Humpty Trumpty had a Great Fall
I have been reluctant to mention the (orange) elephant in the room for several good reasons, the first one being I am not an American citizen. Another reason is that the subject of Donald J. Trump has been combed over by the pundits and talking heads to the point of boredom. It would seem that the subject was well and truly covered. But as this extraordinary saga has rolled on, it becomes not just an American issue, it is a global one. That the president of the United States, upon comprehensively losing an election, would take it upon himself to whip up his followers to invade the Capitol building is not only absolutely astonishing, but deeply worrying to anyone concerned with the defence of democracy. Despite what many Americans might believe, democracy is not an exclusively American concept.
The term democracy is a word sometimes loosely bandied about; note that the appallingly repressive regime in North Korea calls itself The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The now defunct and disgraced state of East Germany called itself the Deutche Demokratische Republic. So what does the term ‘democratic’ really mean. It is a sad irony that the countries which trumpet the term democracy, are usually anything but.
Simply said, it’s essential significance it that it is the basis for decent government, voted in by the majority of the people, and the rule of law. These principals are the foundation of all jurisdictions in the free world. It is an ideal not easily achieved, but it is an ideal which must always be defended. Around the world, outside of our comfortable seemingly safe democratic enclaves, the wolves still lurk; dark forces circle.
It is therefore essential that voices from outside America need to be heard; this is not just an American issue. Let’s look at the origins of this latest twist of American politics. What is really behind it all?
It is a deep irony that up until the early years of the last century, the forces of southern reaction, the embittered left-overs of the American Civil War, were embedded within the Democratic Party — the so-called Dixie democrats. It was this influence within the democrat’s national policy makers which made it impossible for reformers such as President FD Roosevelt to do anything meaningful in the area of civil rights. Not until the time of President JFKennedy did the civil rights movement begin to bring change. This caused much angst among those, particularly in the southern states who feared such change. As a result, the Dixie democrats began a shift of allegiance to the Republican party. Donald Trump is not one of these disaffected radicals: he is an unprincipled scoundrel, a rabble rouser who saw his chance to use their anger for his own purposes. OK, some simplifications, but that is the situation in a nutshell.
So what is the road forward for America? Internationally, the close geo-political alliances so carelessly scorned, tossed aside by Trump must be re-established as soon as possible. The Russians, the Chinese, the radical Islamists must be reminded that America is not toothless, and is not without allies. Internally, education is the key to change, not only amongst Americans of Caucasian descent, but the Afro- American population, and don’t forget, all the other groups making up the American melting pot. Americans might remind themselves that unity is strength — for the converse also applies.
The racial divide issue may from the inside look dire, but if one looks back over the past fifty years or so, the situation has gone from segregation of schools, the assassination of Martin Luther King , to hereto unbelievable changes; for example we saw four star General Colin Powell, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989–93) and secretary of state (2001–05), the first African American to hold either position. Condoleeza Rice, Secretary of State in the GW Bush administration, also Afro-American. And then the election of Barak Obama to the Presidency of the USA.
Around the world many applauded the fact that America had matured. But then came Humpty Trumpty…
With the election of President Biden, the chance presents itself for America to re-calibrate; to take serious action in a time of national crisis, to once more show leadership in a world of crises, of tension between competing power blocs. Despite what many Americans believe, there is still much international respect for America and it’s institutions. It is Donald Trump who is despised, not America itself.
Sometimes the view from outside can shed clarity upon a situation. To me, it would seem that following these disastrous years of the Trump administration, the whole system of electing an American president needs some re-adjustment, the role of the POTUS re-evaluated. It is a very rare individual who can handle such awesome powers without succumbing to hubris. Observed from a distance, the ceding of such control of a nation’s political actions to a single pair of hands, is a negation of the power of the elected representatives of the people. The Greek word — and concept — of democracy means literally ‘government by the people.’ As Lord Acton wrote in his famous epigram:
‘Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.’
Originally published at https://www.johnworth.com.au on January 19, 2021.
