World
November 9, 2024 07:50
washington - The recent political developments in the US shed light on the reasons behind the shocking defeat of the Democrats and the rise of Donald Trump's Republicans to power.
Black men have abandoned Kamala Harris. Or wait, Latinos have done it. Maybe the loss is Tim Walz's fault. Or at least the fault of sitting President Joe Biden who stayed in the race too long.
The blame game has begun within the Democrats after the historic defeat on November 5. Donald Trump and his Republicans not only conquered the White House this week but also likely secured the Senate and the House of Representatives. This comes as a harsh blow to the party that coldly discarded its own leader in the pursuit of power last summer.
Politicians who felt too good for Trump, who considered themselves morally superior to the 'dictator' and 'fascist', must face the harsh reality. This does not happen without resistance, and certainly not by acknowledging that the party has lost touch with the voters. Instead, there is much ado about individuals rather than the party's own story. It masks the fact that the country is not on the wrong path, but the Democrats themselves.
The lack of self-reflection reveals the true face of America's progressive vanguard, the so-called enlightened part of the nation that preaches inclusivity and tolerance. The facade of solidarity has been replaced by finger-pointing. In doing so, the Democrats are resorting to the same tactics they constantly accuse their political opponents of. The party is looking for a scapegoat.
There are valuable lessons to be learned from the turbulent political developments in the US, even for the Netherlands. Because all scaremongering, madness, hostility, and extremism have not driven the voters away from Trump. How is it that a majority of Americans choose an angry, lying 'potentate' haunted by legal issues over a joyful, optimistic 'power woman' who was supposed to save democracy? The answer seems simple and harsh: when citizens feel that those in power no longer listen to them or represent their interests, democracy, whether threatened or not, becomes an empty shell.
The extent to which power in the US had become disconnected from the population became evident in recent years. While many Americans struggled with skyrocketing inflation and could barely make ends meet, the Biden administration pumped tens of billions of taxpayer dollars into distant wars like in Ukraine. Democratic officials at all levels showed more concern for illegal immigrants than their own citizens by not sending them back but accommodating them in hotels, including free meals or pocket money, totaling up to $350 per week. According to official figures, over 650,000 Americans are currently homeless, including veterans. The actual number is likely much higher.
This clarifies why a majority of Americans want a demolisher, a disruptor who rearranges priorities in Washington. The incumbent government seemed to be in solidarity with the whole world except its own citizens. It also helps explain why all the Democrats' words of caution and all the absurd statements and insults from Trump worked in his favor, not against him. When your enemy warns of danger, it is not so much a threat as an opportunity.
This leads to another aspect of Trump's victory: the deep-seated aversion to the federal government, the Brussels of America: Washington. The political power center is far removed from the citizens and is dominated by entrenched interests. Politicians, lobbyists, interest groups, and the media play their own game there.
Not surprisingly, conservative forces have devised an extensive plan, Project 2025, to clean house in the capital. Drain the swamp is the message, with security services being stripped, ministries dismantled, and batteries of officials dismissed. The idea behind this is that the American federal government has been hijacked by a progressive elite deeply entrenched in the corridors of power. This manifested, for example, in the determination with which a radical woke agenda was rolled out by liberals in Washington in recent years. Departments established sections solely dedicated to labeling in the context of identity politics. This allowed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to find time to present an inclusive award to a political clown from a friendly country amidst international crises.
Conservatives believe even the separation of powers, the trias politica, needs to be overhauled. The president – read Trump – should have a greater power position. Although the businessman distanced himself from Project 2025 during the campaign, he also made it clear that the conservative master plan contains good elements. It is telling that many Americans seem willing to embark on that path. According to the left, it leads to a dictatorship. Many citizens are no longer concerned. They want change at all costs.
In deeply divided and polarized America, camps not only have different interests and priorities, they now live in a parallel reality. Exemplary of this is the role of the news media. The alarming and activist anti-Trump tone of many American newspapers and news channels, such as CNN and the Washington Post, has not made an impression. This can be explained. A significant portion of the nation no longer reads, listens, or watches traditional news media. For comparison, the popular Joe Rogan podcast averages eleven million listeners. That is more than the average viewership of CNN, MSNBC, CBS News, and Fox News combined.
Furthermore, it is also true that all warnings from the media about lies, chaos, and violence from Trump slid off. Many Americans do not see the media as a watchdog of power but as part of it, and thus part of the problem: the status quo in Washington. This meant that every attack in the newspaper or on TV did not damage but rather strengthened the Republican among a significant portion of the population. The demolisher became bigger and stronger.
These events serve as a warning, also for the Netherlands. Because in addition to differences, there are parallels, such as the glaring gap between citizens and power. Take the asylum issue. A not unreasonable wish of a democratic majority clashes with a wall of entrenched European rules and manipulative interests. If the playing field is thus overly restricted, there will come a day when voters want to break through the wall. Like in America.