The US- a deeply divided country

 

 

 

The US- a deeply divided country

The academic discourse used to be that the US is more a stable democracy with the two party- system allowing smooth transition of power, in contrast to a multi-party system in India that builds political instability. Donald Trump has changed that perception. He will go down in American history as the most divisive figure. When the first Black American Barack Obama was elected President in 2008, the world felt that a racially divided America showing the sign of establishing a more egalitarian society, with the blacks emerging as equal citizens of American nation. Trump sought to reverse that trend for partisan sectarian politics.

The US is the third most populous country in the world with 328 million people. It has the   world’s largest Christian population, about 71% Americans identifying as Christians, and almost half of all Americans constituting Protestants, non-Hispanic blacks making 12% and the multiracial African Americans 13% of the total population, as per the US 2010 Census. The USA is essentially a country of immigrants, with 13 British colonies made up largely European settlers breaking away from the British Empire and declaring independence on July 4, 1776.

America known as the melting pot of religions, cultures and ethnicities, its population profoundly shaped by centuries of immigration, is a deeply divided country today. Americans are more divided than ever, gridlocked over social issues, race, gender and the economy.  Trump has only precipitated the divide as a white supremacist-a striking resemblance with Narendra Modi as a Hindu nationalist associated with rising majoritarianism.  The need for racial equity is receiving considerable attention in American. However, as Amartya Sen says: “The interesting thing about the recent expansion of protest movements in America, such as Black Lives Matter, is the fact that the issue of equity of African Americans has been so slow in getting effective recognition despite the vigour of the Civil Rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s.”

The Presidential race in 2020 between Donald Trump and Joe Biden has divided America like never before since the Civil War. The two presidential campaigns in the US have cost a record $14 billion, with the largest voter turn out of 67% in a country where people are supposed to be politically apathetic. The two campaigns have spelled out two competing narratives. For Trump,  it is “ about promoting further tax cuts ,continuing to build  a deeply conservative judiciary at all levels, drastically curbing immigration” as Prof Sumit Ganguly says. He also wants to deglobalise the economy by pursuing a policy of protectionism with more economic deregulation. He tried to whip the racial sentiment by stoking fear about various calls for racial justice, creating racial prejudice among the working class, and poorly educated whites, who in recent years have dreaded an erosion of their ethnic privileges... For Biden, it is to “build as wide a coalition as possible and eschewed any racial appeals”, addressing issues of growing economic inequality, to promote racial harmony and justice, restoring much needed civility to American social and political life.

Trump has questioned the integrity of the US election system, refusing to concede the defeat, accusing the democrats “trying to steal the election”.  This was unthinkable a few years ago. He filed law suits in several States demanding stopping the vote counting and asking for recounting, without substantiating his charges of rigging and electoral frauds and his supporters threatening violence. Many TV channels have blocked live coverage of President Trump’s appearance since he was spreading disinformation and telling the people lies.  According to PolitiFact, an independent fact checker, “Since Donald Trump won the presidency in 2016; he has told more than 20,000 lies. …more than half of Trump’s statements were false.”  This loss of credibility is a disgrace to the office that he occupies.

The election laws in America are archaic, with every state having its own law, leading to several days for counting and declaring the results, even after concluding the election. This unnecessarily increases tension and anxiety in both the camps. The Election Commission in India deals with massive election exercises more competently in a time bound manner.  In the general election of 2019 it handled more than 600 million voters, who cost the vote, counted the votes and declared the results in just one day, a remarkable feat; in contrast  about 150 million voters in America voted in the presidential election of 2020.

It is now obvious that Joe Biden would win more votes of electors and occupy the White House, but he faces a formidable challenge in Donald Trump.  The swearing of the President-Elect in January next may not be smooth. During the intervening period Trump may create fresh hurdles for Biden.  It is ironical that the man who benefited by the election system to reach the White House, should now question the very system. Lord Acton said “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But to Bernard Shaw, “power does not corrupt power, it is when fools get into positions of power, they corrupt the power.” And according to the American author John Steinbeck,"power does not corrupt, fear corrupts... the fear of loss of power." Blame the people who elect the persons who subscribe to Hitler's Propaganda Minister Goebbels’ theory; “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.” That is what the people who consider power as entitlement do.

Trump is going, indicating the ultimate triumph of democracy and the end of autocracy and authoritarianism. But Trumpism-a coarse,ragged ideology that combines elements of racism, bigotry,white grievance, narcissism, and a love of conspiracy theories with a reckless disregard for facts- isn't going anywhere. Trump appears to be digging in for the long haul given that he constitutionally remains the President till January 20, 2021.  The blacks seem to have overwhelmingly supported Biden. It was the vote count from majority black cities Detroit (Michigan), Atlanta (Georgia) and Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) which turned the tide in favor of Biden. But Trump vote count has increased by 10 million (from 60 million in 2016 to 70 million) giving him continued leadership status in the Republican Party, setting the stage for a prolonged political confrontation in a  sharply polarised  country.