Clinton – Diplodopest.

The Hangover Pt. Trump

As they went about processing the shock results of last night’s election, the people of New York City woke to a blanket of thick, grey haze which absorbed the city skyline.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Today vs yesterday (inset)

It’s seemed an apt shift from the blue skies of election day – where yesterday there was optimism of a Clinton victory, today there is cloudiness at the prospect of a Trump future.

For many in the US, the Trump future is the one they want. Pushing aside significant controversy, voters clearly engaged with the Republican’s rhetoric around a lost greatness, promises of a shift to greater control on borders and an anti-establishment movement. I saw a lot of people on social media ask if the people of the US learned anything from the Brexit – they clearly did, and they liked what they saw.

But for New York, a safe Democratic state, most signs suggested this was not a desired result.

I was at the Nets game in Brooklyn last night when the news started to trickle in that Clinton was in for more of a fight than earlier predicted. You could see attentions slowly turn away from the basketball as it went down.

Not even Ja Rule, who was in the crowd and they kept showing on the big screen for some reason, could bring people back to the game.

It was visible again today, in some of the eyes of those riding the subway, the quiet chatter of those looking for solace in the company of others and the occasional person verbalising their concerns to anyone willing to listen.

In the spirit of being a good journalist and a horrible tourist I did my best to seek out trouble and a story today where possible. Overwhelmingly though, it seemed remarkably similar to any other of the last few weeks.

The people

There was a lady at Myrtle-Wyckoff Station adamant that the decision to elect Trump would spark a civil war, but her views were largely ignored by a crowd which seemed more intent on quiet reflection than outward expression.

The destination was Trump Tower, where I figured there’d be someone doing something of note. Last night Lady Gaga was there in protest of the election result. Today it was surprisingly placid, though swarming with a significant police presence.

A small group of younger people gathered out front in protest of Trump’s views on sexuality, abortion and gender. One tried to go to work but had to leave at her perceived injustice of the situation – “I told my boss I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing,” she said.

On the other side of the fence were Trump’s fans. Those who turned out seemed to be of various groups – there was Blacks for Trump, Jews for Trump and Christians for Trump – but there didn’t seem to be one united assembly of Trump fans gathered.

Regardless, the word from this side was that the nation had been saved at the hands of the election result the previous evening. The mistrust of Clinton was clear, and the desire to be removed from an establishment politician dominated discussion.

One thing I’ve loved about watching the political debate on the street is the mutual respect New Yorkers have displayed for one another. The conversation can be heated, but not once have I seen it get personal or violent despite the size of the topics at play.

The politicians

In a nation of 319 million people stretched across 3.8 million miles of land I find it astounding that the presidential candidates could spend the evening just two blocks apart, but that’s exactly what happened.

While Trump was holed up in his namesake tower on the corner of 5^th Avenue and 56^th Street, Clinton spent her election night literally down the road at the Peninsula. They’re on the same street.

On the way to Trump Tower I noticed a crowd, and realised we were standing at the front of the Peninsula. Surely enough, within 10 minutes Hillary and Bill emerged and jumped straight into awaiting cars surrounded by a strong police presence. All things considered the crowd was pretty adoring of the Clintons as they left, and not long after she delivered a speech to fans nearby.

There was no sighting of Trump at the tower, but a large queue of garbage trucks filled with sand formed a barricade of their own on the street in front of the building. It was an unusual sight, but I suppose this is no orthodox politician.

The lesson learned

Every vote counts the same, and at the end of the day America democratically elected Donald J. Trump as its 45^th President. Say what you will about the candidate and the motivations – racial, gender, ideological – of the people making this decision, this is democracy at work and the freedom the United States prides itself on.

Will he follow through on his campaign promises? No one really knows. Once the fog clears I suppose we’ll have a better idea.

All photos by Jack McGinn. Please note that all views are opinion and guided only by personal experience as a traveller in New York City.

An Australian take on US Election Day

stranger-things — Barb scandal aside I felt the Demogorgon ran a strong campaign

Sitting in a rented bedroom in Bushwick my view of Manhattan is somewhat obscured by the neighbouring flats and homes. You can see one building comfortably – One World Trade Center – and that’s hardly surprising since it’s the sixth largest building in the world.

Every other day of my time in New York I’ve been motivated to leave and explore as much as possible. As a visitor today is no different – there’s no shortage of things to do and see – but with the election in full swing I’m feeling more inclined to take in that limited view, itself hugely significant and symbolic, from the comfort of said bedroom.

