Defection is not a new phenomenon in elections in Nepal. Not only at the local level, even in the House of Representatives elections, there are many who give tickets from other parties after their own party does not give tickets. They change parties hoping for a ticket.
Even in the neighboring country of India, there is a lot of party change in the run-up to the elections. In the recent elections, many people left the opposition party and went to the ruling BJP. However, the same interesting scene was seen in the US presidential election this time.
During the four-day Democratic National Convention (DNC) in Chicago, Republicans were presented as key speakers every day. They criticized Donald Trump, and endorsed Kamala Harris.
Republican Adam Kingziger addressed the fourth day of the DNC Thursday night. He said the capital incident was due to Trump’s betrayal and humiliation. In a conference full of Democrats, he said, ‘I want to tell my Republican friends, Democrats are also patriots like us.’
According to him, being conservative means standing for the constitution and democracy. He went on to say, ‘But the Republican Party is no longer conservative.’ He said that Trump’s only goal was himself and that’s why he left the party, ‘Vote for Kamala Harris for our basic values.’
Vice President Harris, who unexpectedly arrived in the race for the presidential election, has also bumped into Trump in the swing states, and the exit polls show that she is ahead overall.
Independent voters in particular seem to be drawn to Harris. According to an exit poll released only Thursday, Harris’ rating among independent voters has increased from 28 (in June) to 41 percent. She leads the Republicans by 5 percentage points.
Harris’s campaign will garner support not only from independent voters, but also from Republicans who are dissatisfied with Trump. That’s what happens every time at the DNC.
The strategy of bringing the dissatisfaction of another party and letting them speak in their party conference is not new. In 2004, the Georgia senator, a lifelong Democrat, appeared at the Republican National Convention and strongly criticized Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.
Former Ohio Republican Governor John Kasich and former Secretary of State Colin Palew attended the DC in 2020 and questioned Republican candidate Trump.
No Democrats spoke at the Republican convention last July. A platform was given to some voters who voted for Biden the previous time, who think they will vote for the Republican candidate Trump this time.
At the convention of the Democratic Party, not only Republicans, but also those who worked on the Trump team were seen. The former Republican governor of Georgia, Jeff Duncan, said, ‘If you vote for Kamala Harris in 2024, you are not a Democrat, you are a patriot.’
He began his speech by saying that he would address the millions of Republicans and independents who are staying at home, who have been fed up with Trump’s pretenses.
Olivia Troy, who was present at the DNC, told how terrible it was to work as a counter-terrorism adviser to Trump’s Vice President Mike Pence.
She said that she saw Trump using his office to weaken the military and intelligence leadership as well as trying to reverse his 2020 election victory.
According to the Times Magazine, those who voted for Nikki Haley in the Republican Party primaries have defamed them. According to the strategists of the Democratic Party, the way to reach the traditional voters has been opened.
Democratic Party delegates also heard from Arizona Mayor John Giles and Trump’s White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham. Saying that the Republican Party has lost its identity under Trump’s leadership, Gilles said, ‘I have been a Republican all my life, but today I felt more of myself here than today’s Republicans.’
Grisham recounted how she went from being a staunch Trump supporter to becoming a supporter of Harris. She has also made public the text message she sent to the then First Lady Melania Trump on January 6 and her reply.
Grisham sent a message urging her to tweet that peaceful protests are a right, but chaos and violence have no place, to which then-first lady Melania replied no.
Grisham went on to say, ‘I am here advocating for a Democrat because I love my country more than my party. Kamala Harris speaks the truth, respects American citizens, she gets my vote.’
Trump has not responded to the comments made by his former supporters at the Democratic Party convention. A senior member of Trump’s campaign told the BBC on condition of anonymity that Trump was watching the conference and was irritated by the comments against him.
