Democracy? Is This The End Of Days
My posts have, over the years, deliberately steered clear of politics as my first foray into that particular field elicited a barrage of negative and bullying comments.
I even got hate mail for goodness sake!
Lately, however, I feel compelled to say something, as American politics and, more importantly, one Donald J. Trump have invaded my space, even on this small island perched on the Indonesian archipelago.
I have begun to wonder how Americans think they are perceived by the ‘outside’ world, given their current policy of ‘America First.’ I think I have reached the conclusion that a large proportion of their population couldn’t give a tinker’s toss about what others think.
What a shame!
The international media these days delivers scathing reports after scathing reports on Donald Trump’s shenanigans. The gist of most articles portrays it as a comical charade (even though he is practising blatant corruption, starting wars, and going to great lengths to cover up the Epstein files). The truth is, he diligently continues to chip away at the very fabric and foundations of America’s democracy.
Germany’s respected “Die Zeit,’ wrote recently that the outcome of his two impeachment processes, his beef with Iran, and his ability to get away with outrageous acts is “a triumph for Trump – not just over the Democrats, but over democracy itself”. The piece went on to say that, “the end of this historic yet absurd process has made it abundantly clear how seriously damaged the US political system now is”
Trump is a president who recognises no borders or indeed boundaries, and, although he did not begin this attack on democracy, he recognised it and accelerated it. He has taken advantage of the smouldering distrust of institutions and norms, proffering lies to those desperate to hear them and slander to all who oppose him.
Die Zeit went on to say that Trump, his followers and the majority of the pusillanimous Republican senators are, together and wilfully breaking down the very concept of democracy.”
I am dumbfounded as these self-same senators blindly kneel and kiss the ring of the Emperor who wears no clothes and sit back and watch as the man strides ever more confidently across America and the globe towards outright dictatorship.
The judiciary, traditionally an independent pillar of the state, has lost its moral compass when it comes to decisions concerning Donald Trump and willingly follows his outrageous decrees and revenge campaigns.
The press, should they criticise the man in the White House, instantly becomes an enemy of the people and its journalists are labelled traitors.
Intelligence agencies, advisers, and the whole government apparatus are somehow justified only as long as it supports and agree with the truth of power he weilds like a conductor’s baton.
France’s Liberation recently summed up the current regime, and particularly the Epstein files. “The curtain has fallen, not before time, on a process that for the past year had offered the American public, and the world, a desperate spectacle. This is so far a hollow pretence of justice, without testimony or an ounce of impartiality; in all likelihood it will end as expected – in the president’s acquittal.”
The US Congress and the Senate, once known as the world’s greatest deliberative body, have not deliberated at all. Not for a moment. In refusing to allow witnesses to be called. The Republican bloc, more subservient to Trump than ever, will ensure the evidence against him will simply not be examined.
“What will future historians make of this comedy of errors?” the paper wondered. “Will they see a turning point in the way the executive branch accounts for itself to Congress? The ultimate splintering of American politics? The abandonment by Senate Republicans of their pledge to defend the Constitution? Or will it be a strategic error by the Democrats? The answer will possibly depend on the outcome of midterms in November.”
The Australian media, too, weighed in with gusto, with The Age coming out swinging. “Even taking into account Trump’s positives, his negatives, his corruption, his reliance on lying, the numerous sexual assault allegations, his disregard for the spirit and letter of the law – are destructive for constitutional democracy,” it said.
“With Republicans unwilling to check his power, Trump functions more like a ruler, a mob boss, or a kingpin than an elected official. Disregard for the law should be of deep concern to citizens of democracies everywhere. It creates a world where status matters more than the law.
In the Netherlands, De Volkskrant’s Washington correspondent wrote, “If the last eighteen months have made it abundantly clear, it’s that Trump has the undivided support of his party – and that if he wins in November, he will be accountable only to himself.”
Trump was going from strength to strength, the paper said: “He exhibits behaviour that has never been seen before in US presidents: the lies, the lack of decorum, the way he puts people under pressure, the demonstrable corruption. But no one seems to be put off. The traditional values of honour and respect, an inherent part of the Republican party for so long, have been abandoned in a staggeringly short space of time.”
I personally have always loved America, as I admire the raw vitality of its constitution. That document was always intended to be a beacon for outsiders to come and create a melting pot of global migrants keen to settle their way across America.
However, it must be acknowledged that the astonishing piece of writing has hardly changed since the 18th century and, as such, has become archaic, ramshackle, and slightly flawed.
And then, along comes a Donald Trump who has crafted himself as being a folk hero to the ‘deplorables, ’ the dispossessed and the underprivileged. He presents himself as a ‘benevolent’, tough billionaire buoyed by unfettered vanity, paranoia and narcissism, and, in doing so, he has somehow made mendacity an agent of power.
A president should, and indeed must, surround himself or herself with skilled and wise advisors of substance, yet a deluge of advisors has come and gone in rapid succession, walking out in despair or being fired. Their knowledge and experience are unwanted by someone who believes he ‘knows it all.’ This revolving-door policy tears apart the very fabric of national cohesion, which, from the outside, looks strained and close to breaking.
But for many Americans – not just the poor and disadvantaged – who have long felt isolated from the power centres of Washington and New York, his ineptitude and bullying are somehow perceived as evidence of authenticity.
I recently caught a clip on YouTube where the BBC interviewed a Southern Baptist woman on Trump’s multitude of moral failings. Her response was as flawed as the man himself. “We are all sinners, and if Trump is a crook, he is my kind of crook.”
Hopefully, Trump will have his wings clipped by a perfectly healthy democracy (if Americans can be bothered to vote!) in November. It is also up to the Democratic Party to find a plausible candidate to succeed him and, in doing so, repair the staggering damage the current president has caused at home and abroad.
His disruptive term of office should serve as a warning to all hubristic governments, so that he will be consigned to a mere blip in the history of America.
Donald Trump has made an alarming shift that has taken a dangerous turn for the fate of democracy, not just in America but across the globe.
Paul v Walters is the author of several novels and anthologies of short stories. His latest offering, RITUAL, was launched at the International Writers and Readers Festival.
