By Sosamma Samuel-Burnett, J.D.
Founder/President, G.L.O.B.A.L. Justice
The 2024 Presidential Election was historic in many ways. We had in Kamala Harris, the first female VP and first woman of color as presidential candidate, and in Donald Trump, a returning presidential candidate who previously marked a historic win for the presidency. And the election results in 2024 – Donald Trump winning over Kamala Harris – is also historic in some ways. But perhaps more important and more notable than the presidential election results is how this election has been a reminder and indicator of our American polity and its implications for our country.
“Polity” is a word that we don’t often use when we currently talk about American politics or political process. We often talk about specific party candidates and policy platforms or partisanship in general. But we don’t talk about the polity – what it is, what it does, what it wants. But politics is fundamentally about the polity. That is, our American society as a whole as a political entity is the foundation of our American politics and a gauge to understand what is happening in our political processes.
In 2016, when Donald Trump won over Hillary Clinton, our American polity, and our American people in general, as a whole was not pleased with either candidate. Most were not voting for one of these candidates but rather against the other. The result was a near even split in the voting, but with Trump having the edge to become President. Many were shocked that Trump, with his populist bravado and who was then outside the “establishment,” would win. But if we understand that our American polity was not wanting “the establishment,” or politics as usual, then Trump’s win in 2016 is more understandable though still challenging for many.
In 2020, when Joe Biden won over Donald Trump, our American polity had to choose between two white males with very different political perspectives. The vote swung against Trump as many in America wanted something and someone who was more civil than in the previous four years. Trump’s presidency was measured differently than his candidacy.
Now, in 2024, our American polity was looking for a change from Biden who was generally viewed as ineffective during his presidency. But the American people were also not generally happy with either candidate, Donald Trump or Kamala Harris, as neither specifically resonated with the interests of the American polity as a whole. Those who voted for one or the other were not generally voting for the candidate but for the policies that each represented.
Reviewing these recent results, both the Democratic and Republican political parties in particular need to understand a few things about our American polity as it relates to the recent presidential elections:
Republicans, the Right, Conservatives, etc. have become increasingly less concerned with who the candidate is and more concerned with what they represent in terms of their political and policy perspectives. But the candidate does matter and does have an impact in how the rest of the American pepole receive, accept, and support that candidate and president. So the Republicans continued alignment with Trump may cause greater concern to the overall American polity, or at least for their support for his presidency.
Democrats, the Left, Liberals, Progressives, etc. have become increasingly of the mindset that their candidate is superior to any from the Republicans/Right and that they represent the people more broadly. But Democrats have missed the reasons why many Americans, both right and center, have not voted for their candidate. They generally have not perceived the Democratic party candidates as representing the American people more broadly, regardless of what the Democratic party’s perception has been.
Simply put, the American polity – the American people in particular – are not buying what the parties are selling. What the American people in general are looking for both in their presidential candidates and in their President are values, policies, and practices that align with what they believe to be in the best interest of themselves, their families, and their country. They are not looking for candidates or presidents that are focused on party politics and policies.
Kamala Harris’ campaign tried to reach a cross-section of the community through her campaign ads and campaign visits, but the policies that her party represents did not resonate with many that are in the right or center politically, and/or located in the middle of the country, which is very distinct from the coasts. They did not want four more years of what they believed was an ineffective Biden presidency, or also did not want four years of a more liberal agenda than what he had.
Donald Trump, though elected, does not get a pass from these same groups either. The American people want significant and meaningful change from the past four years with President Biden, but they don’t necessarily want what Trump provided in the previous four years of his presidency. Trump has to forge a different path with less ego and bravado and more policy and positive impact.
When we look at what the American polity is, does, and wants, it has been interesting to watch how as more of our Left and Right parties and candidates have become more intense in their partisan views, the less in touch they are with the general attitudes of the American polity as a whole. Our American society is putting candidates into office not by supporting partisan political views. They are selecting candidates based on either “the lesser of evils” and/or based on who is most likely to focus on American people’s central concerns rather than the parties concerns.
Personally, I came to this country as an immigrant and as a person of color and I am grateful to be part of the American polity. My experience and understanding of being part of this political society has been informed by my many years of studying and teaching American and international politics and advocating on related justice topics. It has been reinforced by my experiences in America as a Christian, woman, wife, mother, professional, and community member. While many others in this country are not necessarily informed formally by their education or profession in politics, most in this country determine their political perspectives through their own meaningful experiences here. And those experiences matter in the decisions they make in this country.
I appreciate that there are many in America who have strong political views, and I appreciate that this country has room for a range of parties and candidates. But I do encourage those with the strongest views to also be aware of what is beyond their political views and political parties. Presidential elections are not only about political parties and platforms, they are about the American polity’s collective experiences and views of leadership for the country. The American polity will give us a gauge on what kind of leadership the American people want for the kinds of results they seek for the country. And when the American people have to choose between flawed candidates and flawed parties, they will find a way to voice how they want that leader to lead despite those flaws. And if a President does not lead in that way, they will make a change. That is what our American polity is about – representative government and leadership that represents the people as a whole. And that is what each of our political parties and candidates need to be reminded through this election and into future ones. The will of the American polity and the voice of the American people matter.
