American Presidential Election and Democracy

Presidential Election in Stained Democracy

When false claims challenge the truth, fearful and ferocious public outcomes are bred. No wonder, why the American masses are more divided today than any time in recent history. American presidential elections 2020 failed to produce a viable prospect for the working of democracy. The nation is entrenched in an unending political crisis, more of opinions than substantial truth and reality. Opinions vary but truth is not transient and adaptable. American democracy appears to be unfolding many fault lines of time and historic consequences, and being unable to see the reality beyond the obvious. Former President Obama recently published his memoirs: “The Promised Land,” emphasizing the distinction between the truth and the falsehood as if he had the current presidential elections in focus.

At issue is the human character, leadership’s sense of responsibility and honesty, human equality, hopes for justice and truth-digging. American masses are fast embracing the fear of an uncertain political future that could deplete the human patience and raise the threats of greater vulnerability to chaos and political darkness to sort out realism. President Trump claims that 2020 elections were rigged and/or were “fraudulent,” and alleged false vote count in certain states. Joe Biden (President-elect) views a fair and accountable process of the current presidential elections and its results, as approximately 76 million Americans voted for him to be the next President of the United States of America. His voice of reasoning and legitimacy rests in “We the People,” the core value of the US constitution and Declaration of Independence. Not so, President Trump is challenging this notion in many states, calling for recount of votes and simultaneously echoing accusations of a ‘fraudulent and stolen election’. All of the 50 American states and other territories have systematic plans in place for local, regional and federal elections, making the US democracy work for few centuries.

Undoubtedly, competitive elections create contradictions, new challenges, hatred and conflicts, and they often undermine the conception of goodness, virtue and honesty. Once the process is over, competent, intelligent and proactive leaders heal the masses and workout unity of thoughts and coherent agenda for reconciliation and unity of minds for a better future. In their victory speech, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris did exactly that to console the American people as elected President and Vice President of all the American masses. The normality of transition of power to the elected president is in jeopardy as the Trump administration refuses to certify the outcomes and the President-elect encounters immense problems to plan for the future, not just to deal with Covid-19 pandemic and its dreadful impacts, but also how to carve out a smooth, sustainable future for the American people. Trump’s own task force paints a dire situation: “aggressive and unrelenting Covid-19” pandemic across America. The US news media reports that more than 251,000 Americans have died and more that 11 millions affected by the pandemic.

Trump Administration Playing with “We the People”

John W. Whitehead, an American constitutional attorney and an author of ‘Battlefield America: The War on the America People’, offers this latest assessment in his piece, “End the Government’s War on America’s Military Veterans.”

The 2020 presidential election may be over, but nothing has really changed … the US government still poses the greatest threat to our freedoms. More than terrorism, more than domestic extremism, more than gun violence and organized crime, even more than the perceived threat posed by any single politician, the US government remains a greater menace to the life, liberty and property of its citizens than any of the so-called dangers from which the government claims to protect us.

Wickedness and piety cannot be combined in one human character. Trump inflicted disharmony and racial discrimination amongst the black and indigenous and coloured population. What about absolute power instigated by absolute-minded maniac leaders regardless of the democratic principles? President Trump has fired Christopher Krebs, Director Cyber Security and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), for telling the truth that presidential elections were fair and without any security breach or fraudulent intervention. Earlier, Trump had fired his Defense Secretary, Mark Esper, for opposing the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan and launching an attack on Iran. President Trump could have learned from President Putin; he resolved successfully the prolonged Nagorno-Karabakh problem between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

There is always inconsistency in a delusional mind and so is Trump paranoid and vengeful who has incapacitated the inborn faculties of American lifelines to be morally and intellectually crippled and more of a besieged nation in its conduct of basic tenets of the American liberty, justice and democracy. This was not accidental, but a planned scheme of things although unknown in its short- and long-term consequences over its ability to cope with the change phenomenon for a sustainable future. America under Trump became an insane—a victim of its own obsession with power and fearful of its future. America appears to be on threshold of an unavoidable moral and intellectual transition of reasoning, but it is not following through the rational process of change and future-making. The Washington-based war culture has incapacitated the US policymakers to think rationally and act responsibly in global affairs. Strange as is, President Trump and his advisors cannot explain why every day 18-25 US war veterans commit suicide?

Trump claimed “America First” but acted as if “Trump cult” was preferred and chosen value and nothing beyond that spectrum towards conception of goodness and sincerity to the American national interest. He favoured Israel’s Netanyahu over America. When asked about the peaceful transfer of power, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded, “Yes, there will be a smooth transfer of power to a second Trump presidency.” Is Pompeo Trump’s ‘puppy’? Across America, morality and intellect appear to be in a shallow laughing stock. One wonders, how the conscientious and informed global community will view such a threshold of disingenuous and wicked “Trump cult” behaviour. America is in desperate need of political change, national unity, harmony and a coherent transition process to replace disunity, hatred, turmoil and missing consciousness of viable democracy. Trump’s refusal to recognize Joe Biden as an elected President seems unexcitable shadow without moral and intellectual force or feeling—a kind of dead-ended unconscious human behaviour generating formidable, historic problems for a democratic America. Could Joe Biden learn from Trump’s negligence and offer a hope for change and better global relationships with countries including Russia and China and the Arab Middle East?

“We the People” Agenda for Joe Biden

1. Be the leader of all America as you claim to be and listen to voices of REASON, even the dull and ignorant—they all have a story to tell. Dignity of moral values and tranquility of temperament should be the characteristic of sustainable wisdom for official policies and practices.
2. Focused mind is more powerful than all the advanced weapons and machinery. Yes, Covid-19 pandemic is a critical issue to be dealt with cautiously and scientifically for the good of the masses.
3. Trump neglected advice and reasoning in all official endeavours. He opted for transgressors, killers and morally corrupt rulers across the globe. You will have the opportunity and time to take corrective actions to enhance human equality, human rights—be it in Kashmir, Palestine, Myanmar or elsewhere, and take initiative to legislate changes to ensure participation of indigenous, black and people of colour as equal citizens in American political system.
4. Be conscious of your leadership’s strengths and weaknesses and be aware of the people around you, as well as your political manoeuvrability. Do not engage in any hybrid culture—part human and part inhuman. You take oath in the name of God, The Merciful, The Beneficent, and the art of leading mankind is being part of mankind on a living universe and Earth as we are accountable for all of our commitments and pursuits.
5. Be a peacemaker, not a warmonger, as there is much evil and much good in the creed of human optimism. True leaders create new leaders and always listen and accept readily intelligent advice from people of knowledge and wisdom. Every beginning has its end as America is at the conclusion of an unpredictable age, not the end of world. Your vision and leadership initiatives could reframe the historic time for a progressive and changing America for the best of people and humanity.

 

Dr Mahboob A. Khawaja is the author of several publications including the latest: Global Peace, Security and Conflict Resolution: Approaches to Understand the Current Issues and Future-Making.