Dear Editor,
Well November 8, has come and gone, marking a significant finish to an extraordinarily divisive election. Heavens knows that I am confused as to what has led us to this point, and it is my sincere belief that the acrimony and vitriol that we have witnessed from candidates and supporters alike all along the political spectrum, is symbolic of the split in America between rich and poor, the have and have nots.
Each and every presidential election lays bare the issues and problems faced by the voting public and this election forced us all to come to grips with the reality that the opportunities many take for granted are inaccessible to a large segment of other Americans. Do not be lulled into a false sense of complacency that the morning after November 9, the issues and emotions brought to the forefront during the campaign will suddenly evanesce. This election laid bare the raw divisions of race, class and creed. Russia, Mexico and Nato are looking distrustfully at America. Afghanistan and Iraq are unsettled, and IS remains unconquered. Obamacare’s future is uncertain. These are all challenges awaiting the new President, ones that he has promised to eradicate once he assumes office.
For starters, there needs to be an honest assessment of what just happened. There is nothing complicated or mysterious about it all. Once out of the gates Donald Trump howled loud and clear that he was determined to make America great again, a theme that was scoffed at by his rivals even as he continued to be victorious over them. No member of the human species can be unaware as to how a segment of the voting populace felt about the current president Barack Hussein Obama. To some people the very sound of his name with the Muslim ring to it was enough to provoke an uncontrolled response.
This election was as much a referendum on the legacy of Barack Obama as it was on the candidates themselves. When people are clamouring for a change, they would never vote for a third term of the current party/president. Secretary of State Clinton’s promise to continue Obama’s policies was a suicide call for far too many already ailing Americans, and again she was a Clinton when people wanted to move on. A vote for Trump was definitely a vote against Obamacare.
Trump may have been seen as a political outsider, a dark horse, but he possessed ambition and audacity, an uncanny ability to read the public mood, a keen sense of the American political climate and an unerring ability to discern the vulnerabilities of his rivals. All of these qualities, caused him to emerge as the President elect at the end of a raucous election.
Through this election we have learnt that America is divided by ideology and also by identity, that anyone can aspire to be anything they want to be, even President, that the news media need to be more like watchdogs and not lapdogs, and that the ethnic votes cannot be taken for granted. Let’s put a halt to the ranting and accept the inevitable. Yes, Donald Trump has shocked and stupefied us all, but Americans should cooperate with him and hope that he will shock us once more by repairing the tears in America’s fabric and make her great again
Yours faithfully,
Yvonne Sam
