Right, a reality

It's difficult to imagine that the Kamala Harris team didn't see this coming. They were at no point clearly ahead in the run-up to the polls. If at all they were, it was just by a small margin in some regions.

The Trump team had the momentum right from the start. In fact, he was running for 2024 right from the time he was narrowly edged out by Joe Biden in 2020.

The Democrats bungled with the nomination. There was an initial excitement, but that gave way to real issues on the ground.

Inflation, real-estate prices, unemployment, etc., seem to have played a good part and even overridden an issue like abortion.

Kamala Harris made a faux pas when she replied, "There is nothing," when she was asked if she would do anything different from Joe Biden. She made amends subsequently, but the damage seemed to have been done.

It's not that Trump is always correct in replies to questions. But when someone who is trailing makes a mistake, the damage is greater than when someone who is leading makes a mistake.  

IT'S NO LONGER A BACKLASH

The right wing began consolidating its position, and the far right began emerging into the mainstream about 10 to 15 years ago.

It was a backlash against a social, economic and political norm that many people began to feel was unjust. We have seen that in many countries, including India.

Conservatives began to be seen as a group of pro-active, result-oriented people, compared to the liberal and progressive groups who were seen preferring the status quo and merely complaining and not doing anything.

That might be a perception, but in politics, perceptions play a huge role.

Perception or not, it began to settle down in various strata of society, and internet-aided social networks played a huge part in this transformation.

Aspects like globalisation, multilateralism, cultural inclusivity, etc, were seen as a threat to national identity and national prosperity.

Brexit and the ascent of conservatives to power in many countries, including India, was a testament to how the social mosaic was changing.

A decade and a half down the line, it's no longer a backlash. It's a reaffirmation of a reality and, for many, even an aspiration.

This is a reality that has also thrown the liberal camps into confusion and disarray. So much so that many in those groups are switching sides. Otherwise, the sort of gains that conservatives are making won't be possible.

RIGHT AND WRONG

Many years ago, probably in the mid-2000s, I was talking to a professor of physics who is good with computer technology as well. 

Those were the days we were revelling in the excitement of "connections" and "friends" we were making on social media. AI and deepfakes were just restricted to the realms of labs and academic discussions.

I still remember him saying that free access to the internet in general and social media in particular will bring huge changes in society at all levels. At one point, he said it might even "wreak havoc".

I won't get into whether there has been a havoc or not, but definitely, we have seen changes, quite drastic and dramatic.

I asked him, "Are we heading in the right direction?"

He said, "Right or wrong is debatable. What is right for one could be wrong for another. But a clearer way of looking at it is 'for anyone, what works is right and what doesn't work is wrong'."

He just left it at that and set me thinking.

That was about 20 years ago. A good point to ponder over today as well.