The first results of the North American elections complete the divisions of American society. Divisions that, though present since the country’s inception, have grown to borders of intolerance that are barely bearable. The partial count offers a minimal benefit to Republicans in the House and many more doubts about the future composition of the Senate. It seems a long time ago that the idea with which the inhabitants of the North American behemoth have always considered themselves “exceptional”, the unique idea of themselves as unified, has finally burst. Not everyone already loves and respects their constitution and the roots of their country, as evidenced by the 70 million votes Trump won in the presidential election two years ago. Until the storming of the Capitol, the American chauvinist right was not anti-democratic like European; he believed in democracy and the Constitution, of course only for civilized whites.
The history of current sectarian and rupturist politics is quite recent. Most sources put it in the 1990s, when after the Cold War, some Americans were looking for new enemies to fight. The so-called “Republican Revolution” of 1994, when the Republican Party regained the House of Representatives after 42 years, changed American politics significantly. From then on, Republicans began to identify the Democratic Party as the “enemy” and even the Covid-19 crisis failed to smooth out the rough edges and unify the country as had happened before in the major national crises. In a toxic political environment and with the last U.S. president declaring he wants to run again in the 2024 presidential election, if Republicans win and control Congress, Joe Biden’s presidency will be up for debate and issues like the U.S. support to Ukraine in the war against Russia, transatlantic trade relations and European security will change radically.
Social media and cable networks have markedly contributed to the toxic wasteland of arrogance, futility, frustration and anger in American politics today. The country has not yet fallen apart, despite the great efforts of its leaders to divide it, and this may be due to the legacy of its “peculiar” founding. Of course, we must now ask whether this capacity for unity will be maintained despite the pressures of continued polarization such as the one they are currently suffering from and which the elections have revealed. Let us not forget that the ultimate responsibility for this polarization lies in large part with its elites, in the structure of its political processes, in the functioning of its institutions, in its media and in the exponential growth of inequality. In this situation, the major reforms and enormous challenges facing the North American giant will be difficult to achieve. Uniting the country seems like a castle in the air.
Source: La Verdad
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