It is like a tragicomedy to see Republicans muster around Donald Trump, while on the other side of the globe, in Myanmar, crowds of protesters are in the streets reclaiming democracy.
On one side, Americans dream of a dynasty resembling the monarchy that their ancestors deposed; on the other, the people of Myanmar try to install a democracy, attempting desperately to liberate themselves from a junta that has been in power for decades.
Almost the whole Myanmar population is against the military. Even the monks, who usually stay neutral, have taken sides against the military in favor of democracy.
If Trump had remained in power, the relations between Canada and the United States would have remained bad, the fight against climate change would have dragged on, the White House would not have published its report on Saudi Arabia’s murderous prince and international organizations would have continued to be colonized by China.
After scarcely a month in power, Biden has succeeded in making important progress with international relations.
On the home front, the energetic vaccination campaign against COVID-19 contrasts with the procrastination of Trump and his team, who had not worked on a single concrete game plan.
Yet, the large majority of Republicans continue to support Trump. The lure of profit and the cowardice of the Republican leaders is not enough to explain Trump’s popularity.
A Return to Beliefs
Trumpism can almost be defined as an illness. An illness that, in particular, strikes simple minds that tend to believe anything and everything. This is the reason why evangelists, who constitute 28% of voters, overwhelmingly support Trump.
Nevertheless, we would be wrong to think that Trumpists are the only ones who follow ridiculous beliefs. The woke movement, though more subtle in its beliefs than the stupidity propagated by QAnon, is itself based on a rejection of advances in the social sciences. This movement is gaining importance in the ranks of the Democrats.
Thus, in Myanmar, the people aspire to democracy and modernity, while in the United States, a good part of the population calls for dictatorship and a return to the Middle Ages.
[T]he strength of American institutions is measured ... by their capacity to apply the same rules regardless of party affiliation, background or relationship with the president.
[I]t is a sign of life and societal health that Trump and his spineless, cowardly, anti-intellectual, yes-men troop of unqualified reality deniers suffered the most resounding midterm defeat for a governing party in over 50 years.
[I]t is a sign of life and societal health that Trump and his spineless, cowardly, anti-intellectual, yes-men troop of unqualified reality deniers suffered the most resounding midterm defeat for a governing party in over 50 years.
There was a massive disconnect between what Trump was telling Americans on their television screens and what they were experiencing in their everyday lives.
[I]ts greatest flaw lies in moving the power of decision in presidential elections from the people ... to the Electoral College, whose members represent the states.