Hard long path to light

An apolitical look at which way the new presidency will move in its early years

- ALEXANDER J. KURIEN

High anxiety assailed American families as a presidential election winner hung on a thin thread through a lengthy, but proud democratic process. Finally, before dawn on January 7, the US Congress confirmed Joe Biden as the winner, after a mob stormed the US Capitol the previous day in a stunning attempt to overturn his election and undercut democracy.

Lawmakers worked through the night and completed the electoral college tally in a display of the nation’s commitment to uphold the will of the voters and to ensure a peaceful transfer of power. The American democratic institutions are strong, and Vice President Mike Pence, presiding over the joint session of the Congress, announced the tally, 306 electoral votes to 232 in favour of Biden. This certification of the electoral votes will allow the Joe Biden/Kamala Harris team to plan ahead for a smooth transition of power on inauguration day, January 20.

Several states that elected President Trump in 2016 turned against him in 2020. The Republican party improved its edge among non-college-educated white voter class, as it spoke the language of bread-and-butter economics and promised jobs. The Democrats, with the exception of the progressive wing of the party, have abandoned class language and instead focused on national unity.

The Democrats swept three critical midwestern battleground states and won back the White House and the US Congress because they

a) kept Trump from running up the score with working-class whites;

b) peeled away Trump’s support in conservative suburbs;

c) got minority and especially African American voters to turn out in big numbers;