As an Australian passing through its been interesting to watch and listen to New Yorkers as they live through the most divisive election experiences in recent decades. The candidates have strong ties to NYC – Trump was born and raised in the city, and Clinton was its first female Senator and lives around 30 miles north of the big smoke.

Since I’m not voting in the election my political views don’t really matter on this one, but having talked to people on the ground I figured I’d share some insight and comparison based on my Australian voting experience.

Election Fatigue

When Australia voted in a double dissolution election earlier this year it came on the back of a campaign of around two months, and needless to say by the end of it we were all pretty tired of hearing about Turnbull’s privilege and Shorten’s lettuce preferences by the end of it. By contrast, Clinton and Trump announced their campaigns for presidency three days apart in June. June 2015. From the initial campaigning for their respective party tickets to now the American people has sat through some 18 months of political talk and speculation, commercials, accusations and scandals. The majority of everyday people I’ve spoken to in New York just want it to be over, and it’s not hard to see why.

The voting system

Australians are required by law to vote, but Americans are not. As a consequence while there are people who vote in every election there are scores of people who need to be convinced by one candidate or another that it’s worth their time and effort to turn out on election day (a Tuesday and not a public holiday, by the way). I haven’t been here long enough to establish a strong opinion on it but I’m sure this would have an influence on the candidate rhetoric and where they target their campaigns. I’ve seen reported that early figures suggest a strong Latino voter turnout – I have my theories but where this significant minority vote will go and what motivated the strength of numbers remains to be seen. It also probably clouds the reliability of polling – no one really knows who will turn out on election day.

As an aside, when I told one guy that Australians were required to vote he insisted that was undemocratic. I’d never really thought about it.

Celebrity endorsements

Perhaps this is another consequence of the voluntary voting system, but it seems to really matter to people which way their favourite celebrities vote. The Clinton campaign has called on Beyonce and Jay-Z this week and appears to be more popular with entertainers of this ilk. I had an interesting conversation at the ice hockey of all places with a builder from upstate, who told me he liked Billy Joel’s philosophy on political endorsement – “who cares about the opinions of a piano player”. As an outsider it is interesting that the lines between the celebrity and political realms do appear somewhat blurred – I can’t imagine Barnaby Joyce calling on Flume for an endorsement anytime soon.

Whatever happens with the vote today and politically in the coming months, the heart of New York City seems entirely likely to continue ticking as it has done for years to come.

I’m grateful to have visited at such an interesting point in its story.

Roaches and records

roachy-1-diplodopest

Note: A lot of blogs I’ve read open with a cheery welcome post. Through no fault of its own this one doesn’t, but it picks up.

It was an unbearably warm Saturday evening spent alone in a roach infested two-bedroom flat in Perth’s southern suburbs. The apartment – my apartment – had helped me back on my feet, but a lot had changed during my time there and things felt really stale.

The recent changes – a relationship breakdown, a loss of interest in my only hobby and the cancellation of my plans for the evening – added up to feel heavier than the sum of their parts, and as such, things were pretty flat.

I was moving in a few weeks time and most my stuff was packed, but instead of making new plans that evening I sat among the roaches and the boxes and tried to keep the roaches out of the boxes and honestly felt really sorry for myself. It wasn’t a great night.

Pretty much the only thing I hadn’t packed was my record player, and having spontaneously picked up a copy earlier in the day that was when I first listened to Mac DeMarco’s Another One.

I like DeMarco’s work, but I’m no fanatic by any stretch. That said, there was a moment on Another One which particularly stood out. It wasn’t even a song. At the mini-LP’s conclusion the Canadian crooner, now residing in some weird part of New York, blurted out his address and invited the listener around for a cup of coffee.

Normally an invite to anyone who cared wouldn’t elicit a second thought, but in these circumstances it did. I’d never had any motivation to travel to New York before so I slept on the idea, but within a week I’d booked my flights to JFK – initially in September by accident but eventually in October like I’d intended. And so began a plan to travel several thousand miles from the world’s most isolated city to one of its most populous and drink a cup of coffee with a complete stranger.

I’ve read that people have made the trip before, but I’ve not heard of anyone going from Perth to do so. Provided he’s home I guess I’ll know for sure in a few months’ time.

Election Fatigue

The voting system

Celebrity endorsements