"An Election That Could Not Be Stranger"‥Summary by a US Political Expert

Grant Reher, Syracuse University Professor
"Defamation and Fake News Cause Great Confusion"
"Trump Would Have Easily Won If He Handled COVID Well"
"Successful Election Amid Worst-Case Scenario"
"Possible Identity Crisis for Biden Administration"
"Could Be a Turning Point in US Politics"

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] "It was a very strange presidential election."

Grant Reher, a political expert and professor at Syracuse University (pictured), summarized that this U.S. presidential election was the most bizarre event in history. Nevertheless, he expressed hope that this election could serve as a turning point for the development of American political society.

In a recent email interview with Asia Economy, Professor Reher exclaimed, "We held an election with a president who used rhetoric never seen before, sparking extreme controversies."

There were numerous controversies during this election process. The verbal abuse and interruptions that arose during the first TV debate, and the introduction of the mute button as a result, were enough to draw criticism that the election had regressed. Instead of healthy policy debates, mutual slander, the spread of unverified information, and indiscriminate dissemination of information via social networking services (SNS) caused unprecedented chaos not even experienced in the 2016 election. Immediately after voting, President Donald Trump filed lawsuits demanding the suspension of vote counting in various locations.

He argued that the large-scale implementation of unfamiliar mail-in voting and early voting amid the COVID-19 pandemic made this election difficult.

Professor Reher expressed concern that this election could be the starting point for further disputes rather than the end of problems. Since President Trump declared his refusal to accept the election results, he predicted that significant confusion would be inevitable in the coming weeks. He also emphasized the possibility that the unprecedented turmoil in American political history could continue until the next president’s inauguration day on January 20 of next year.

Professor Reher judged that if President Trump had responded more aggressively and demonstrated leadership in handling the COVID-19 crisis, he could have won this election. He pointed out that it was not so much that voters had greater trust in Democratic candidate Joe Biden, but rather that President Trump himself chose the path of downfall.

He also evaluated that Biden received a challenge through this election. He explained, "I believe Biden was hurt by his alliance with the Democratic Party’s radical left wing. Although he needed their support, he also showed a dual stance by distancing himself to avoid alienating the existing Democratic base."

However, he gave high marks for the fact that "the election was successfully conducted under the worst circumstances," emphasizing that the election itself was carried out without major problems. He predicted, "The experience of this year’s election could promote the use of various voting methods." His diagnosis was that the U.S., which had fallen behind in election methods amid the advancement of ICT, would reach a turning point through this election. He foresaw that "calls for permanently implementing new election procedures will spread."

The U.S. has traditionally been a country with many attempts to restrict citizens’ voting rights. Since Election Day is not a public holiday, many working-class people were inevitably limited in their participation. The COVID-19 pandemic changed this situation all at once. Not only Black and Latino residents but also elderly people with mobility difficulties were able to exercise their voting rights through mail-in voting. This is the background behind the highest voter turnout in 120 years. It gave hope that more people could take an interest in politics and change America through new voting methods in the future.

Professor Reher predicted that such expectations would continue even after Biden takes office. He judged, "Considering the increased interest of voters and the relationship with the Senate dominated by the Republican Party, Biden will also focus on centrist policies." He forecasted that the Democratic Party might retreat from the progressive stance pursued during the Barack Obama administration and instead return to the Bill Clinton administration era, which, despite being Democratic, showed conservative tendencies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.