American Politics Abroad: 2020

I woke to the news Saturday morning that one of the biggest activists for women's, LGBTQIA+, and basic human rights has passed away. My first thought was sadness for her family, death is never easy to cope with for the living. 

My second thought...shit. 

I am a worst-case scenario thinker. Always thinking ahead to what-ifs so I can try to be prepared for the inevitable. It never really prepares me because reality always seems to think of that one scenario I hadn't. 

Worst case scenario: 45 and his team will rush to pick a new appointee and the Republicans will quickly approve, thus having a Republican leaning Supreme Court that will overturn the rights of so many American citizens. 

We all know that the current political leaders are going to push to fill her vacancy before November 3rd. The same leaders who were adamantly against letting Obama replace Scalla's successor will rush the process so that the 45th president will get to replace three Supreme Court Justices in his one term. I know that the Democrats in office will do everything they can to prevent this but only time will tell how this will play out. I have a feeling the next few weeks are going to be tumultuous. 

I am relieved that I am from Minnesota because I know Senators Klobuchur and Smith will fight. You go girls!

As a U.S. citizen living abroad, I sometimes feel like I'm watching a reality TV show, "America: 2020". I have a feeling the ratings would be pretty high because you can't make up this plot line. You can't script this.

When we moved to Thailand seventeen months ago, my students' first question after finding out that I was from the U.S. was if I voted for Trump. They all received a resounding no from me and I was met with smiles. Majority of Thais are not Trump fans.

As the fight for a Democratic Party Nominee started ramping up a year ago my co-workers would ask me who I thought could beat Trump. I had my favorites, and yes one of them is on the ticket, but I always told them that I would vote for whomever the DFL nominee would be. 

Genie and I did vote in the Citizens Abroad Primary last March. It was an exciting and hopeful experience. It was heartening to see other politically-like minded people gather together. 

We watched as one by one the potential candidates dropped out of the race. Each time my Italian co-worker would say something along the lines of "Oh I see, another one left. I bet it'll be Biden...but I think he will lose, which I'm ok with because a Republican president is better for the world because there will be no terrorist attacks." I don't understand his logic and there's a reason I leave the lunch table when he joins it. My co-workers would also ask me how Trump got elected, how America could let that happen. I would usually begin with the fact that he lost the popular vote and then explain the archaic electoral college. So, did America 'let it happen'? 

Then the world shut down, well most of it. 

After two months of lockdown, Thailand slowly began opening up and we returned to school my conversations with my co-workers about the U.S. shifted from politics to Covid...but I would remind the ones that would listen that that is a political issues. If those that had been voted in would have listened to science maybe America wouldn't be in the situation it is in now.  

Once a week I teach an advanced English club for six of my 7th graders (okay in reality I teach this class to the two students who are leaps and bounds ahead of their classmates and the three of us talk about whatever we want and the other four just sit there trying to catch up but still take notes as I explain how to outline a paper). I was explaining that one should have an unbiased opinion when expressing opposing views in a paper and neither of them knew what unbiased meant. I decided to use politics as my example, it worked, but they could see how hard it would be for me to be neutral. They did ask who I was voting for and were relieved with me fervent support for Biden and Harris with one of them telling me that I would lose my moniker as their favorite teacher if I were to vote for Trump. I have also informed them that I will be a nervous wreck on November 4 as I watch the voting results roll in. 

Despite the chaos going on, many of my students still see America as some sort of 'Holy Grail' and dream of some day 'making it there'. 

I fear for the future of my home country if this path continues. I fear that there might not be a country to come home to. 

Here we are, less that 50 days away from the election and I am nervous but am doing my best to remain optimistic. 

I received my ballot this weekend and all I can do, once filling out the appropriate bubbles, is hope that my ballot makes it home. That my vote will count. That I can exercise my right as a citizen of the United States before any of that is taken away from me.

Please vote. That right was fought for. Don't let their battles be for naught.