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“What you're seeing is historic. That's not because a bad president is losing his grip on the White House. It's not even because of the shifting fortunes in American party politics. It's because of something much deeper and systematic.” http://www.politics.co.uk/blogs/2020/11/06/week-in-review-we-re-watching-an-american-renaissance
An attempt was made to overthrow American democracy. And it is being defeated.
Trump emerged last night to promote his grim narrative. "If you count the legal vote, I easily win," he said. "If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us."
Trump emerged last night to promote his grim narrative. "If you count the legal vote, I easily win," he said. "If you count the illegal votes, they can try to steal the election from us."
For years we have been assured that this new breed of politician - from Viktor Orban, to Boris Johnson, to Trump - reflected the genuine grievances of socially conservative voters. It was a democratic moment of realisation, a time to listen to people who had not been listened to.
“But in fact the liberal horror at the new nationalist movement was not primarily about policies. It was about its rejection of basic democratic norms:
“the attacks on the courts and parliaments, the eradication of objective truth, the exchange of electoral validity for the mystical legitimacy of 'the people'. The argument was not just that nationalists were wrong. It was that they were a threat to the free society.”
“Until now, the institutional defences against this assault have been weak. Those who believe in liberal democracy have been put into a state of ideological confusion by the fierce moral point that there have been large numbers of voters unhappy with the status quo.”
“The cultural norms of journalism have mitigated against calling prime ministers or presidents a liar, even when they are demonstrably not telling the truth.”
This time journalism (at least in the USA) was prepared.
This time journalism (at least in the USA) was prepared.
“They had clearly grappled with how to manage what Trump was going to try and do. Instead of the usual formulations of saying his comments were 'controversial', or 'contested', or 'rejected by experts', they said what they actually were:
Lies. Attempts to take away the democratic rights of voters. Attacks on the most basic foundations of what constitutes a legitimate state.
They worked tirelessly to protect & even lionise the local officials & vote-counters who were being branded conspirators by the White House.
They worked tirelessly to protect & even lionise the local officials & vote-counters who were being branded conspirators by the White House.
They constantly explained, in clear terms, how the electoral process worked, what was counted where and why, which safeguards there were, how there were Republican representatives at the counts alongside Democrats and independent observers,
why the litigation the Trump administration was pursuing was baseless and being rejected by the courts.
Strict balance in this context would be self-annihilating.
Strict balance in this context would be self-annihilating.
For me it feels like the first day, after a long and possibly critical illness, when the battle for recovery is felt.
The body politic CAN recover.
Now we must make sure it can and does in the U.K.
The body politic CAN recover.
Now we must make sure it can and does in the U.K.
This article is a great example of how good @IanDunt is at articulating the mish-mosh of thoughts and feelings that charge around our minds and hearts.
