US’s warning bell for democracies

In this two-party country, it  is  often  a  dubious  political  custom  to  thwart  the  other  party  by  any  means  and  to  prevent  the  ruling  party  from  scoring any political successes in order to win back a majority in at least one, if not  both,  houses  in  the  midterm  elections.

And  it  should  not  be  forgotten:  These are tactics that Democratic politicians have also used in the past. But  what  is  currently  happening  in  the US is something more fundamental, more   existential.   After   four   years   of   Donald  Trump  and  a  Republican  Party  that remains firmly caught in his web of lies, it is nothing less than the entire political system that is at stake. That may sound exaggerated, but it is not.A true democracy is characterised by the fact that all citizens have the right to vote  freely  and  secretly,  regardless  of  origin,  sexual  orientation,  religion,  age  or income.  But it is precisely this right that  is  currently  being  undermined  in  parts   of   the   US.

Republican   governments in 14 states have already changed election  laws,  and  several  more  are  set  to do so. The goal is to minimise the ability of Blacks and other minorities to influence  the  outcome  of  elections  and  to  bolster  the  Republican  Party’s  hold  on  power. This is how the party is trying to secure its future in a country where the white majority will be a thing of the past in a few years’ time.

To  this  end,  boundaries  of  congressional  districts  are  being  redrawn,  it  is  being made mandatory to present proof of identity to vote, non-recent signatures are being declared invalid and absentee voting is being abolished or made more difficult. The state of Texas is even going so  far  as  to  prohibit  voting  on  Sunday  mornings — the time many Black Americans  tend  to  head  for  polling  stations,  combining their democratic rights with their churchgoing.

What’s most dangerous, however, are the legal reforms making it much easier for  election  commission  chairs  to  sim-ply declare elections invalid. To put this in context: A broad majority of Republicans  claim  to  this  day  —  without  any  evidence and despite all recounts to the contrary — that Donald Trump actually won  the  presidential  election  last  November.

These  are  extremely  grim  developments with hardly foreseeable con-sequences — not only for the upcoming midterm elections at the end of 2022, but also for the next presidential election in 2024.   That’s   because   ultimately,   both   chambers,   the   Senate   and   Congress,   must certify the results of the vote by the so-called  Electoral  College  so  that  the  president elected by the people can actually take office.

It was precisely this process that Donald Trump’s supporters tried to stop on January   6   by   storming   the   Capitol.   Since then, democratic forces within the United  States  have  been  in  a  state  of  alarm and realise just what is at stake.All   democracies   around   the   world   should  watch  the  situation  in  the  US  closely and draw lessons from it.

There is no such thing as being a bit anti-democratic.   Forging   coalitions   with   an-ti-democratic  persons  and  parties  as  a  strategy to gain or retain power is a bad idea.  The  Republicans  are  discovering  they can no longer restrain the populist spirit unleashed by Donald Trump.No  one  has  found  an  answer  to  the  question of how to break up social media echo  chambers.

The  US  is  a  disturbing  example of how quickly facts can be re-placed  by  lies  when  the  latter  support  people’s own worldview.Politicians’ credibility starts with respect for voters. The presidency of Donald Trump was made possible partly by the   arrogance   of   the   liberal   political   elite,   which   simply   ignored   the   concerns of many Americans.

Democracies can  survive  only  with  an  independent,  critical media that is capable of dialogue and reaching a broad public.And the most important thing of all is educating young people in media literacy  and  encouraging  them  to  think  for  themselves.  It  all  starts  at  school.  But  that is also where everything can end.