Land of the free and the home of the brave
So … anyone else struggling to concentrate on anything at the moment?
I’ve been distracted by the presidential election over the last few days. It’s been the greatest show on earth the last few days. I haven’t stayed up all night but I have gone to bed late and woken early, reaching for my phone to check the news and Twitter. The work of those leading the coverage is incredible. The level of detail and the analysis has impressed me, I know the names of American counties that I never heard before I can put my finger on where American States are when last week Id have waved my hand around and said “about there? It’s been fascinating.
Not least fascinating was President Trumps speech last night. He addressed the nation at 6.30 and he spewed out lies, obfuscation and self pity with every word. It was an incoherent rambling spiral of words. If you ran the speech on a loop you wouldn’t know where it started and where it finished. We watched it open mouthed, blinking at how bizarre it still seems that Trump is President. Even as it looks like that Presidency is coming to an end it still seems unreal that this snake oil salesman has held the highest office in the US.
For many of us, watching from this side of the Atlantic, it seems that the world is holding their breath for a Biden victory. Of course that’s not the case. This hasn’t been a walk over for Biden. This has been a disappointment to many, particularly the scientific community. Climate Change and the Pandemic Response has suffered from Trumps anti science approach. The US walking away from the Paris Climate Accord and the World Health Organisation has disappointed many and led some to question what relationship American Citizens have with the truth.
This presidency and this election has damaged the reputation of the USA – that is clear. It has also damaged the reputation of democracy itself. I was hearing yesterday that China and Putin in Russia are pointing to the US and saying how much better they are with strong dignified leadership. Showing their people what a chaotic mess democracy is making of Government and the rule of law.
And the rule of law must seem awful fragile in some parts of the US for many of its Citizens. There is a suggestion of violence simmering between the lines of Trumps speeches and his tweets. There are some, thankfully isolated, incidents groups of people with guns surrounding a count in Arizona, reports of a planned attack in Pennsylvania, extra protection has been sent to Joe Biden.
So as we watch the final staggering steps of this Presidential race, as we keep our fingers crossed for the candidate we most want to win, there is a feeling that something is shifting, that the World is seeing that change must happen, that the big brash US with its power and its might, and it’s claim to be the land of the free, must look long and hard at itself; that it must begin by healing the divisions in its society; that it must reach out to the world and with humility, and care, take its place back at the table; that it must find truth and integrity and place those values right back into the heart of its democracy.
The harsh reality is that if Trump wins, this will never happen. If he loses, he will work from the sidelines to undermine any work that is done to recover. It’s a tough job. It needs freedom from interference and big money influence and bravery from its elected representatives.
I’m not sure that the US, or Biden, is up to it.
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