Democracy trumps extremism in USA
THE muchanticipated American midterm elections have finally passed, and with them, perhaps, some of the hyperbole that has dogged American politics for the last two years.
Since well before the Civil War America has arguably been too big, too divided and too disparate in opinions to remain a single entity. Yet somehow, in the 153 years since that war ended, the country has never again resorted to civil war to sort out its differences. The Jim Crow era of obscene injustice was followed by battles not of soldiers and cannons, but of principles, activism and legislation. That the death of Martin Luther King Junior in 1968 galvanised the country is testament to how much change had occurred over the preceding years.
Nor did the Vietnam War, Watergate, or the contentious Obamacare rollout bring the country to its knees. Yet, based on the majority of media reports and commentaries of the last two years it would be easy to believe we were witnessing the death of America.
President Donald Trump, with his disregard for diplomacy, decorum, truth and rationality has been a divisive leader. But has he been as apocalyptic as many commentaries have suggested? The results of this week’s midterms suggest he has not.
The left side of American politics had hoped that, such was the loathing of President Trump, a ‘‘blue wave’’ of Democratic victories would effectively neuter the Republican Party. It didn’t happen — at least not to the extent the Democrats hoped for. They took back control of the House of Representatives but lost ground in the Senate, losing a number of hardfought battles they had hoped to win.
The view the current administration was an extreme threat to democracy, and would be overcome by an extreme democratic response, was itself found to be too extreme.
On the other hand, despite President Trump’s insistence otherwise, it is nonsense to suggest the midterms were an endorsement of the last two years. If anything, the result was a censuring of the extremism from both sides of current American politics. Balance has been somewhat restored. That balance is a hallmark of democracy. The reason democracy works is the same reason totalitarianism fails; the best leaders are happily followed by the crowds — they do not depend on threats and force. Extreme views must be balanced with the will of the people, not implemented despite the will of people.
The political left of America has labelled the bulk of its rivals racist, misogynistic and uncaring. The implied threat has been ‘‘agree with us, or be labelled deplorable’’. On the other side, the argument has been ‘‘you’re either with us, and therefore morally American, or you’re against us, and morally unAmerican’’.
Good arguments should lead people to agree with them, not depend on cowering people into accepting them. Instead these falsedilemma fallacies grossly oversimplify reality and ignore the vast middle ground where most voters tend to exist. History shows these voters are willing to listen to progressive ideas and change accordingly — albeit far slower than the proponents of those ideas would like. It also shows they value selfreliance and the conserving of existing cultural norms and ethnic makeups. They rail against government intrusions into their lives and they generally think things are fine as they are.
But they can still find racism abhorrent, sexism repulsive and cringe at juvenile behaviour like much of that displayed by President Trump. They are the political middle who, this week, refused to bow to the extremism on either side of American politics.
Extremism is an essential part of democracy. It enables confronting ideas to be aired and argued and allows opinions and solutions to be formed accordingly.
But as this week has shown, extremism seldom defeats democracy. And whatever political stripes you may wear, that is surely something worth celebrating.