As the Americans go to the poll today to vote for a new house of representatives and a few senate seats, they have the chance to change the path of current politics. The Republicans have a slim majority in both houses. If the Democrats win either of them, their win would have been because of a rise in the “anti-Trump” vote, rather than a vote for the Democrats. These days Democrats are united because of a common boogieman, Donald Trump, rather than a common ideology.
Gone are the days of true liberal leaders who could unite the followers behind a shared vision on how a better future would look like. Leaders who don’t try and win votes by discrediting each other but by convincing you with their argument on how to build a society that you can be proud of. And with such a lack of clarity of what they stand for, it will be very hard to beat a showmaster like Trump. It would be even more difficult to come up with new policies that would convince the electorate to vote for them at the next elections.
We in South Africa have a similar scenario. With Zuma removed, the EFF and the DA are struggling to define themselves. Their political visions are confused, and their purpose faded. Who should the voters vote for if they don’t get a coherent message? Not one about removing an chauvinistic, polarizing and corrupt fool, but a idea about what you as a party would do different, to make the lives of your fellow citizens better. It seems like the only leaders in politics these days are populists who win on a message of fear and hate. What a sad state of affairs.