By Edmund Onyiriogwu
In the current campaign to the topmost political job in America, zeroing on the micro than the macro is very vital in the evaluation of the right choice for the electorate in sustenance of America heritage as the bastion of democracy and freedom globally. Isolation of the two Presidential candidates from their political platforms, and the obvious howlers and failures of the respective parties is imperative. Appraisal of the candidate’s individual merits to the coveted office of American President is the challenge facing all right thinking Americans in the exercise of their suffrage.
There are Americans who are gravitating toward the two candidates on the basis of party persuasion. A good number of Americans no doubt have predilection to Donald Trump candidacy on what they perceive or interpret as failures, flaws or unpopular policies of erstwhile Presidents of America from Democratic Party. However, these people fail to realise that those misconstrued positions, flaws, failures, or shortcomings of the policies of the Democratic Party Presidents usually deployed by political detractors to lampoon the candidacy of Kamala Harris have nothing personal to her though she is the candidate of the Democratic Party.
As the Vice President in the current Joe Biden Administration, the power confers on Kamala Harris by the virtue of her portfolio is limited as the bucks stop on the table of her boss. Hence, references of the shortcomings of Democratic leaderships in America as a premise to work against the victory of Kamala Harris lack rationality against the backdrop that there are distinctions between party and individual leaders. Kamala Harris is not President Biden or President Barrack Obama and there is huge possibility that her stewardship will chart a new course from her democratic predecessors, if she is elected President.
Undoubtedly, some of the premises of excoriations of past or current Democratic Party leadership are highly contentious and subjective. Unfortunately, the school of thought advancing anti Kamala Harris candidacy on the plank of the failures of Democratic Party regimes failed by parity of arguments to xray the past Presidents of America from Republican Party. President George Bush Jr of Republican Party was credited with unpopular policies and actions similar to those in which Democratic Party leaderships have been accused which spatial limitation and time may not permit a graphical itemization.
It is nonetheless baseless to puncture Kamala Harris’ candidacy on the ground of the failures of the political auspice she seeks entry into the White House. Her candidacy demands appropriate traction and support to stop America from sliding and slipping into unpredictable and precarious future which Trump presidency portends. Obviously, the palpable truth is that Harris stands tall ahead of her rival in the race to the White House in all the dynamics that are denominators to electoral victory exclusions of the prejudice and primordial cleavages that sometimes cramp unfettered triumph of the most credible candidate.
America stands at a crossroad in this election. The dimension of the choice can make or mar the glory of the land purchased by huge sacrifices and sweat of men and women of noble character. Wrong choice, by Trump’s triumph will invariably signal the decline or even fall of the great country! It is a fact in history that empires crumbled, and such precipitations emanated from the character of its leadership.
The option in the political space in the race to the White House is between Harris and Trump and should not be muddled up with actions or inactions of former Democratic leaders or the party itself. This is critical, those Americans who are sailing on the boat of sentiments premised on party failures while neglecting or ignoring the critical issue of character of the two presidential candidates, Harris and Trump, may be endangering or hurting America’s future.
Who is this Trump?
Honestly, Mr Trump changed my perception of American democracy and politics. Until Trump’s emergence, I had erroneous impression of American politics as hallow and saint-like and represented the very best in the world. I was deluded in my innocent belief that over the years the American system has been configured by tradition and convention that it would not be feasible for the emergence of party presidential flagbearer of the two big parties (Republican and Democratic) questionable characters with baggage of personal flaws like Donald Trump whose errant proclivity is certainly not in tandem with the nobility of the White House. His first occupation was an error, the second will be a complete disaster.
Donald Trump exposed the underbelly of American democracy and politics and my impression of its immaculacy came crushing! My questions are how did such character emerged as American President? And how did he become the Republican Presidential candidate after the disaster of his first term, especially after the unprecedented insurrection he engineered when he lost the election of 2020 to Joe Biden?
Indeed, Donald Trump represents what is wrong in American politics. His consistent emergences as Republican Party Presidential candidate accentuate the weakness of American democratic space. This nonetheless underscores that America political space which throws up characters like Donald Trump with manifest idiosyncrasy that is unpresidential to contest the highest office in America is not different from what obtains in democracies in Africa, where the system has a way of precipitating mediocrity in political leaderships which has been the bane of the continent’s retrogression and retardation.
Donald Trump is petulant, parochial, racist and chauvinistic. CNN chronicle of the mendacities of his numerous claims in the pursuit of his presidential ambition exposes his venality and character flaws – a threat to America’s future, freedom and image. Donald Trump is a congenital liar; truth is such a stranger to him that his propensity to lie is profund and matchless in the realm of politics.
