By Phakamile Hlubi-Majola
As the race for the US Presidential elections heats up, the two dominant parties of the duopoly which dominates American politics, the Democrats and the Republicans are pulling out all the stops to secure support before the crucial final day of voting, on November 5.
Millions of Americans have already cast their votes, with as many as 75 million people having voted as part of early voting. November 5 will be the last day to vote and politicians and pundits on both sides have described this as the most “consequential vote in recent history”.
I watched with interest as the former first lady of the US, Michelle Obama at a recent rally in Michigan, made an impassioned plea to voters to reject Trump, and to reject the emerging third party candidates, while calling on voters to support Kamala Harris. Her plea was directed at men in particular, calling on them to vote in solidarity with women to defend abortion rights.
Obama said: “So fellas before you cast your votes ask yourselves what side of history you want to be on. I recognise that there are a lot of angry, disillusioned people out there upset with the slow pace of change. And I get it, it is reasonable to be frustrated. We still have a lot more work to do in this country. But to anyone out there who is thinking of sitting out this election, or voting for Donald Trump, or voting for a third party candidate in protest because you’re fed up, let me warn you your rage does not exist in a vacuum. If we do not get this election right, your wife, your mother your daughter, we as women will become collateral damage to your rage. Are you as men prepared to look into the eyes of the women and children that you love and tell them that you supported this assault on our safety?”
I was struck by her choice of words, in particular, her description of the consequences of an angry protest vote against the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians by Apartheid Israel in Gaza, and the failing capitalist system in the US as resulting in women being “collateral damage”.
The former first lady is not entirely truthful in her analysis. Whilst it is true that reproductive health rights are under siege, as a result of a ruling by Trump-appointed supreme court judges, to reverse the historic Roe v Wade decision on abortion, Obama does not disclose that her husband, Barack was elected to the White House in 2008 on the promise that he would codify abortion rights for women. But the moment he entered the White House, he failed to deliver on that promise.
In other words if Barack Obama had kept his electoral promise in 2008, there would be no need to guilt trip the population into voting for Kamala Harris. Obama campaigned on the promise that his first act as president would be to ensure the Freedom of Choice Act is enshrined in the constitution. The Democrats at the time of Obama’s presidency had a majority in the Senate and the Congress, which would mean that, if all the Dems were united in voting for it, it would have passed, even if there was opposition to the bill. But it was never tabled and the Freedom of Choice Act never became law. And this paved the way for right-wing judges, appointed by Trump, to reverse Roe v Wade in 2022 on the basis that there is no federal constitutional right to an abortion. According to Reuters, securing abortion rights was “not a priority” for Obama and he refused to act because he was trying to avoid inflaming divisions over the issue.
Like all sanctimonious Liberals, the former first lady does not see any contradiction in her stance. She also conveniently pretends that the Democrats have no power to rectify this situation, and it is in the hands of the voters. She is releasing the Democrats from any responsibility for this situation.
Don’t get me wrong, what Trump’s right wing judges did by repealing abortion rights was abominable. Thanks to the ban millions of women are denied the right to abortions in 21 states. The UN reports that millions of women and girls across the United States have “suffered an alarming deterioration in access to sexual and reproductive healthcare, following the US Supreme Court decision overturning the constitutional right to abortion”.
In at least ten states, the restrictions are so draconian that they do not make exceptions for pregnancies caused by rape or incest, which has resulted in shocking cases of children and rape victims being forced to give birth. There are also cases of women who have died due to complications in pregnancy, and doctors are worried that they will be arrested for helping women access safe abortions. There are even attempts to arrest women who cross state lines to access safe abortions where it is legal to do so.
The impact of the abortion ban on the lives of working class women who do not have bodily autonomy, is devastating. But it is morally reprehensible for Michelle Obama to use this fundamental issue to guilt voters into supporting Harris, so they can scapegoat them later and blame them if the Democrats lose. The Democrats are therefore just as complicit as Trump, for refusing to recognise the sexual reproductive rights of women.
