I did not vote in the 2016 US presidential election.
It is my most shameful secret. I am politically engaged and I care deeply about democracy. But last election, I let all of that slide because of one big factor: I simply could not bring myself to vote for Hillary Clinton.
So I lied to myself. As an American citizen who had lived abroad my entire adult life, I told myself it was too complicated to vote by mail. In previous elections, especially in 2008 and 2012, I flew back to the US to cast my vote for Barack Obama. But his policies (at the time of the ballot, anyway) closely aligned with my own.
I was sure that Hillary Clinton, with her vast intelligence and history of politics, would win. I just did not want to vote for her
In 2016, however, I made silly excuses. I was too busy to stand in line at French post offices to send voting forms by registered mail. My home state of New Jersey is considered a Democratic Party stronghold, so my vote for Ms Clinton would not matter anyway. I lied to myself all the way to Tuesday, November 8, 2016, when the last of the results came in and Donald Trump was declared president-elect.
Like many Americans, I spent that year blinded by faith that there was no way Americans could elect a reality TV star to the White House. This was a man who stood for everything I fought against: racism, bigotry, Islamophobia, ignorance and hateful rhetoric. I was sure that Ms Clinton, with her vast intelligence and history of politics, would win.
I just did not want to vote for her.
I was not alone. An informal poll of female friends and family – educated, urbane women – assured me that many were quietly taking the same path. People did not like Ms Clinton, even if we recognised her as a stable, mature and experienced leader. Why did we feel that way? Personally, I felt bullied and manipulated by her to vote for a woman because I am a woman.
I am also suspicious of the Clinton family political machine and its lack of transparency, as well as Bill Clinton’s stalled foreign policy in Bosnia, where I spent many years reporting. I know it makes no more sense to vote against a woman because of her husband than it does to vote for a woman because she is a woman. But voting is often gut-wrenchingly emotional.
And faith in the broader population makes it easier to deflect personal responsibility. “I was sure she would win without my vote,” one of my friends, a banker in Manhattan, told me. “I just didn’t want to sully myself voting for her.”
We were wrong. I moved back to an America under a Trump presidency in 2018, and witnessed my country in the throes of white nativism and "America First" unilateral foreign policy. And unless we work hard now, he will win again in November. Four more years of Make America Great Again.
This time, I am backing Elizabeth Warren, a candidate I truly admire. This week, in the middle of Mr Trump’s impeachment trial, she stayed in Washington rather than go out on the campaign trail “because some things are more important than politics", she said. That is the kind of person she is – the kind who believes in her constitutional duty.
Read More from Janine di Giovanni
Ms Warren has built a grass roots movement. She is not a corrupt, cynical politician. She is a hardworking, smart academic. She is a former single mum who put herself through law school by paying $50 a week. She believes in curtailing the influence of Wall Street; the super-rich should pay their share of taxes, or more. University education and healthcare should be available to everyone. Our society should invest more in clean energy. Most importantly, Ms Warren believes in fighting corruption and reforming the fundamental structures of government.
In a rare break with convention, the editorial board of The New York Times recently endorsed two Democratic candidates – Ms Warren and Amy Klobuchar – instead of one. While I am sticking by Ms Warren, both are candidates I could vote for with genuine conviction. Looking back at the Clinton debacle, conviction – or a lack thereof – was at the heart of the matter.
So this time, I am getting out there and leaning in. I am publicly backing Ms Warren. We are a week away from the February 3 Iowa caucuses, the first vote of the 2020 season.
When Ms Clinton gave her concession speech during the 2008 Democratic primaries, when she ran against Mr Obama, she poignantly evoked the glass ceiling. So many of us have struggled to get there, and she acknowledged it while also conceding her stunning defeat. “I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling,” she said. “But someday, someone will – and hopefully sooner than we might think right now.”
That ceiling might be shattered in 2020 with Ms Warren, or Ms Klobuchar – both smart women who can truly make American great again using the principles the country was founded on.
They want to rebuild a democracy and this time, I am not putting my head in the sand.
Janine di Giovanni is a senior fellow at Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs and the author of The Morning They Came for Us: Dispatches from Syria
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Barcelona v Liverpool, Wednesday, 11pm (UAE).
Second leg
Liverpool v Barcelona, Tuesday, May 7, 11pm
Games on BeIN Sports
Biography
Favourite Meal: Chicken Caesar salad
Hobbies: Travelling, going to the gym
Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
Favourite read: Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter
Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
Scoreline:
Barcelona 2
Suarez 85', Messi 86'
Atletico Madrid 0
Red card: Diego Costa 28' (Atletico)
Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test India won by innings and 53 runs at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
The biog
Alwyn Stephen says much of his success is a result of taking an educated chance on business decisions.
His advice to anyone starting out in business is to have no fear as life is about taking on challenges.
“If you have the ambition and dream of something, follow that dream, be positive, determined and set goals.
"Nothing and no-one can stop you from succeeding with the right work application, and a little bit of luck along the way.”
Mr Stephen sells his luxury fragrances at selected perfumeries around the UAE, including the House of Niche Boutique in Al Seef.
He relaxes by spending time with his family at home, and enjoying his wife’s India cooking.
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Start-up hopes to end Japan's love affair with cash
Across most of Asia, people pay for taxi rides, restaurant meals and merchandise with smartphone-readable barcodes — except in Japan, where cash still rules. Now, as the country’s biggest web companies race to dominate the payments market, one Tokyo-based startup says it has a fighting chance to win with its QR app.
Origami had a head start when it introduced a QR-code payment service in late 2015 and has since signed up fast-food chain KFC, Tokyo’s largest cab company Nihon Kotsu and convenience store operator Lawson. The company raised $66 million in September to expand nationwide and plans to more than double its staff of about 100 employees, says founder Yoshiki Yasui.
Origami is betting that stores, which until now relied on direct mail and email newsletters, will pay for the ability to reach customers on their smartphones. For example, a hair salon using Origami’s payment app would be able to send a message to past customers with a coupon for their next haircut.
Quick Response codes, the dotted squares that can be read by smartphone cameras, were invented in the 1990s by a unit of Toyota Motor to track automotive parts. But when the Japanese pioneered digital payments almost two decades ago with contactless cards for train fares, they chose the so-called near-field communications technology. The high cost of rolling out NFC payments, convenient ATMs and a culture where lost wallets are often returned have all been cited as reasons why cash remains king in the archipelago. In China, however, QR codes dominate.
Cashless payments, which includes credit cards, accounted for just 20 per cent of total consumer spending in Japan during 2016, compared with 60 per cent in China and 89 per cent in South Korea, according to a report by the Bank of Japan.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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if you go
The flights
Emirates flies to Delhi with fares starting from around Dh760 return, while Etihad fares cost about Dh783 return. From Delhi, there are connecting flights to Lucknow.
Where to stay
It is advisable to stay in Lucknow and make a day trip to Kannauj. A stay at the Lebua Lucknow hotel, a traditional Lucknowi mansion, is recommended. Prices start from Dh300 per night (excluding taxes).
500 People from Gaza enter France
115 Special programme for artists
25 Evacuation of injured and sick
Voices: How A Great Singer Can Change Your Life
Nick Coleman
Jonathan Cape
The Little Things
Directed by: John Lee Hancock
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Jared Leto
Four stars
