Biden’s withdrawal and the illusions of cloud-gazing
https://arab.news/pffe3
In a chance encounter, my neighbor Neil surprised me by pointing out a cloud that resembled an elephant traversing the sky. I agreed, as it did bear the likeness of an elephant. After a brief silence, I found myself suggesting it might be the Republican elephant paving the way for Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
This comment did not sit well with my neighbor, who typically avoids political discussions and, when reading newspapers, focuses solely on the latest horse racing news. He protested, asking what that “idiot” had to do with elephants. I quickly objected to the uncouth language and explained I was merely joking. However, this exchange revealed his lack of awareness that the elephant has been the Republican Party symbol since the 19th century, an idea conceived by the renowned political cartoonist Thomas Nast. It has become as iconic for the party as Santa Claus or Uncle Sam are in America. I also mentioned that the Republican Party had officially nominated Trump the previous Thursday night, in what resembled a coronation for the presidential race.
It is valid to say that definitively predicting a candidate’s victory in any democratic country is illogical.
Bakir Oweida
My interaction with Neil reflects the indifference of those who are uninterested in who occupies the seat of power in the White House. However, these few individuals fail to recognize the importance of US presidential elections and the person who is dubbed, in media terms, the “most powerful man in the world” — one who influences the decisions of the world’s strongest nation on global matters.
In this context, it is no secret that most governments worldwide have begun preparing for how to deal with a potential second Trump presidency and for various scenarios of how they might handle international issues. This preparation is understandable and necessary. However, what is incomprehensible, even laughable, is how some indulge in illusions akin to seeing fanciful shapes in passing clouds.
A prime example of this is how President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from the presidential race has led many to consider Trump’s victory as a foregone conclusion. True, all polls have shown the Republican candidate with significantly higher numbers than his Democratic rival Biden. However, it is also valid to say that definitively predicting a candidate’s victory in any democratic country is illogical. Every election can bring surprises and the potential nomination of Kamala Harris by the Democratic Party could shift the balance. Such premature certainty resembles falling into the trap of gambling on sports teams during world championships. History books are full of instances documenting the shock many experienced when their expectations were shattered by reality.
It is also known that the extreme factions in Israel have been betting on Trump’s victory from the start and, naturally, Benjamin Netanyahu’s expectations soared with Biden's withdrawal. However, this camp and all those aligned with it are clinging to fleeting illusions, like passing clouds, if they believe that the Palestinian cause, its people and its fate will vanish simply because the US president changes, whether the winner is a Republican or a Democrat.
- Bakir Oweida is a Palestinian journalist who pursued a professional career in journalism in Libya in 1968, where he worked at Al-Haqiqa newspaper in Benghazi, then Al-Balagh and Al-Jihad in Tripoli. He has written for several Arab publications in Britain since 1978. He worked at Al-Arab newspaper, Al-Thadamun magazine and the international Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat. He has also worked as a consultant at the online newspaper Elaph.
- This article first appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat.
