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Joe Biden will be the next president of the US, but the rot at the heart of American democracy will not go away. In the years ahead, the US will have to grapple with three bleak truths. Want to know what they are? Read on: https://thewalrus.ca/three-truths-and-the-lie-of-american-democracy/ 1/5
First, Trump—and Trumpism—is here to stay. Biden received more votes than any candidate in US history. Trump, despite four years of chaos, received the second most. The election was supposed to be an unambiguous repudiation of his politics. It wasn’t. https://thewalrus.ca/three-truths-and-the-lie-of-american-democracy/ 2/5
If Trump doesn’t run again in 2024, his supporters—like Mike Pence—will compete to inherit his mantle. Or could there even be a Trump dynasty? Could we see Don Jr. or Ivanka try to run? More here: https://thewalrus.ca/three-truths-and-the-lie-of-american-democracy/ 3/5
Then there’s the antidemocratic nature of American institutions. The electoral college is infamously unbalanced, and the Senate awards as many votes to Wyoming (pop. 570k) as it does to California (39.5 million). Read the full article here: https://thewalrus.ca/three-truths-and-the-lie-of-american-democracy/ 4/5
The US has been irreparably transformed by Trump, and that’s not entirely a bad thing. He proved it was feasible to buck establishment consensus and build something new. For progressives, there is a way forward. Read more at: https://thewalrus.ca/three-truths-and-the-lie-of-american-democracy/ 5/5
