The 2020 US election received central coverage by all media channels: TV, radio, print, and social media. By now, the election of Biden (78) as the 46th US President has already been celebrated. The events of the past week will go down in history with the absolute record of voters and with a close +/- 50/50 division.
In the absence of a Trump (74) concession of defeat and with the initiation of legal battles around serious alleged voting irregularities, we are in for a bumpy road ahead. Let’s not forget that in 2016, Trump knockedoff surprisingly over a dozen republican presidential candidates one at a time, governors, senators, and CEO’s, in order to secure the republican nomination. He went on to beat Clinton, the favoured candidate and surprised everybody. Are we in for another surprise from Trump and the US legal system?
Do you recall the 2000 US presidential election in Florida, which had a major recount dispute that took centre stage in the election? The outcome of the election was not known for more than a month after balloting because of the extended process of counting and recounting. After an intense recount process, the US Supreme Court's decision gave Bush the win for Florida’s electoral votes by a slim margin. As a result, Bush became the president-elect. But in 2000, there was a clear problem with irregular ballots. No one was claiming fraud. It truly was about making sure every vote counted.
The extent of the Trump camp allegations is much more inflammatory this time and many predict a long legal battle. This will further add division and social unrest. We are fortunate in the West to have a democratic system that transfer governing power peacefully. A decisive win makes concession easier on the losing candidate, but a razor thin majority create frictions, tensions, and serious divides. The on-going partisan battle between Democrats and Republicans was already fierce even with issues that were evident for national interest.
Whatever happens, the new US President will have a mammoth job to unite the country and bring balance to different ideologies and opposing views, while rebooting the economy from the COVID-19 storm of 2020. Doing a peacemaker job internally while also contributing to solving many international challenges is key to the US as well as world order. The list of challenges is long: a divided and wobbly Europe, an alarming muscle flexing China, dangerous trade disputes, serious human rights, and freedom issues in addition to critical environmental priorities. My list does not even include a worrisome Iran and North Korea with nuclear threats and significant conflicts between Greece and Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan, Belarus unrest, and continued armed conflicts in Yemen and Syria - all of which amount to a high human life toll.
While I enjoy the many advantages and speed of our technological and digital progress, I miss the responsible journalism and unbiased coverage of professional reporting. I long for the days without the distortion of news, and the mind influencing and manipulation of today’s social media. We need to be vigilant and selective of where we get our information and facts. We need to take ownership of our views and opinions rather than be influenced by a biased media. Any way you look, I suggest we “hold our horses” … a serious bumpy road is ahead.