the US government, including the constitutionally prescribed transfer of presidential power. They are known for their opposition to left-wing and progressive groups. Sources maintain that they are preparing to emerge as a physical force for Trump, as Trump has promised to pardon convicted January 6 rioters if he is elected.
Curiously, Trump has not ruled out the possibility of political violence if he loses in November. This has unnerved the Americans. Since the 2021 January 6 incident, around 29 incidents involving the Boys have been identified. Almost all the eight cases in 2023 involved clashes between Proud Boys and left-wing activists. The Proud Boys have become proactive in the campaign to ban immigration as they allege that migrants are altering American demography and are a threat to the culture of USA. Trump has been accusing Harris of being overly liberal on immigration and abortion and even called her a “bum” in a speech to a gathering of religious conservatives. He reminded the voters: “As a Senator, Harris was ranked number one most far-left Democrat in the entire Senate, and that includes Bernie Sanders.” Trump alleged that Harris would appoint hundreds of extreme far-left judges to “forcibly impose crazy San Francisco liberal values” on Americans.
He does not hide his resolve to defeat socialism, Marxism and communism. He accuses Harris of supporting free government healthcare for illegal aliens, abolishing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement, decriminalising illegal immigration, mass amnesty for illegals and outlaw private health insurance and defund the police.
On the contrary, Harris has been quite pragmatic and instead of using jibes and insinuation, she has been aiming at the Trump’s failures. Harris, who has taken aim at Trump’s legal woes and stances on healthcare and abortion, challenged him to keep his commitment to debate her in September, after the Republican said he could “make a case” for skipping the event. “Well Donald, I do hope you’ll reconsider to meet me on the debate stage,” she said. “Because as the saying goes, ‘If you’ve got something to say, say it to my face.’”
Trump has picked young conservative judges to serve on the federal bench, while Biden has picked liberals with a focus on professional and personal diversity. One of the clearest contrasts is what kinds of judges Trump and Biden would pick for lifetime appointments on the federal courts. A simple way for voters to think about it is whether they prefer new judges with the conservative views of Justice Neil Gorsuch, Trump’s first Supreme Court pick, or with the liberal views of Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, Biden’s high court pick.
There is no denying that she ran to the left as progressive ideas dominated the last competitive Democratic primary. Though Republicans are digging up her old stances to scare the voters it does not appear to have any impact. Harris has come to realise that left forces are needed for the progress and development of the country. Leaving the country at the mercy of the rightists would ultimately prove to be disastrous for USA.
Significantly, her stance has yielded dividends. A poll conducted online from July 24-28 shows Harris leading Trump in Michigan by 11 percentage points, while in Arizona, Wisconsin and Nevada, she has a 2-point advantage. She has been much ahead of Trump across America. (IPA)
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