If you ask me I will say the Americans went too low in their campaigning. This was not expected of a matured democracy. What is even intriguing is that it went beyond the corridors of the contenders to include the fourth estate of every nation-the media.
I for one can say that the president elect Trump was the most victimized and vilified.
The outpouring we are witnessing is largely due to the acrimonious consequent of such an electoral campaigning.
The protest will seem strong enough to even influence the transition. It is obvious things that needed not to be done were done just to secure votes.
Bartolini has said competition is a central aspect of democracy. However for competition to be democratic it must be contestable. According to him contestability focuses on the fairness of the political contest between political actors. Which obviously beyond the abuse of incumbency also includes character defamation, personality attacks, racial remarks and the use of extremist language.
The media most of which were anti-trump and had all their polls go in favor of Hillary have extended their anti-Trump agenda to the protests and are doing well to spin and give it a concern treated coverage.
Truth be told if Donald had lost I wouldn’t have been surprised to see similar protests. That’s the beauty of democracy and perhaps America with all its experience and matured institutions may be telling Ghanaians to ready for anything particularly in as much as it falls within the tenets of the constitution.
I am also glad President elect Trump has acknowledged this beauty.
But that has not prevented me from wondering what would have happened if America was like any other African country? Even to say Ghana which is much touted as a cradle of democracy in Africa.
To hear protestors chant an elected president to not being their president will have likely turn a bloody scene.
And this where I blame Hillary and the outgoing White House officials. They had all the chance to unite America and rally Clinton supporters behind the Trump presidency. The very moment Hillary’s campaign manager told supporters to retard instead of coming straight to concede I knew there would be disaster.
It is as if Americans have suddenly become ignorant of their own electoral system?
The American situation opens new frontiers for political science research particularly with regards to political campaigning language and it effect on the outcome of an election and for that matter consolidating electoral outcome. That is only if it has not been explored already.
It also challenges Ghana to be cautious in its campaigning. Particularly in the heat to the polls and the need to tone down on personality attacks. Knowing very well the only determinant of a free and fair elections is not only the activities during elections but also before and after.
In all I still love the Americans for who they are. The outcome of their protests seem to not axe Trump despite their messaging. They are rather bent on shifting Trumps policy stands and shape him to be the ideal American president while another side seems to force him to work out his statements within seconds. The latter you can think of the middle school kids chanting build the walls.
And on the issue of the prophesy I dare say that God is not man to be mocked. It may be true because I read a confirmation of it in a devotion but like they say God reveals to redeem. Again the way of the Lord can be tempered but only for a while.
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