I am equally disturbed by Obama’s refusal to recognise the rights of Palestinian women to access healthcare. Israel has mercilessly massacred tens of thousands of women and children since October 7, 2023. At least 20 out of 22 hospitals were damaged or destroyed by Israel in Gaza and it has deliberately targeted healthcare workers, hospitals and ambulances and paramedics in its attacks. As a result, thousands of Palestinian women have lost children through miscarriages, and those who give birth, do so without pain killers. The comments by Michelle Obama suggest that she does not consider the rights of Palestinian women at all.
Trump is no better on this issue. He said in the Presidential debate hosted in June that Israel must be allowed to “finish the job”, meaning they should be given space to continue the ethnic cleansing of Palestinian people. Therefore a vote for Trump does not necessarily mean there will be peace in Gaza. And given that Trump is a Republican and the Republican Party has strong ties to Israel, Palestinians are likely to continue suffering.
Both Trump and Harris justify the mass murder of Palestinian children because they believe Israel has the right to “defend itself”, and both are committed to entrenching the power and the wealth of the elite ruling class in society while doing little to resolve the daily struggles of workers and their families in the US.
Healthcare Hypocrisy and Racial Disparities
Reproductive healthcare rights are not simply restricted to the right to an abortion. Capitalism in America has produced a society where, according to AP, Black women in the US are nearly three times more likely to die during pregnancy or delivery than any other race. Systematic racism in the US healthcare system means that Black women have the “highest maternal mortality rate in the United States” almost three times the rate compared to white women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Black babies are more likely to die, and also far more likely to be born prematurely, thus increasing the likelihood of health issues that could follow them throughout their lives. On these both the Harris and Trump campaigns are conspicuously silent
The commercialisation of healthcare access has resulted in over 100 million Americans collapsing under the burden of high medical debt costs. One third of the American workforce earns 15 dollars per hour or less and is unable to afford basic healthcare. Medical debt impacts on them negatively by denying the majority of people access to vehicle or home financing. When applying for a new job, applicants are often rejected on the basis of their poor credit record caused by medical debt, not to mention it negatively impacts one’s mental and emotional health.
ABC published a report that there is a direct relationship between medical debt and poor physical and mental health: “Medical debt across the US is associated with worse physical and mental health, and even premature death. A new study from the American Cancer Society found that for every $100 increase in medical debt, there were eight more days of poor physical health and 6.8 more days of poor mental health reported in a month per 1,000 people.”
How can the richest nation in the world fail to adequately provide healthcare for all its people? This is a fundamental failure in the capitalist establishment which both the Democrats and the Republicans are part of.
Beyond the Democrat / Republican Duopoly
But there is hope on the horizon. The emergence of third party Socialist candidates like Claudia De La Cruz of the Socialist Party for Liberation as well as Jill Stein of the Green Party are offering Socialist alternatives in the election. Both these parties have campaigned on ending Israel’s unlawful occupation and they object to public taxes being used to fund imperialist wars and in particular, Apartheid Israel. Both are committed to overthrowing the capitalist establishment through the ballot.
Obama should be concerned because the emergence of these parties can affect the Democrats’ performance. Some polls suggest that Kamala Harris may lose Michigan because Muslim and Arab Americans are voting with their conscience and choosing Jill Stein over Trump or Harris. According to Gallup, a US based polling company, 63% of Americans agree with the statement that the Republican and Democratic parties do “such a poor job” of representing the American people that “a third major party is needed”.
The working class in America is realising that the two-party system, which reinforces inequality, and enriches the wealth and power of the 1% does not work for them. They are hungry for change and they want new ideas.
America is the richest most powerful nation in the world, and yet 800 people die every day from poverty. At the same time, there are millions of voters who are justifiably appalled by Israel. Their moral outrage is driving them to take a stand to defend millions of innocent lives. They are choosing to use the only weapon they have, their vote, to force the US to stop funding a genocide.
* Phakamile Hlubi-Majola is a Socialist and former journalist. She writes in her personal capacity.
** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.