Tuesday night here in Israel, while elections were still on-going in the States, I found myself so wired I was absolutely unable to sleep, and I was most surely not the only one.
Going into election day, we had been told that, according to various polls, Trump and Harris were just about tied – the race was too close to call. And the prospect of Kamala as president – which seemed to be a real possibility – was literally terrifying.
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By early Wednesday morning here, it was clear that Trump was going to regain the White House.
And my response was Baruch Hashem, thank you God!
Trump secured a clear victory as president, with 295 electoral votes (270 are required) while Kamala secured 226. What is more, Trump garnered the popular vote, with five million more votes than Kamala had. This was historic for a Republic candidate.
Republicans have taken the Senate. As I write, votes are still being counted for the House – it’s close. Republicans are expected to take it, but it is not yet a certainty.
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This was an astounding and unexpected landslide for Trump and the Republicans. It thoroughly discredited the reliability of polls. There are numerous takes as to how this could have happened: people lie to the pollsters; people on the left are more willing to cooperate in responding to the pollsters; the pollsters conduct polls in a manner that favors the left. I do not have the answer. (I just have to pinch myself before the next major election, to remind myself not to pay attention to the polls.)
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Perhaps the most frequent response to the electoral outcome has been one of relief because, as I indicated above, the prospect of a Harris presidency was terrifying.
In the approach to the election, I focused to a considerable degree on the damage Kamala was likely to do to Israel and by extension to the Western world: promoting a Palestinian state; cozying up to Iran; cutting the supply of munitions needed by Israel to finish Hamas; failing to defend Israel in the UN; attempting to weaken Israeli legitimacy in Judea & Samaria; and more.
But there is also the enormous damage she would have done to America. By fostering progressive programs, she would have further undercut the traditional American values that are already severely weakened within the culture; even today, the America that was no longer is. Kamala is not simply left-wing liberal. She is on record as emphasizing the need to be “woke.” While she may have tried to hide it during the campaign, she is a far-left progressive who embraces equity (rather than equal opportunity) – a giant step away from traditional American values.
She would have done enormous economic damage to the country – for example, increasing corporate taxes, thereby stifling growth. She would have promoted mind-bendingly expensive benefits for illegal immigrants in the country, and she had floated some scheme for giving first-time homeowners $25,000 towards their mortgages.
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I see a couple of major reasons as to why she lost, and lost so badly. In the end, she had no defined and well-thought-out programs she was able to put forward with clarity, programs that would have reassured the electorate. American voters are not fools. Her standard answer when asked a question regarding a problem to be addressed was, “That’s a very important question, I am glad you asked it!” After which, she proceeded to avoid providing an answer. She had become famous for what was termed “word salads.”
Time and again, as she babbled, I asked myself, “How could the American voters favor her when there seems to be nothing but air between her ears?” And it turns out that the American voters did not buy her babble, which was interspersed with inappropriate laughter.
Bravo to the voters.
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And then there was the tenor of her campaign. She began on an up-beat note, speaking about “joy.” Of course, as “feel-good” as this was supposed to be, it was vacuous and did not address the serious issues either. The economy is in bad shape (having deteriorated since Biden became president), and people are concerned about the millions of illegal immigrants in the country.
But at least she was attempting to project a positive feeling to the electorate. Up to a point, that is. In the last weeks she segued to atrocious attacks on Trump. The most offensive was the charge that he is a nazi. I was astounded when Hillary Clinton got into the act, observing that in 1933 the Nazis had a rally in Madison Square Garden and now Trump was going to have a rally in the same place. That clinches it…
But there were other charges as well – that he was going to cut medical care, destroy the economy, etc. Apparently, the electorate was not buying any of it, perhaps because Trump had already been president for four years and had not done what the Democrats said he was about to do now. The country was in better shape when he left office than it is now when Biden is leaving.
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Trump, in his remarks on winning the election, said, “…we’re going to help our country heal. We have a country that needs help, and it needs help very badly.”
I liked the tone of that: the “we,” instead of “I.” Speaking about helping the country. He has a record of having done some excellent things, for America, first, and then for Israel and the Western world.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/full-text-donald-trumps-victory-acceptance-speech/
We can, we should, be hopeful as we go into a new Trump era. He can be expected to do some excellent things again. But we should not be complacent:
Trump can be unpredictable and is sometimes guided by ego first. He has spoken about “stopping wars.” Does this mean he will push Israel to end the fight with Hamas and Hezbollah prematurely? (I do not believe he would withhold munitions, as Biden has done.)
The first thing to watch is the names he advances for his cabinet. These people will be key to determining the direction of his presidency. The last time around he had some excellent people, such as Mike Pompeo, who was head of the CIA and then became secretary of state. There is some expectation that Pompeo might be on board again. Let us hope so.
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There were reports that Iran was going to attack Israel right after the US election was over – allegedly attacking with 400 rockets and drones. And there were two different thoughts as to why after the election. One thought was that it was in order to avoid moving the American electorate to the right. That is to say, people would be more likely to vote Trump if they witnessed Iranian aggression.
But there was a very plausible thought that how hard Iran would in the end decide to attack (it wouldn’t necessarily be with 400 projectiles) would depend on who had been elected: Kamala, of course, is understood to be the candidate who is softer on Iran.
What this says about Trump’s stance on Iran is enormously reassuring and cause for celebration. He was the one who broke from the nuclear deal with Iran and reinstituted sanctions. The notion of an Iran that is intimidated by Trump is most welcome.
In the meantime, Iran has not attacked, and we don’t know if it will, or when, or how extensively.
What seems likely, if not a given, is that Trump would not pressure Israel to avoid hitting Iranian oil refineries or nuclear development plants, as Biden has done.
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A last thought here, on Barack Obama. I have indicated before that his behind-the-scenes influence since he left office has been considerable, indeed unsettling. (Many are oblivious to how considerable it has been.) He played a key role in the selection of Kamala as Biden’s vice president. She was already progressive and his expectation going forward was that she would be receptive to his “guidance.”
But what we see now is a Barack Obama who is a political has-been, no longer wielding considerable influence. When he came forward during the campaign to “encourage” black men to vote for Kamala, he was not well received. This is something to be grateful for. His influence has not been good either for America or for Israel.
Some now are expressing the thought that it is time to encourage Obama to leave Washington DC – where he has remained since he left the White House, in order to exert influence more readily. I think it would be splendid if he and Michelle moved permanently to Martha’s Vineyard, where they have a home of not inconsiderable proportions.
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As to Kamala, in her concession speech, she said she would “never give up.”
“While I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign.”
But it is very likely that she will disappear into the netherworld of failed politicians.
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Express gratitude to the Almighty for the outcome of the election and then pray that Trump will make wise decisions going forward.
Then, please, pray with a full heart for the continued strength and courage of Israel’s leaders as they make the hard decisions, for the safety and effectiveness of our soldiers in battle as they fight a righteous war, and for the rescue of the hostages at last.
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©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
