American elections 2020… Toward a fairer economy and a more humane world
By Moustafa Youssef
Opinion polls indicate that the Democratic Party is on track to achieve a comfortable victory in the presidential and legislative elections (the House of Representatives and the Senate). Despite the apparent absence of Joe Biden’s charisma and the shakiness of his image after the Ukraine scandal, which showed Joe Biden with an immoral appearance, the transformation of the White House and the congress into democrats will stop the extreme white supremacy and the racism that President Donald Trump’s speeches and actions – irresponsibly in an unprecedented manner in modern American history – has caused their eruption. Racism has led to the emergence of a clear division in the American society, in a country that is based on cosmopolitan pluralism that characterizes a society of immigrants.
President Trump’s speeches encourage extremism and bigotry by continuing to nurture the society with a culture of non-acceptance of others and spreading fear and ignorance among the American public. His speeches fuel racism and inspire white supremacies and extremist organizations such as Ku Klux Klan (KKK) and Proud Boys that carry out terrorist acts against minorities. These organizations have already created a major rift in the American societal fabric which could lead to civil unrest. Let us take a look at president Trump’s track record in the last four years:
“It’s the economy, stupid.” Bill Clinton’s campaign slogan in the 1992 elections
Let’s give tax cuts for the rich and the corporations
The philosophy of the republicans, at the heart of whom is President Donald Trump, is based on reducing corporate taxes and capital gains while encouraging financial markets, especially Wall Street. President Trump has reduced taxes and promised his supporters that these cuts will help the economy grow and will increase consumer spending. However, as reported by the National Public Radio NPR, more than 60% of these reductions went into the pockets of the 20% richest Americans according to what was confirmed by The Nonpartisan Tax Policy Center. Corporate taxes were reduced by 40%, resulting in corporate tax revenues decreasing by 31%. This contributed to a significant decline in the sovereign revenues of the US government and exacerbated the federal government’s deficit to an abnormal number that reached $ 984 billion for 2019.
No medical care for the poor
Since his first week in the White House, President Trump has tried to undermine and cancel his predecessor, Barack Obama’s plan for health care, which provides an insurance umbrella for the poor, and destitute in the United States. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation KFF, this category is estimated to be 52 million people who will be without an insurance umbrella if Trump succeeds, through the Supreme Court, to cancel Obama Care. Trump’s desperate defense of insurance companies and health services companies against the weakest segments in society reflects the philosophy of conservatives towards those who are the poorest and most vulnerable in society.
Goodbye to decent governmental education
President Trump inaugurated his era by appointing a minister of education who is the biggest supporter of private education, Mrs. Betsy Prince DeVos, who is anti-free and government education and a major supporter of Republicans and the far right. The President also reduced the federal government funds available to support public universities and schools, and in return he allowed private education institutions to obtain governmental support.
Let the planet and future generations burn
President Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate treaty, and polluting the planet groaning with an inconceivable amount of industrial waste, was one of President Trump’s most important achievements! This encouraged some of the highest contributors of pollutants such as China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Brazil (during the era of the far-right wing Bolsonaro) to move forward with their lack of respect for the environment and to not limit carbon emissions that destroy life on this planet.
Let’s ally with dictatorships, mercenaries and guerillas
The United States is losing its role as leader of the free world and godfather of modern democracy. Under Republican and right-wing control, the country’s bias to transnational corporations, alliance with dictatorships and lack of respect or indifference toward human rights has been emphasized, for example:
– The murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul under the direct guidance of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, an ally and a close friend of Jared Kushner who is President Trump’s adviser and son-in-law.
– Crimes committed in the middle east including in Yemen and Libya and Tunisia by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed – a close friend of Eric Prince, founder of Blackwater, a company of mercenaries and professional murderers, and brother of President Trump’s Education Minister.
– The daily crimes against humanity -against poor Egyptian civilians- documented by Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, crimes carried out by the Egyptian dictator General Al-Sisi, Trump’s favorite dictator.
– Condoning China’s repressive practices towards Uighur Muslims.
Towards a fairer world and a more equitable economy
The election of Joe Biden, despite his flaws, and the Democrats’ attainment of comfortable majorities in the House and the Senate will repair some of what Trump has damaged and will curb racism to a certain extent. The United States is now at a crossroads. Therefore, it must give up playing the role of the supporter of dictatorships and must stop playing the role of the world’s cop that seeks to secure its interests and plunder the goods of other nations without moral restrain. Signs of this trend have begun appearing in the Democratic Party. We find an example like Senator Bernie Sanders, a politician leaning towards justice, the middle class, and the poor. We see Elhan Omar, the politician who aspires to put the United States in its rightful place in international politics. We see Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez who is considered one of the best political figures in the Democratic Party during the last few decades and who could be the best fit as the first female president of the United States in the near future. As an educated society, let’s come together to bring about real change on November 3rd and to secure a harmonious future for our children.
Moustafa Youssef is a political economy researcher and the Director of the Global Development Studies Center
