Bananadrama

It is lockdown law that you must make banana bread and so, four days into 'Lockdown 2: The Revenge' as I'm calling it, I've made a banana loaf. I've had two slices so far and they've landed heavily on my stomach. I used four massive bananas in the mix which I think was too many. The recipe says four bananas but it didn't specify what size and it's very heavy. Don't worry though, I'll be eating more before I go to bed tonight.

In other news, the United States has finally got itself a new president. I say finally because it seemed to take such a long time from voting day to the announcement but I suppose when you have 140 million votes to count it's going to take a longer time than it does here with a mere 32 million ballots cast.

It looked like a very close call for a long time but then Biden pulled ahead in a number of areas and, despite what Trump had to say about it, he won.

Traditional and social media were alight with opinions and protestations and even now, the glee is palpable in many quarters. In the UK (at least in my experience) there don't seem to be many – if any – people mourning the loss of 45. The 'be kind' folk on the left would happily see him hunted down, killed in cold blood, and left rotting in a ditch, and even those of us right-of-centre feel a sense of relief at his dethroning. I think the main difference being that the former can't bring themselves to see a single thing he has done in the past four years as positive whereas the latter, recognise that he's a dangerous live-wire with a lot of power.

These opinions (of which I'm massively generalising) are not particularly surprising when you consider that Trump's approval rating in the UK dropped to around 15%. I think it's important however to recognise that he's still incredibly popular on his home turf, the United States, and to try to understand why. 

Like many people around the world I've read a lot about the President, his challenger, and the American 2020 election during the campaigning period. I'm aware of course that I can't possibly have read everything and there will be holes in my understanding and appreciation and I'm also aware that much of what I've read is opinion (but then what isn't?) and point of view. 

That being said, I'd like to note down here some of my observations for posterity and because I have a shocking memory and I'd like to remind myself in the future, when we can see how the world has panned out. I think it's worth noting that these observations, whether they're true or not, robust or flimsy, will no doubt have influenced millions of eligible voters across the pond one way or another.

Before Covid 19 swept across the planet and turned everything on its head the United States was doing very well, economically speaking. Unemployment was at a fifty year low and wages were increasing, Trump had imposed tariffs and brokered trade deals which protected American businesses and jobs, and he was practically the only authority to have stood up to China in terms of their aggressive manner of trading. I can understand why people would vote for someone who was, to all intents and purposes, responsible for increased prosperity and more money in their back pocket.   

I read somewhere that the Latino vote was not necessarily influenced by the appointment of another conservative, Catholic into the Supreme Court but more so by the outcry from the left of centre media about it and her views on abortion and same sex marriage. If important teachings in your religion are under attack in the press and from incredibly vocal liberals, then how does that make you feel? I'd imagine it would make you feel personally attacked on some level, I know when I hear folk banging on about how same sex marriage is an abomination to the church and God it gets my back up and I'm neither religious nor married. I suspect we miss the importance of this in the UK because our abortion laws and same sex marriage are so wildly different here and well protected, and as a country, religion is far more discreet. Of course I read somewhere else that there's no such thing as the Latino vote so who the hell knows?

The Black Lives Matters protests – which in America particularly erupted into riots across the country – would, I'd say, have played into Trump's hands too when it came to the election. Ordinary people don't want to live in a place where riots happen, where they might not feel safe on the streets because of them, or where their businesses and even homes might be under threat from looters and arsonists. The left (I'm generalising again), seems to me, to have metaphorically shrugged its shoulders and said 'yeah I can understand that,' whereas Trump said enough is enough, we can't allow it. Granted he was heavy handed but ultimately he protected a lot of people's livelihoods and safety in the process.

There are just three things I picked out that helped me understand why, despite losing, Trump did so well this time around. And that doesn't even cover the international accomplishments he made such as standing up to China about its treatment of Hong Kong, stamping down on chemical attacks of civilians in Syria with targeted bombing (alongside the UK and France), brokering peace in the Middle East and meeting Kim Jong-un in North Korea.

Now it's practically all over I can already hear assumed reasons floating around as to why people voted for Trump in such large numbers again. They are a lot of the same reasons I still hear about those here who voted to leave the European Union in 2016 – they're stupid, they're uneducated, they're racist, they were duped and lied to, they're gullible or they're simply xenophobic. I think they're lazy assumptions used to sweep things under the carpet and they miss the crux of what's going on in the lives of millions upon millions of ordinary people in what is a strangely divided country. Divided not necessarily by class or wealth or race or even political ideals, but divided by those who are caught up in the momentum of a country and a world undergoing immense shifts and changes, and those that feel they've been left behind and forgotten. Sounds familiar, eh? 

Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't have voted for Trump had I the option, and I don't think he'll go down as a good president, but I think it's worth trying to get another point of view on these things and understand why he was so popular. You don't need me to bring to mind all the outrageous things he's done and on balance I think it's a good thing he's gone – if he ever concedes and buggers off that is.