US presidential elections, decided on issues, not personalities

Unlike most of the elections in our country, the US presidential polls are usually decided principally on the basis of issues and only secondarily based on the personalities of the contenders. Albeit the personality of Democrats Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are decidedly more pleasant, more positive-looking and constructive in approaches, the more compelling reason why the Republicans are losing in the polls are really the issues that matter most.

There are at least six most crucial issues that resonate most to the American voters: first, the economy; second, foreign relations; third, crimes and gun control; fourth, social services; fifth, immigration; and sixth, the freedom of women to make independent choices on their reproductive health. The Republicans are claiming that Donald Trump is the better manager of the US economy supposedly because he is a businessman and he enjoys the support of the Wall Street multi-billionaires like Elon Musk. This claim, however, is belied by the facts on the ground. Trump cannot even put his own business empire in order as he is facing multiple cases involving alleged financial fraud.

It has also been shown by substantial evidence that under the Democrat incumbents Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, millions of jobs were created, thus revitalizing the labor market which Trump neglected during his term as president. Under Biden, inflation has been managed quite well and the middle class has been given so much help by the current administration. In contrast, Trump is fixated on granting huge tax amnesties to billionaires, and taking down the social services including affordable health care for the working class. The choice is very clear and the lines are well-drawn. If Trump wins, the economic elites shall triumph. If Kamala prevails, it shall be a victory for the working middle class.

On foreign affairs, Trump is most likely to yield to the impositions of his good friends Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. In contrast, Biden has given adequate support to Ukraine and Israel in their wars against unlawful invaders and terrorists, respectively. Biden helps Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines in maintaining the balance in the Asia-Pacific Basin, most especially the West Philippine Sea. Biden helped the NATO and the EU. Trump would tend to weaken these traditional US allies. On crimes and guns, the Republicans are most likely to exacerbate gun related crimes by making assault weapons readily available to even the young and the unemployed. The hate crimes shall be exacerbated with white supremacist prejudices against colored people including blacks, Hispanics, and Asians.

The Democrats shall continue to impose gun control. With Kamala's experience as prosecutor, her leadership is better able to manage crimes. The Democrats have much better records on social services including education, affordable healthcare, care for veterans and housing for millions of Americans who are up on debt in rent and home loans. On immigration, Biden and Harris were able to craft a bipartisan omnibus immigration bill. But Trump pressured the Republican senators to kill the bill only because it would be devastating to the Trump presidential campaign and that if passed into law, it would tremendously boost the Democrats' bid to retain the White House.

But the most damaging issue against Trump was the overturn of Roe vs. Wade which made the government the main repository of decision-making on women's reproductive health. Trump filled the Supreme Court with Republican justices which do not allow women to make their own decisions concerning their own bodies. Because of these issues, millions of women across party lines, and transcending State boundaries from Hawaii to Maine, from Alaska to Texas, from California to New York, from Montana to Georgia, are now rallying behind Kamala Harris. This issue alone has united the American women of all colors behind the Democrats.

For these reasons, the Harris-Walz team is now leading the Trump-Vance tandem 55% to 45%. The Republicans should better prepare to lose this fight between the negative forces of the past, on the one side against the new waves of hope, positivity, and progress on the other side. This column agrees with the Democrats that when the people fight, they shall definitely win.