AMERICA goes to the polls tomorrow with virtually all projections pointing to a win for Joe Biden.
The Democratic candidate has been ahead of Donald Trump in most national polls since the start of 2020 and there is little in the mood music coming out of the US to suggest that will change.
If 2016 has taught the Democrats anything though it is keep the champagne on ice until the official result is called. Four years ago Hillary Clinton led in the polls and won nearly three million more votes than Donald Trump but still lost. That is because the US uses an electoral college system, so winning the most votes doesn’t always win you the election.
And then of course there is the question of what happens if Joe Biden does win?
Many Americans see Donald Trump’s rushing through the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett to the US Supreme Court as an indication that he intends to bring a legal challenge against the result should he lose.
What is clear is that it is gearing up to be the most interesting presidential vote in generations.
Ahead of polling day, members of Donegal’s American population have been having their say and they agree that anything other than a win for Joe Biden will be disastrous for their home country.
Connie Sisco is from West Virginia but has lived in Letterkenny for the past four years. She is firmly in the Joe Biden camp and describes Donald Trump as a “low quality person”.
“He works hard to divide people and his divisiveness is not good for America,” says Connie.
Historically West Virginia would have had a Democratic majority but over time that tide has shifted to Republican.
“When I was younger and living in West Virginia it was Democratic, everyone for Kennedy. But slowly over time it shifted to the right and it has voted Republican for some years now.”
West Virginia was born out of the Civil War when Virginia joined the Confederacy and the western part of the state remained loyal to the Union. The Confederate flag therefore remains a contentious symbol and Connie says she was surprised to see one on display in Letterkenny in recent days.
Democratic candidate Joe Biden appears to be in the driving seat. But will it be enough to topple Trump?
“I was really surprised. I saw the American flag which was fine but the Confederate flag is very divisive. Being from the south, my state was split north and south and while I can see both sides, it was disconcerting to see the flag in my Letterkenny neighbourhood.”
Connie Sisco says she realises Joe Biden’s party is far from perfect. But she says Trump has to go.
“People need to come together but what we are seeing instead is people choosing one side or the other. We are in the worst situation of our lives and people are choosing sides. That is the sort of division that is going to bring America down.
“I don’t agree with everything the Democrats say but at least they will start to unite people.”
Linda Schuckel Gallagher grew up in Indiana but has lived in Creeslough since the 1990s. She too is backing Biden but says she doubts if Trump will “go quietly”.
“I can’t see it happening and it makes me very nervous,” she says.
Linda describes Donald Trump as a “complete and utter liar” and says he has fulfilled none of the promises he made on being elected in 2016.
“He gets away with everything. I don’t like what he has done in terms of climate change and withdrawing from the Paris Accord, I was really disappointed when he did that.
“He promised jobs but all he has done is make things worse. He knew about the pandemic back in December or January but chose to do nothing.”
Linda Schuckel Gallagher’s mother is aged 87 and still lives in America.
“I worry about her every day,” she says.
Ms Schuckel Gallagher adds that she is at a loss as to why so many of her fellow countrymen and women continue to back Donald Trump.
“Not all of them are stupid rednecks, you have some very intelligent people who are all for him and I have to wonder why.”
As to whether there is anything that could shift her allegiance from Democrat to Republican at this late stage, definitely not.
West Virginia-born Connie Sisco is backing Biden. She says Donald Trump’s divisiveness is not good for her country.
“Oh my God no. If you held a gun to my head I would still say no. In fact I would rather be shot than vote for that man.”
Leslie Brown has lived in Donegal for over 30 years but is originally from Casper, Wyoming, traditionally a hardcore Republican state. Leslie, who also used to live in Minnesota, cast her vote for Joe Biden in Minnesota, regarded as one of the American swing states, in a bid to make it count as much as possible.
“2016 was the year of Brexit which I didn’t think was going to happen,” she says.
“When it did I just thought to myself ‘Oh no, Trump is going to win too’. So this time around I can’t let myself get too confident about Biden winning, and I think most Americans feel that way.”
As to what it is that she doesn’t like about Donald Trump, Leslie says the reasons are multiple.
“I can’t face the thought of him winning again, his gold-plated everything, his vocabulary, the constitutional degradation, the environmental degradation, the social degradation, just his general lack of respect for anyone who does any good, there is not one good thing about the man.”
So strongly does Leslie feel about this week’s election that she even volunteered with Democrats Abroad Ireland, a committee geared towards assisting Americans, regardless of political persuasion, with registering to vote.
Leslie says that while she is praying for a Biden victory, she doesn’t see the transition going smoothly. It is a fear held by many left-leaning Americans.
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