Member-only story
Trump Vs. Biden: Is Everyone’s Vote Based on Fear?
When I hear Venezuelan-Americans talk about who they’ll vote for in November, it’s clear that fear is the main driver of who gets their vote.
Those going for Trump are fearful a Biden presidency will lead to Venezuelan style socialism. They’re actually terrified and quite certain that this will be the case.
Biden supporters in turn fear that Trump is just like Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chavez and current President Nicolas Maduro. They’re convinced that, like the Venezuelan dictators, “he would see this country burn if he could be king of the ashes,” as Lord Varys said about Littlefinger in Game of Thrones. In fact, Biden voters think Trump has already begun to “burn” the country.
Both groups fear the same thing: the destruction of the US economy and political repression. Each group, however, has reached a diametrically opposite conclusion on who’s the right choice.
Before I go any further, know that I fall into the second, though I try mighty hard to understand the first one and to question my position.
In any event, the contradictions and confusion don’t stop there. Here are just a few ways each side interprets real words and actions as well as unstated motives…
