SRF election series "America, let's talk" Barbara Lüthi: "It's a battle of good versus evil"
"Club" boss Barbara Lüthi with "Club" journalist and former Washington correspondent Peter Düggeli in front of the White House in Washington 2024. They traveled the country for the "Club Special: America, let's talk" a few months before the US elections and took the pulse of the voters.
Image: SRF
News journalist Barbara Lüthi visited the border with Mexico to take a look at the refugee issue in America.
Image: SRF
Former Washington correspondent Peter Düggeli met civil rights activist Andrew Young for an interview.
Image: SRF
For the first episode of the US election special, Barbara Lüthi spoke to defendants at the Drug Court in Charleston, West Virginia.
Image: SRF
"Club" co-host Peter Düggeli met human rights lawyer Tiffany Roberts for the second episode "The Southern States" of "America, let's talk".
Image: SRF
Barbara Lüthi in conversation with Kenny Greco at his recycling business in Youngstown, Ohio.
Image: SRF
A pro-life activist gives an insight into a Pregnancy Crisis Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Image: SRF
"Club" boss Barbara Lüthi with "Club" journalist and former Washington correspondent Peter Düggeli in front of the White House in Washington 2024. They traveled the country for the "Club Special: America, let's talk" a few months before the US elections and took the pulse of the voters.
Image: SRF
News journalist Barbara Lüthi visited the border with Mexico to take a look at the refugee issue in America.
Image: SRF
Former Washington correspondent Peter Düggeli met civil rights activist Andrew Young for an interview.
Image: SRF
For the first episode of the US election special, Barbara Lüthi spoke to defendants at the Drug Court in Charleston, West Virginia.
Image: SRF
"Club" co-host Peter Düggeli met human rights lawyer Tiffany Roberts for the second episode "The Southern States" of "America, let's talk".
Image: SRF
Barbara Lüthi in conversation with Kenny Greco at his recycling business in Youngstown, Ohio.
Image: SRF
A pro-life activist gives an insight into a Pregnancy Crisis Center in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Image: SRF
How deep is the divide in US society ahead of the elections? "Club" hosts Barbara Lüthi and Peter Düggeli have traveled through the USA and captured the mood. Conclusion: the rifts are deep - but there are also rays of hope.
No time? blue News summarizes for you
- A few months before the elections, the USA is more torn apart than at any time since the Civil War. This is documented by "Club" presenters Barbara Lüthi and Peter Düggeli on their trip from the East to the West Coast. They report from the rust belt, the southern states, Texas and the liberal coasts.
- But even in this election year, the USA is not just made up of fractures and construction sites. In conversations with people from all walks of life, rich and poor, young and old, Republicans and Democrats, Barbara Lüthi and Peter Düggeli also look for the nuances. Lüthi and Düggeli traveled the USA before Joe Biden's resignation.
- The conversations resulted in four episodes of the "Club" special, a documentary film, a 3sat series and various online and social media content.
- The first episode will be broadcast today, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at 10.25 pm on SRF 1.
What is the mood among Americans ahead of the elections?
Peter Düggeli: There is a deep divide in the population. In US politics, people no longer work together on issues. Anyone who thinks differently is seen as an enemy. This spills over into the population. This rift has deepened. On the other hand, there are many areas in everyday life that work well at a local level.
For example?
Peter Düggeli: We saw that in the small town of Columbus in Mississippi, where the city works well with the county in many areas. A few years ago, there was agreement across party lines to remove a Civil War memorial from the city center. These monuments are a symbol of slavery for the African-American population.
Many people themselves are angry about the great divide, they think America is better and regret that this divide exists and that people are pitted against each other.
Barbara Lüthi: To give you a concrete example: I was in Charleston, the capital of West Virginia. Local politicians there - Democrats and Republicans - work together to solve the city's most pressing problems. This level of politics simply had to work, I was told, there was no time for partisan animosity.
How did you experience the atmosphere in the different regions of the USA during your trip?
Peter Düggeli: The differences are as you would expect. The coastal states, in the west and east with the big cities, are in favor of more liberal politics, while in the conservative south, people are of a similar mindset. For example: In Mississippi, most residents* are in favor of a ban on abortion.
Barbara Lüthi: These differences can be seen in Texas within a state: the city dwellers vote liberal, the rest vote conservative. Texas Republicans remain loyal to their party, but not necessarily because they are Trump supporters, but because they have Christian conservative values and want the least possible interference from the state. And that is more in line with the Republican party platform.
Which encounter do you particularly remember?
Barbara Lüthi: I interviewed a former trade union leader of the steelworkers in the rust belt. As a trade unionist, he traditionally votes Democratic. Since Roosevelt, ordinary workers have always voted Democrat, and today they are left with nothing, he told me. With deindustrialization, we have lost everything. Neither the party nor the trade unions were able to pick up the workers. His deep disappointment and disillusionment gave me food for thought.
Peter Düggeli: I met Andrew Young. He was a comrade-in-arms of Martin Luther King in the civil rights movement. Together with Luther King, he witnessed the milestones of the civil rights movement right up to the new laws in the 1960s. Young became a politician, was UN ambassador in the Carter administration - today he is 92 years old. As a Democrat, he is naturally very critical of Trump and the Republicans. Partly because he has experienced so much in his life, he does not see the USA as being "on the brink of destruction". Rather, he sees the country in a crisis from which it will emerge.
What is the most discussed topic in the United States of America?
Peter Düggeli: I report from the southern states on the subject of abortion. The country is almost irreconcilably divided on this issue. Abortion opponents and supporters simply can't discuss the issue with each other.
What was the most curious statement made by a Biden or Trump supporter?
Peter Düggeli: I've noticed that people who talk about politics often have 1:1 sentences from politicians in their heads and reproduce what they hear on TV and copy their favorite politicians. That is impressive. But if you ask questions in the discussion, many people's arguments are already over.
Barbara Lüthi: I've experienced that too. I was at a Republican event at which Lara Trump appeared. She said it was no longer about Republicans versus Democrats, it was a battle of good versus evil. And I heard this exact sentence countless times that evening.
Would Trump have a chance as a politician in Switzerland?
Peter Düggeli: I think we would have a certain percentage of people in Switzerland who would vote for him. But we have a multi-party system that balances this out in terms of concordance.
How has this trip changed your view of the USA and the upcoming elections?
Peter Düggeli: In Europe, we ask ourselves how we can vote for Trump or perhaps soon Harris. It's a simple mathematical calculation, there are two candidates. If you think the same way or have the same attitude as Trump in one area of your life, then you vote for Trump - even if you disagree with him in other areas. Take the issue of abortion, for example: if someone is against abortion, then they have no choice but to vote for Trump. Then it doesn't matter what Trump's stance is on other issues like women and foreigners or how he treats minorities.
If you're an economic Republican and you want taxes to be low for businesses, then you vote for Trump. The fact that there are only two parties makes the choice even more difficult.
