The United States heading for the presidential polls to install the next President in January, sees the famed Debates starting Tuesday there. Vice President Kamala Harris is edging herself forward in popularity charts to narrowly outwit her Republican rival, former president Donald Trump in latest opinion polls. If she wins, America will have the first female president, an honour the previous contestant Hillary Clinton missed when Trump rode to victory in the 2017 polls. Kamala’s growth graph was from the post of Attorney General of California and later as its Democrat Senator followed by her selection as VP by present President, Joe Biden. Her mixed parentage – mother Indian, father African—should be an added electoral strength. The beauty of the United States is its open-minded approach, where expatriates of all hues are allowed to become citizens and eventually run for high posts in government. The UK took a leaf from the US to install Rishi Sunak of Indian-Punjabi parentage as its prime minister. The Indian society is still not mature enough to follow suit though Sonia Gandhi with her Italian origin functioned ably as Congress president and guided the party’s government from behind the scenes. She was mindful of the Indian mindset.
Admittedly, the core of American society consists of immigrants, largely from Europe, who gained the upper hand over the native tribes. Slaves shipped from Africa gained social status over centuries of campaigns by rights activists and governmental initiatives encouraged by the church. Politics there is not linked to religion though. It gained steam on its own from the very start. The absolute domination of Whites ended and a new era started there when Chicago Senator Barack Obama with his indomitable energy won the Presidency in 2009 and continued for another term till 2016. Kamala, if she wins, will give a further push to this phenomenon, giving a chance for a President with Indian ancestry to preside over the destiny of the world’s top power from the White House. The feel-good factor need not necessarily turn into any advantage for India. The President implements collective policy formulations and has less voice of his/her own though he/she leads the nation from the front.
Joe Biden is past his prime. At age 81, he overstretched his ambitions. With poor popular support, he edged out of the party nomination race for presidential polls this time though a President can run for one more term. Kamala Harris is 59. Donald Trump is not young either, but even at age 78, he retains some firepower. Reason why the Republicans thought it fit to re-field him for another term yet again, despite his defeat in the 2021 polls. As of now, between Trump and Kamala Harris, who will finally win is a million dollar question.
