American Politics

[The Fly]

I watched the election on CNN and enjoyed the coverage. Initially I switched between it and MSNBC but found the latter to be mostly awful; the presenters were like patronising ex-school prefects and the graphics were jarring. It seemed like a liberal flip side to Fox news.

Coverage aside, I had expected Trump to win but not by the margin that he did - winning all the swing states, control of the senate and perhaps the house of representatives, together with the popular vote. Given all that's happened it is without doubt the greatest political comeback in modern history (whether one likes it or not). Now he has an incredible platform to push through his agenda, and I expect a reckoning of some kind after his inauguration.

I really think that a lot of people have to examine the reasons for it, beyond the cult of personality that undoubtedly exists but that too many focus on. Trump is accused of being a populist but that term is often used to mask things which are - popular. The fact is that his ambition for the economy is popular (whatever about the effect of it), his position on immigration is very popular and his approach to foreign policy is very attractive (and for good reason given the last 20 years or so). The Biden administration was comparatively weak on the economy; mostly deaf to the whole issue of immigration (something that's pretty much mirrored on this side of the Atlantic) and blind to the collapse of the immigration system (an asylum system which was meant for small numbers of persecuted people was/is being used by millions to gain entry); and then we have war, war, and more war. Need I say more on the last point? Abortion was the other major issue and it seemed to be the least galvanising one amongst his own support, and the most galvanising amongst his opposition...but it didn't prove to be galvanising enough in the end.

I suspect however that this examination won't happen because the Democrat party, together with the media (if that MSNBC coverage is anything to go by), isn't really capable of it at this point.

And onward this mostly inevitable movement to the Right continues, both over there and (sadly) over here.

[seanfhear]

A great victory for, Donald J Trump.