Philadelphia – What is the difference between the 2016 presidential election and the 2020 one? Come to the "Mayfair" diner in Philadelphia and you will see that while there is no difference in terms of politics, in terms of the atmosphere – nothing is the same.
Four years ago, I visited this diner just a few days before the election. Despite sitting at the heart of a Democratic city, everything about "Mayfair" screamed "Trump." In hindsight, one could see the cracks in Hillary Clinton's "blue wall" right there.
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The place was packed with and diners enthusiastically devouring eggs, pancakes, and hash browns. The food inspired much of the fervor, ramped up even more by then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. The polls predicted Hillary Clinton would win, but I hardly saw anyone supporting her.
I went back to "Mayfair" on Saturday. The waitress asked me to wait outside. There were more empty tables than diners, in accordance with social distancing restrictions over the coronavirus. I waited outside next to a group of young people. The rules are rigid because of city and county regulations, and head waitress Jerry was the one to show me to my seat.
"Four years ago I visited you and the election results in Pennsylvania and America, in general, were revealed to me," I told her, wondering, "Will it happen this time, too?"
Jerry was undecided. "It's very hard to know. Everything has changed. Look around. You see, the economy and making a living are very important to the people here. The economy sets the mood. Corona isn't Trump's fault, but it happened on his watch," she said, thus perhaps summing up the difference compared to 2016, and especially the confusion and overall despondency.
The coronavirus has turned a day on which democracy is celebrated into something else – even in the United States, the land of eternal optimism.
Echoes of the violent incident that took place in the city last week, when a young African American man was fatally shot by police officers who said he was brandishing a knife, are still felt. There is also fear of potential violence over the election results, as evident by the fact that some of the stores across from the diner have boarded up their windows to protect them from shattering and looting.
"So, will Biden win?" I asked Jerry. "No way," She replied, "Do you know how many people love Trump, even in Philadelphia?"
"The Democrats blame Trump for everything that happens here," says Evelyn, who is dining with her husband, Lori (75). He tells her it's better not to discuss politics.
Jerry, the head waitress, noted, "Look, I'm a redhead and I'm not afraid of anything, but in today's climate in America I prefer not to talk politics in our restaurant."
Jerry won't reveal who she voted for. All she's willing to say is that Trump's style is disturbing, and so is the way he talks about the coronavirus.
Who is more popular with the diners over the past month, I ask her, and she immediately replies, "Trump! Without a doubt. Biden is appreciated at best, but Trump is really loved. You should see his fans here at the restaurant."
I also met Christine, who says she's a Democrat "but I thinks Biden is dreary." She believes Trump will win, despite her aversion of him. "The man has done a lot for America. He's not just talking. Before the coronavirus, we saw what he is capable of, so as a Democrat, I'm telling you he will rehabilitate the economy. Biden isn't really up to it.
Christine works in a pharmacy not far from the diner, in a blue-collar neighborhood. This year, these voters have also turned their backs on the Democratic Party. "One-hundred percent of what I hear in the pharmacy is support for Trump," she said.
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