Dear Editor,
As a gay black Jamaican with Haitian-American relatives I wanted a different result on November 5. However, despite the positive energy generated by Harris’ historic run I felt that she would not win. Ironically, her biggest hurdles were not her race or gender. It was the American Dream. In many other democracies the multiple convictions and vulgarities of the re-elected President would have doomed him. But there is one truth about American politics, which was summarized by John Steinbeck decades ago, “Socialism never took root in America because the poor see themselves not as an exploited proletariat but as temporarily embarrassed millionaires.” So, Americans voted for the convicted felon who promised to make them rich with vague “concepts of a plan.”
Meanwhile, Harris’ detailed plan to expand the middle class simply did not capture the imagination of sufficient Americans because most of them don’t want to be middle class. They want to be millionaires. No one believes that every American can be a millionaire, but many want the chance to become one. That is why lotteries are so popular. Harris’ opponent was a billionaire with a well-documented history of exploiting his workers. Most of the billionaires who support him have similar anti-labour proclivities. Yet, millions of working-class Americans, even record numbers of Latinos whom he repeatedly vilified, were willing to back him for the promise of untold riches. That is their American dream. Sadly, there are numerous historical examples of how this type of devil’s bargain has become a nightmare.
Sincerely,
Maurice Tomlinson
