Harris or Trump? The final sprint for the White House

Many Americans are not yet open to the idea of a female president, Die Presse points out:

“Harris may have moved towards the centre, but her earlier left-wing positions still resonate. Her party's dominance among Latinos and Black men is crumbling. The fact that many voters in the US are simply not ready for a female president could - tacitly - be playing a role here. Should Harris nevertheless cross the finishing line first, it will be women she will have to thank for it.”

The results of the congressional elections could prove decisive, writes Polityka:

“As the US elections draw closer, public attention seems to be focusing almost exclusively on the outcome of the race for the White House, but the congressional elections that take place at the same time are also crucial. All the more so given that Congress could become one of the most effective barriers in stopping Donald Trump from taking his most radical steps.”

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung criticises the fixation on pre-election polls:

“Surveys can be important indicators of moods, but if they are published in a continuous loop they just become self-perpetuating. Opinion research creates opinions and falsifies results. On the one hand, it influences voters, who vote tactically instead of according to their convictions, and on the other hand it influences politicians, who become too afraid to make long-term decisions because they are already looking ahead to the next Sunday poll. Wouldn't it be easier to ban polls in the last six or four weeks before election day, as has already been done in other countries? Then the public could discuss political issues instead of numbers and scenarios in the crucial weeks before the election.”

Die Presse sees two completely different world views:

“Trump's doomsday scenario clearly resonates more with voters than the vision of hope and a better, fairer future. Even the high-flying rhetoric is no match for the harsh reality in supermarkets and shopping malls - and Kamala Harris is no Barack Obama. The fact that the US male world does not trust a woman with a multicultural background to hold the highest office in the land – despite her being endorsed by Arnold Schwarzenegger – smacks of resentment. The election is not over yet, but the momentum is swinging towards a comeback for Trump and his grim world view.”

The candidates still have a few days of hard work ahead of them, notes Tvnet:

“Voter surveys are causing the predictions about votes in swing states to change every day, so a two-vote lead projected for Harris today has little meaning. Moreover, the last two US presidential elections have shown that the polls tend to be disproportionately unfavourable for Trump – his supporters seem reluctant to admit their preference in polls. If the trend holds for this election too, Harris will have to work hard in the coming days to gain a more convincing lead.”

Elections are losing their meaning, complains La Stampa:

“Everyone goes to the polling station with the intention, or at least the desire, to improve their lives, in the hope that a cross on a symbol will lead to more prosperity, more rights and sometimes also more freedom. At least in theory. Because in the West we live in, but not only there, another motivation is gaining ground: voting to prevent the victory of a candidate you don't like. This is an increasingly common theme in the election campaigns of a political class that seems to have lost its way and which, instead of charting out a new course, prefers to delegitimise the opposing captain.”

According to Sašo Ornik commenting in his blog Jinov svet, how voters in the US vote won't change anything fundamentally - and certainly not for the better:

“They can only decide whether their primary adversary will be Russia or China. ... The militarised police and overcrowded prisons will still remain. The poor will still be poor and health insurance for all will remain an impossible endeavour. Many people from other countries will continue to come to the US because the economy needs them, and the only difference will be whether they enter through legal programmes or are smuggled across the border illegally. The military system will still be the top priority and there will be a shortage of funds for infrastructure... No, on Tuesday, Americans will not choose between fascism and communism.”

Új Szó fears a violent reaction should Trump loose:

“The conservative Maga [Make America Great Again] movement would not be able to accept this with its current communication dynamics. ... Has it become necessary, from time to time, for democratic societies to be made to experience first-hand that today's agitation can lead to real bloodshed tomorrow? That this danger is even more grave in the era of the power of words, and especially in the era of social media and echo chambers? And that there are many authoritarian competitors who seek out the wounds caused by social debates to rub salt into them?”

Le Temps is concerned about something both parties have in common:

“Donald Trump initiated [international] hostilities by imposing tariff barriers to protect US manufacturing, but Biden has not changed course. Both presidents strengthened the 'Buy American Act' ... Biden has also advocated re-establishing the independence of the US in sectors such as the semiconductor industry. Trump has already promised new tariff barriers if he is re-elected. Kamala Harris also wants to protect American jobs at all costs and ensure dominance over China in the 21st century. Both parties plan to implement their programmes by increasing national debt, which poses a threat to global financial stability.”