Thoughts on the US Presidential Election 2024
A Personal Perspective from Europe
The upcoming US Presidential election has the potential to impact global stability. It’s not only a concern of the United States; it will affect us all in one way or another.
I’ll apologize if you were expecting another post about a beginner author’s struggles. But this is too important to ignore. To be clear, I’m a citizen of the Netherlands, one of the founding members of the European Union.
I’m sure that most United States citizens don’t consider how concerned the rest of the world is over this election. In 2016, we had some indication that things would be difficult if a certain person (I can’t bring myself even to write his name; he irritates me so much) became president. But, even then, we had no idea how damaging it would be.
This year is totally different. We’ve already seen the negative impact DT (I still can’t write his name; his initials will have to do) had around the globe. I could spend a few hours listing the damage caused, but what’s the point? If he is elected for a second term this year, it will be his last chance to write his name into the history books. It won’t be pretty.
When Joe Biden announced that he would be seeking re-election this year, my first reaction was a deep sense of unease. He had only won in 2020 by the skin of his teeth. Sorry to say, but Joe Biden has never been an electable man. Don’t get me wrong—there’s nothing wrong with the man—but he lacks the charisma of an Obama or a JFK.
On the other hand, DT appealed to the masses, promising them whatever he thought they wanted to hear, with very little thought given to any consequences. He doesn’t care and never has. It is all about him. DT cares deeply about one thing, and that is DT.
The disastrous live debate where President Biden looked and acted old and befuddled shocked me. I couldn’t understand why anyone his age would want to push themselves for a second term. Isn’t it time to gracefully retire and enjoy the remaining years while reasonably fit and healthy?
After several weeks, Joe Biden finally accepted the truth that he wasn’t a young (younger?) man anymore and withdrew, announcing his support for Vice President Kamala Harris. The rest of the Western world and I breathed a sigh of relief. I hoped Harris and the Democratic Party would have enough time to realistically contest the election in November.
Apart from brief news reports, I didn’t watch any of the DNC this last week. But I see they have a chance now—perhaps more than a chance, depending on how the remaining eleven weeks of campaigning go.
Rest assured that I will be among the billions of others following the results on the morning of November 6. I hope it becomes a landslide (for Kamala, of course) rather than dragging on for days of recounts and court challenges.
I can live in hope, can’t I?