It is lugubrious when one dispassionately appraised the litany of the deluge of lies, mendacities and falsehoods of a man vying for the topmost political job in America which aught be a symbol of integrity and honour. What claim justifies a man of unstable character to US presidency who has no deference for rule of law; who has contempt for American tradition; a man notorious for abuse of other people’s right; reckless in speech; ungentlemanly in conduct and unpresidential in proclivity. What is such character looking in the White House?
Americans cannot afford the luxury of another costly mistake by the choice of Donald Trump at the poll. It will be perilous for the destiny of God’s Own Country to elect Trump in the 2024 Presidential Election.
Trump is riding on the vehicle of his position on LGBTQ to curry the favour with the ecclesiastical community. There are some misinformed Christians who dishearteningly believe that Donald Trump’s candidacy represents the aspiration of the Christian world. What a fallacy and illusion of colossal magnitude! This unfortunate perception arose from the revolting isolation of Trump’s stand in LGBTQ from the totality of his flawed character which is repugnant and diametrically negates Christian value and eternal verity.
Indeed, a chronic and pathological liar, in whose heart there exist no place for forgiveness of others who offend him. Such hardliner cannot secure divine approval even under the veneer of pretentious proclivity which is repulsive to God.
Jesus Christ pointed that when the devil speaks a lie, he speaks of his own because he is the father of lies. Donald Trump is the father of lies in American political space. He is a neplusultra of those who exploit the power of political offices to wreck individuals and societies to satiate themselves or for vengeance. The Christian community should not be hoodwinked by Donald Trump’s Christian posturing. His character does not show godliness. Not at all.
In the thick of campaign, Donald Trump has sent shivers down the spines of myraid of Americans, individuals and organisations he would deploy state power to hurt politically, financially or otherwise, if he wins the election. This is indeed electoral terrorism novel in American political lexicon and unprecedented in the history of democratic elections where a presidential candidate threatened the citizens on the basis of their electoral choice or support for political office contestants.
Trump is honestly an interesting character; was he raised to trigger America fall from her acme of glory and global influence? However, Americans can resist this devil’s advocate by voting massively for Kamala Harris on the election day. The choice is theirs!
America is incontrovertibly the bastion of democracy, human right and gender equality. Sadly, over two centuries of her independence the occupant of the White House has been the preserve of men. The gender equality movement which began in America more than half a century ago has yielded dividends in many countries, Europe, South America, Asia and Africa culminating in paradigm shift in political dominance of men on the highest political office with the emergence of women to the topmost political job as President or Prime Minister as it were. However, America where such movement birthed has remained impervious in political ascendency of women to the highest political office in the land.
American history is replete with plethora of epochal events consistent with ideals and values of the founding fathers of America who espoused the notion of freedom, equality and dignity of all Americans irrespective of race, creed and gender. History therefore beckons the American electorate to again live true to the dream of the progenitors of one of the worlds foremost democracies by jettisoning the contentious issues of race and gender bias in the choice of the Presidential candidates between Mrs Harris and Mr Trump.
Kamala Harris depicts the strength of American women. Her candidacy brings freshness and reinforces the hope and aspirations of the feminine gender in the big democracies all over the world. Her victory will underscore the elasticity and strength of American democracy.
She is an ebullient politician of character, an amazon, assertive with compelling vision of the future of America and its enduring democracy which is currently under threat by her rival candidate’s posturing. Harris has the pluck and sagacity to ensure America continues on her trajectory of growth and dominance of global affairs, if she occupies the White House as the President.
Vice President Harris is a direct opposite of what Donald Trump represents in the political space today. She is a woman of conviction who will not betray American values and ideals unlike her opponent Donald Trump who assaulted American democratic institutions and values when he elicited an insurrection in 2020, a repugnant action that undermined the sanctity of American democratic heritage, which is the quintessential of democratic culture all over the world.
Senator Kamala Harris’ training, orientation, vision, experience, strength of character and above all, her commitment to America ideals and values are critical elements that make it imperative for her triumph in the American Presidential election. Americans cannot afford to miss the timing of history. The election of Kamala Harris as the first female President of United States is a possibility that can no longer be postponed. It is indeed an idea whose time has come. President Harris, I salute you come January 4th, 2025.
Edmund Nwabueze Onyiriogwu is a journalist, poet, author and public affairs commentator. He writes from Lagos. He can be reached via eonyiriogwu@gmail.com
