If we are to believe the polls in the United States of America in the campaign for the presidency, the race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris is tied.  

One candidate is qualified and the other is clearly unqualified. This is amazing in a country where Trump, the former president is awaiting sentencing after being convicted by a jury in a court of New York of 34 felonies.  In addition, he awaits a trial in Washington, D.C. after he sent an armed mob to the capital in an insurrection on January 6, 2021.  When told that the mob wanted to kill his Vice President Mike Pence, he responded, “so what.”

It is therefore our considered opinion that despite what is being called a statistical tie, Trump, a man of abhorrent character, is lawless and Harris is for law and order.

January 6th was a shameful and embarrassing display for Americans around the world when Trump asked his followers to subvert the constitution.  It was a traumatic experience not only for those who were in session in the U.S. House and Senate, but for freedom loving people around the globe.

Since then, the American people have been divided and living in fear and chaos.

On November 5th they have the opportunity to redeem themselves and to get the election right.  This is a defining election of our lifetime.  The American people are faced with the question of what kind of a country they want and the quality of leadership. Each citizen must take responsibility for democracy and as Harris told them, “turn the page.”

Michelle Obama, in one of the best speeches of the campaign, pointed to Trump’s gross incompetence, his erratic behaviour and what she calls, “his obvious mental illness.”

She said, “we expect Kamala to be intelligent and articulate, to have a clear set of policies, to never show too much anger, to prove time and time again that she belongs.  But for Trump, we expect nothing at all, no understanding of policy, no ability to put together a coherent argument, no honesty, no decency, no morals.”

The issue of abortion and women’s everyday reproductive health issues could also be the deciding factor in the election especially for women. It is clear that women want to have the independence of choice and control over their own bodies.

The U.S. is in an existential crisis involving immigration and race. There is no doubt that Trump’s fixation on the divisive issue of immigration is due to what is seen to be the “browning of America.”  This fear is obviously driving the Trump vote due to the insecurities and fears of millions of  Americans in the grip of white supremacy.  Division and rancour will continue to grow if a large swath of the country does not change from racism and perceived fascism.

In her book “Caste – The Origins Of Our Discontents” author Isabel Wilkerson exposes the struggles the United States has experienced due to the preservation of the constraints and legacy of slavery that still leaves its mark on the modern society.  She articulates the incessant confusion that ensues as two sides struggle to either maintain or tear down the de facto caste boundaries that have been oppressing one side of the American society. 

Caste describes the intricate network placed within the U.S. to constrain the African Americans in society, a literal caste system designed to make sure that a race takes “their role in society.” 

The latent caste dwells on many different aspects of society and notable peoples who have challenged  the system.

Wilkerson, who is a Pulitzer prize winning Journalist provides many historic  examples and even her own accounts and emphasizes the cost that the caste system takes on the society it encompasses, especially the extreme amount of stress and turmoil that comes from all sides through attempts to keep the system in place.  The suppressed  become a miserable class that only grows to accept their own misery.

Wilkerson focuses on the continuation of a caste system, stating that the legacy of slavery and racism in America is not a mere thorn in history that still causes bleeding today.
  It is something that was always innate in American society, resulting from the attempts by the dominant caste to assert a false sense of  dominance over the lower caste due to the ideals of a previously slave-holding society.

This election is very illuminative on the reality of racial relations and the influence of racial politics in American society and would demonstrate how the caste system has been molded into the society all the way into the present.

For people of colour, including Hispanics, freedom loving people and women in this election, the choice is clear.  It’s a no brainer.