Predicting things in the political arena is a Herculean task indeed.
Politics changes fast and takes us to different unforeseen directions. I was in
the 5th semester of my undergraduate course pursuing EPS (Economics, Political
Science and Sociology) at Christ University and had the privilege of being
taught International Relations by Professor Venugopal Menon. It was the first
half of 2015 and during class the question of Donald Trump was somehow brought
into discussion. I strongly felt that Trump would definitely play a major role
and probably even run for President. Professor Venugopal Menon totally
dismissed my point and opined that Trump would never rise to such a level.
Naturally, there was a lot of questioning and rebuttal from my side and Mr.
Venugopal replied with great confidence and explained how democracy and
secularism works in America.
He believed that Trump
would never rise to a prominent position in the US because US democracy is
rooted in liberalism and secularism. Given that Trump was seen as a polarizing
figure by a considerable number of people, Mr. Venugopal's arguments did look
strong. He had strong reasons to believe that the Right Wing would never become
strong in the US. I of course had my own reasons to believe why Trump would
grow in power. 9/11 and its consequences changed the American mind-set in an
unprecedented manner. Islamophobia became the bitter truth of the day and
Americans had very strong reasons to be wary of Muslims. Muslims faced racism
and racial profiling in the post 9/11 US. Many whites who have historically
controlled and dominated America definitely have found it difficult to accept
Barack Obama and his 8 year rule as President. What many analysts and political
scientists failed to recognize is that the feeling of insecurity prevailed in
the minds of many Americans. The Americans always identified themselves as
dogged defenders of freedom and liberty and never stoked any kind of nativism
in spite of having the most patriotic national anthem-"Star Spangled
Banner "
Today it flabbergasts every liberal as
unthinkable. The Ku Klux Klan specter is staring down on the Americans because
in the US nativism was confined to the Fringes of American radio and was never
a part of mass political strategy.
The reason for this turnaround
is the powerful American racialism and it never reconciled to the fact that a
black controlled the country’s institution from 2008. It is a fact that
American institutions have never been fair to the blacks and still has high
discriminatory election laws. Yet, Obama a black that too born to a Muslim
origin father symbolized usurping control of institutions earlier held by
Whites and dented social prestige of a country which till 2008 had not selected
a black or for that matter a woman president. Donald Trump’s statements and his
growing popularity reflect the “bring back reactionary politics for the benefit
of White Americans.”
Mexico and illegal immigration
has always been a problem which the US had been unsuccessful in efficiently
tackling. The Mexican migrants were viewed as job stealers by many Americans.
The US economy had still not completely recovered from the evils of recession
and the productivity of the US has not been the best in recent years. when
Trump came into the picture, the discussion was centred around his personality
and personal strengths and weaknesses alone The issues Trump spoke about were
ignored. There was no discussion in the media on whether or not the issues
raised by Trump made sense. Another aspect is the foreign policy. Obama's
foreign policy had been confusing and without a clear aim. The question of
intervention or non intervention in Syria became a big issue. China too seemed
to rise and Russia too was gaining its strength under Vladimir Putin. One can
say that Donald Trump was there at the right place at the right time. He spoke
about strict border controls and even an uncompromising stand on Islamic
terrorism and a ban on Muslims. He was also seen as a very successful man in
the world of business and many Americans believed he could improve the economy.Trump managed to secure a tremendous amount of support and captured the
Zeitgeist. It is always necessary to look beyond the personality of a
politician. The issues made the difference in the case of Trump. Trump didn't
try to be politically right and didn't hesitate to make extremely radical
statements. Yes, Hillary Clinton seems to be a more balanced, experienced and
an inclusive person but Trump's tough stance on many issues made him the
Presidential candidate of the Republican Party. The media and even the
political enthusiasts failed to recognize the public view. The need to project
American power had also risen. America was losing out in many areas. There was
no clarity from the side of the Obama administration and this was probably why
Trump was seen as a agent of radical change. The Southern States of America too
may naturally drift towards Trump. Iraq, Syria, South China Sea, The inability
to strongly counter Russia, slow growth, the need for more jobs, border problems,
illegal immigrants, Islamic terrorism and a general feeling of insecurity
contributed to the rise of Trump and right wing politics in the US. It is still
a very difficult election to call. Both results still seem to be possible. The
election day is fast approaching and curiosity is the dominant feeling. Trump
may or may not win the election but he has definitely managed to change the
agenda and has shifted public debate to an unforeseen realm in the US. Thus
Trump’s triumph proves the point that lecturing on Democracy, liberty and
equality is far easier than practicing especially when social prestige is under
threat. Trump and his rise is only the first of many things to come in the
United States.
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