The outcome of the U.S. presidential election in November affects the entire planet.
The United States is one of the most influential powers on global policy with the largest economy, technological advances and a role as global policeman.
That influence could shift suddenly depending on who is elected president.
Former Republican president Donald Trump wants to withdraw military support for the free world, based on the U.S. paying too many of the bills.
Democratic Party candidate Kamala Harris would be expected to retain that current role but expect calls for more support from other nations.
The outcome of that election will have crucial impacts on the rest of the world in trade as well.
After President Joe Biden's awkward debate performance, Trump appeared a shoo-in to return as president.
Biden’s withdrawal and the emergence of Vice-president Kamala Harris was an election changing shift in the race.
No longer will the race be between two old men.
Harris injected a relatively younger candidate, age 60, to age 78 for Trump with a fresh face for voters.
Seventy per cent of American voters didn’t care for Biden or Trump as presidential material, largely due to their age.
Voters now have a choice to make on age.
Harris has obstacles to overcome. She spent the first two years of her vice-presidential term in Washington where she presided over tie votes and did not become as well known as most vice-presidents.
Two weeks after she joined the race, Harris had polled five per cent better than Biden and held a narrow lead over Trump.
It seems the election is hers to lose, especially if Trump continues racist taunts.
The Republican vice-presidential candidate J.D. Vance started the campaign with a plan of holding large corporations and their power to account. That policy should click with the voters.
Then he side-tracked his efforts with the cat lady comments about childless women, outraging voters and dominating the headlines.
The Harris campaign offers a relatively new face and different vision of the future, somewhat like the 1960 campaign J.F. Kennedy won for the Democrats.
The Trump campaign urges Americans to step back in time to be what America once was, labelling the nation today as one with doom and gloom, similar to Richard Nixon’s campaign.
What will Americans choose?
Stay tuned for the next three months.
Ron Walter can be reached at ronjoy@sasktel.net.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
