Source: (Observer)

Given that this is my last blog post for COMM 101, and the results of the American election from just a few days ago, I found it fitting to write my final article on none other than Donald Trump. Upon reading the blog titled “Dear Middle America, Why Did You Elect Trump?” by David Martin, I gained some deep insights on what many Canadians think of the American election results.

Martin starts off by acknowledging the anger that many middle class, working Americans faced with regard to jobs and a weak economy. Factoring in this, and the fact that Donald Trump is one of the most controversial Republian Party leaders yet, the outcome of this election came as a surprise to many Canadians and Americans alike, seeing that it was the middle class who decided this election.

Martin makes reference to the allegations that Trump has not paid income tax for two decades, among other things, as reasons against his presidency. He also claims that Trump will not stand for the middle class individuals who elected him as president, seeing that he has proposed tax cuts for the upper class, abolishing Obamacare altogether, and is against NAFTA. These anti-Trump sentiments are quite common among Canadians, who were shocked by these election results. For myself, however, this outcome was far from a surprise for three main reasons: the fickle nature of the American electorate, the historic voting trends in the United States, and the American electoral system.

U.S. Electoral Map Source: (Wikipedia)

The American electorate, as with any electorate around the world, is quite fickle. More specifically, the majority of Americans are not formal members of any political party. As a result, many of their voting decisions are based on their self-identity, which is formed at a very young age. This phenomenon of identity describes why voters vote for a particular party. However, these voting decisions are not static, and may change with time, precipitating new outcomes of subsequent elections.

Moreover, historically, the voting trend in the United States has nearly always followed the same trend: two terms of Democrat rule, followed by two terms of Republican rule. Seeing that Obama took power in 2008, and once again in 2012, it came to little surprise to me that the American electorate decided to go “red” in this election.

Furthermore, the American electoral system is divided into electoral colleges for every state, who carry a certain number of votes that go towards electing a leader. One of the flaws with this system is that, although one candidate may win the popular vote, as did Hillary Clinton, it does not guarantee them the presidency. This flawed system very much decided the outcome of this election.

Word Count: 444

Works Cited

Bredderman, Will. “NYC Mayor Warns Donald Trump ‘Has a Legitimate Shot’ at Becoming President.” Observer. Observer, 23 Feb. 2016. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. <http://observer.com/2016/02/nyc-mayor-warns-donald-trump-has-a-legitimate-shot-at-becoming-president/>.

“Electoral College (United States).” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral_College_(United_States)>.

Martin, David. “Dear Middle America, Why Did You Elect Trump?” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc., 11 Nov. 2016. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. <http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/david-martin/dear-middle-america_b_12911030.html?utm_hp_ref=canada-politics>.

“Party Identification – Boundless Open Textbook.” Boundless. Boundless, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. 2016. <https://www.boundless.com/political-science/textbooks/boundless-political-science-textbook/political-participation-and-voting-9/why-people-vote-68/party-identification-377-6173/>.