Monika’s Musings: Race for next US prez hots up… and how!

Election fever is raging in the country and I am transported to my penultimate months in India before I moved to the US. The oldest and the biggest democracies sure put on a great show when it comes to soliciting votes.

Passion is a given during elections, especially in a democracy where the luxury of choice is a birthright. But apathy plays a proportionate role in both countries and this is reflected best in low voter turnout. I remember a bunch of us going from college to college and tech company to tech company exhorting people to register and vote because their voices count. In the US too there is need for such a campaign where even the likes of President Obama have got into the fray requesting people to register and cast their vote.

But there is a huge difference between India’s last elections and the upcoming US elections.

The Indian citizens were fed up of the Congress party and its corrupt ways. The triumvirate in charge were either a foreigner masquerading as an Indian, a silent partner and a gauche and inept young lad. None of these three could infuse enthusiasm to convert rhetoric into votes. It was a no-brainer situation for a charismatic orator like Modi to sweep into power on a platform of promises and revived hope. Much like the Obama fever that captivated the US way back in 2008. I am no Modi lover but I too had seen the need for someone like him to put the derailed train that was India, back on track. My politics would not allow me to support him and while I was vocal as a Congress supporter, I kept hoping a miracle would overthrow the Congress leaders and place more competent leaders in charge of the party. Unfortunately, despite the election debacle, the Congress will still not learn.

And then I left the country straight into the inferno of US politics. If the 2014 Indian election was no dilemma for the vast majority, the US election is the exact opposite.  The two camps are equally divided along completely different lines and there is no clear winner in sight. Never before have two such divisive people been competing for the office of one of the most powerful leaders in the world.  Modi’s larger than life personality and Rahul’s insipid presence made for easy pickings. My politics have always leaned towards the liberal parties and I am a Democrat supporter. Hillary is certainly the best candidate for the job in terms of experience and achievements. Unfortunately, she is the person everyone loves to hate and her character is questioned time and again. I personally do not consider the emails and Benghazi a major issue in comparison to her body of work and unstinting effort for the American public over her years in and out of the public eye. She is the target of a successful PR campaign out to malign her thus crooked Hillary, corrupt Hillary and the other monikers applied to her, have stuck. The person who is scary is Donald Trump, truly the most unsuitable candidate for this role.  He seems to forget he is campaigning for President of the US and not for some episode of a reality television show where all he needs to say is you are fired and that’s that. His election spiel gives us the whole megillah with absolute no substance. The Republican National Convention was conspicuous with the abstinence of the Big Daddies of the party. The Democratic National Convention had ex-Presidents, the current President, civilians, military personnel, congressmen, senators and family members lambast Mr Trump in no uncertain terms. Despite the public harpooning, Trump’s aura and popularity never seem to wane. Dinner table conversations are volatile with Trump and Clinton supporters battling each other. It reminds me of the elections in India where dinner table conversations stoked the passion of people who were Congress and Modi supporters. And this US election, just like the last Indian election is all about a one-man party; Modi for BJP and Trump for the Republicans.

Elections mean big business and megabucks. Whether in India or the US, fundraising and volunteering is a huge part of campaign planning. And in both countries the press scrutinises every action through a microscope.  I think the US strategists have a slight edge over blatant wooing tactics compared to their Indian counterparts.  I am regularly badgered via texts and emails to send in my taxable dollars to support my candidate. I cannot turn on the television without seeing advertisements criticising opponents and watching news-anchors slyly nudging fulminating guests from both parties. It is interesting to see the contrasting ideologies of different channels on similar issues. For example, the issue with Mr Khan. And I use this example because as a South Asian who is not a white, church-going American, I belong to the same minority group. Khizr Khan’s son, Humayun, lost his life for America and Khan castigated Trump on a national stage. Instead of acknowledging his failing, Trump has gone on to condemn Khan, call his wife a meek person not allowed to speak resulting in many Republican members of his party coming out in support of the Khans. This is unheard of where the nominee from the party has lost support of bigwigs from his own party.

And so the juggernaut rolls on. There will be more fun and games and dancing over coals until the issue is settled in early November.

I fervently hope the American public takes note of the more qualified candidate and goes beyond party politics to do the right thing. It happened in India where die-hard Congress supporters took a stand for the good of the country. And, yes, America needs a woman in charge. The world’s largest democracy sure trumps the oldest democracy over this issue.

Till then the world sits with bated breath.

Monique Patel Monika PatelMonika Patel – Monique to her friends – is now a permanent resident of New York City, but her heart is permanently in Pune, her home for 28 years. The views expressed here are her own and Pune365 does not necessarily endorse them or subscribe to them. Monika’s Musings appears every Friday on Pune365.

Monique Patel
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