Nobody expected Democrats to win the midterms so dramatically. Even Trump’s admitted he’s “a little bit surprised”. The rest of the democratic world, India included, should pay a lot of attention. Why? Five reasons.Cost of living, not GDP & markets | America gave Trump a second chance in 2024 not because many were sold on MAGA, but to fix the economy. Specifically, to address ordinary people’s cost-of-living crisis. Now, US GDP has grown well in these two years, stock markets have produced $5tn companies and world’s first trillionaire, but Trump’s policies – first tariffs, then Iran war – have made everything costlier. So much so that US Fed has been forced to hike rates after three years. The message is clear: you can’t sweet-talk voters out of economic misery. GDP growth matters only when it’s felt at the per capita level. Otherwise, people think it’s just the rich getting richer, and they will punish you for that.To get out the vote, ideology isn’t enough | Trump built a whole MAGA cult around him, but at half-time of his presidency, some of it is depleted, and some dispirited. That’s why, on Tuesday, many of his 2024 supporters voted for Democrat candidates, and many others didn’t vote. Numbers suggest the usual midterm dip in turnout didn’t happen for Democrats. Women, Blacks and Hispanics voted overwhelmingly for them. So did young people, who earn less, therefore worry more about price-rise. Farmers, who had rooted for Trump in 2024, are less enthusiastic now when China isn’t buying enough of their corn and soy amid tariff tensions. Clearly, ideology takes a back seat when voters are dissatisfied with their finances.Don’t keep making it ugly | Trump’s promise to deport undocumented immigrants had resonated with voters in 2024, because people felt their jobs were being stolen. But his administration’s methods didn’t. Polls done after ICE officers shot and killed Renee Good in Jan this year showed the majority felt things had gone too far. Other polls have found that Americans are concerned about corruption and feel US democracy is in a crisis. Trump’s weaponisation of the justice department, for instance, didn’t boost their confidence. An AP poll on Tuesday showed 63% of Americans consider the Iran war – one of Trump’s ugliest foreign policy actions – a mistake, while for 74% it was a crucial factor in the midterms.Voters can cool off on what powers AI | US has more data centres than the rest of the world, and because they consume so much water and energy – making these scarce and costlier for ordinary people – they are extremely unpopular. They also became a significant poll issue, which Trump dismissed as “a sick conspiracy”. This kind of tone-deafness can cost votes. Democrats’ anti-data centre stance in Texas and Georgia – both Red states – helped them win governorships this time.Super-rich backers can cost votes | US midterms also show politicians should be mindful of the company they keep, because when the income divide is getting deeper, endorsement by billionaires can be counterproductive. Republicans, openly bankrolled by people like Musk, had their poll finances figured out, but clearly it left the wrong impression on the electorate.After this drubbing, Trump should not make matters worse for his party and the world. India will hope he ends the Iran war soon, and maintains status quo on other things, like the Russian oil tariff. Don’t bet on it, though. Trump can do anything.
आपण सर्वच जण कोणत्या ना कोणत्या अडचणीतून जात असतो — मग तो विषय आयकर असो वा जीएसटी वा आपल्याला बँकेकडून मिळणाऱ्या सुविधा बाबत असो. एव्हढेच नव्हे तर आपण आपल्या आरोग्य विमा पॉलिसी बाबतही चाचपडत असतो. पॉलिसी तर असते पण त्या पॉलिसीचा काय उपयोग असे वाटण्याचा प्रसंग येतो. तसेच आपल्याला माल व्यवस्थित मिळाला नाही –तर मग काय करायचे — थोडक्यात काय आपण असहाय्य असतो. काहींना काही उपायाची दिशा जरी समजली तरी उपयोग होऊ शकतो. त्या दिशेने हा एक प्रयत्न — विनंती — या संकेतस्थळावर जे काही सांगितले गेले आहे त्याचा हेतू आपणास पुढे काय करायचे याबाबतचे मार्गदर्शन आहे. प्रत्यक्ष कारवाई करण्याच्या दिशेने पाऊल उचलण्याआधी आपण आपले वकील किंवा त्या त्या क्षेत्रातील तज्ञ व्यक्तींचे सल्ला घ्यावी ही विनंती.
