American Shame*

*Editor’s note: On March 4, 2022, Russia enacted a law that criminalizes public opposition to, or independent news reporting about, the war in Ukraine. The law makes it a crime to call the war a “war” rather than a “special military operation” on social media or in a news article or broadcast. The law is understood to penalize any language that “discredits” Russia’s use of its military in Ukraine, calls for sanctions or protests Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It punishes anyone found to spread “false information” about the invasion with up to 15 years in prison.

Political scientist Alexander Vedrussov — on the political significance of Joe Biden’s stunning failure during the recent debate.

“Basically, this is the end.” Democrats are stating the obvious – mostly anonymously and some already openly – about the debate between the incumbent president and his predecessor. When you hear something like this on the mainstream NBC network, then this is truly the finish line for Joe Biden. We still cannot rule out the possibility that Democrats will try to drag his carcass to the election, but discussion about replacing the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee is now being held, not in a whisper, but out loud. In any case, from today onward, you can consider Biden’s political career over.

After 90 minutes of unintelligible muttering by the barely conscious president of the U.S., what was obvious to literally anyone with eyes, ears and at some bit of a brain has now become clear even to the sect of donkeys who denied objective reality up to the last moment.. Indeed, the very fact of holding a debate before party conventions, where the parties nominate their presidential candidate in advance of the general election on Nov 5, signaled that Biden was simply being tested for basic mental ability. So, in the event of a negative outcome, the Democrats would at least have an opportunity to replace him with someone who could navigate their surroundings and speak without slurring their words.

In truth, the parties should have done this during the primaries. However, the Democrats are not too fond of real democracy, so the “donkeys” literally bent over backward to strip their in-party voting of alternatives. In fact, Democrats have pushed Biden's strongest opponent, Robert Kennedy Jr., out of the process. The nephew of the 35th president, assassinated in 1963, and the son of Robert Kennedy, assassinated before the Democratic Party convention where he was expected to be nominated as the party’s presidential candidate during the 1968 general election, could pose a real threat to the primaries’ favorite. And that’s precisely why he hasn’t been allowed anywhere near the primary voting.

In fact, Biden was barely dragged through the in-party selection. The Democrats protected him from aggressive journalists and unnecessary public exposure as much as possible, regularly stuffing with stimulating cocktails before important events. Thus the plan of reelecting a barely conscious candidate for a new term seemed quite realistic. Until today. When suddenly it turned out that you can’t hide Biden’s political and personal inadequacy with makeup, both figuratively and literally. That even moderators who are lenient with Biden, and the debate rules, tweaked for the psychological peculiarities of the 46th president, couldn’t save him. In his current sorry state, Biden is unable to perform properly even in such sterile conditions, much less in stressful situations.

I don’t know what other people think, but for me, this trademark American drama known as an election”has always seemed amusing. Clearly, it’s simply laughable to talk about real people power in a country where every 10th head state has been unable to complete his presidential term due to some violent and insurmountable circumstance. The Washington swamp, aka the deep state, has had and will continue to have a decisive influence on election outcomes. That much is understandable. And yet, all these democratic frills such as debates, primaries and other electoral tinsel have given the American political process a certain charm.

In the end, an American voter still has a voice in this carefully tailored performance. Let’s take 2016, when a candidate “against all” called Donald Trump unexpectedly won the presidential race. His emergence in itself, as well as his sensational electoral success, attested to serious problems in the U.S. political system. According to the standing vision, the second Clinton (now wearing a skirt) should have won the election — or, at least, the third member of the Bush family should have won. Apparently, the states picked up the American republic’s penchant for political dynasties that pass the reins of power from father to son and husband to wife, from its former metropolis. But then, suddenly, the “pretender” Trump occupied the White House.

It seems that the U.S. political system has still not gotten its bearings back after such a stress test. Serious figures like Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger have long since left the scene. Elderly backbenchers, who under normal conditions were meant to play second or even third-level roles, have clung to power with a death grip. The new political generation of politicians is nothing less than shocking; such people can’t be trusted with fire safety in a sauna, let alone the nuclear button. The political hopelessness is so pervasive that even a second term for Trump no longer seems like such a bad idea. Not because he is so good. But simply because others are even worse.

"Let’s not act like children," Trump said to Biden, after they both had spent an egregiously long time discussing golf clubs. Yes, that is the level of domestic political discussion in the U.S. right now. How can we settle any serious foreign policy issue with these infantile people? Their post-reality and post-truth, through which the Americans tried to fool the world but just confused themselves in the end, doesn’t even let us find an understandable dialogue, let alone build a way of communicating like human beings.

This is what is truly alarming. And the carnival called “American elections” goes on. And the entire world is watching closely. Not because it’s super interesting. But because it’s the course and the conclusion of this circus that determine whether the world will end up on the edge or beyond the edge of a nuclear war. After these disastrous debates, will Biden be forced to crawl back to political retirement? Then who would replace the Democratic Party candidate, a man who is falling apart before our very eyes? Who will win on Nov. 5? It would be very nice if such questions interested only the experts. Unfortunately, the fading hegemon is still cunning, dangerous and aggressive. So, all of us will still have to watch America’s political turbulence, which will make the entire planet shudder.