National Post (National Edition)
New president won't cure a divided U.S.
SERIOUS DOUBTS EXIST CONCERNING AMERICA'S ABILITY TO UNITE. — CHAMBERS
America is a country divided. So it was before Donald Trump; so it will be after. The election of President-elect Joe Biden brings with it certainty that the tone emanating from the White House will be different from the past four years, but can his leadership push the dial on the deep and long-standing racial, political and economic tensions that divide the nation? The immediate aftermath of last week's chaos on Capitol Hill offered a brief moment of political unity to condemn the rioters. However, when the sun sets on Jan. 20 and Donald Trump officially leaves office (if not removed before then), the old adage will prove true once again: the more things change, the more they stay the same.
From the outset of his 2016 election victory — despite losing the popular vote but winning the electoral college 304 to 227 — Trump and his supporters characterized the win as a “landslide” victory. Interpreting his mandate in this way, President Trump made no effort to compromise with his political opponents. Despite persistent criticism of Trump's behaviour while in office, he maintained significant public support in the past election. It is likely that, despite recent events, individuals separated Trump's behaviour from his policies, even when those policies served to exacerbate tensions between right- and left-wing views, and Black and white voters.
Comparing the 2016 election to present, Biden will start his presidency with significantly more political heft than Trump. Unlike Trump, Biden won both the electoral college and the popular vote. His party also commands the House of Representatives and shares a 50-50 split with Republicans in the Senate. Biden has the power to advance his policy agenda, but it is unclear whether this will be enough to counter the views of empowered Trumpers and the Republican Party. Even with a change in administration, there is no doubt the next four years will be filled with regular disagreements on many of the same issues that defined Trump's mandate, like immigration policy, border security, climate change, justice reform, and even the economic recovery. Should Republicans revert to opposing all substantive legislation introduced by Democrats, the vice-president will be called to break the tie.
Every time Kamala Harris must fulfil her constitutional role and break Senate ties — of course, in favour of the Biden administration — it will be a constant symbol to Trump supporters of an election they falsely believe was stolen. The end of Trump's first four years in the White House will not remove the enduring impacts of Trumpism, quell right- or left-wing extremism or subdue racial tensions. As America's first female, first Black and first South Asian vice-president, indeed, some will continue to hold animosity toward VP Harris, owing much of this frustration to factors beyond her political affiliation.
The deeper sentiment of division and distrust was instrumental in the divergent reactions from law enforcement toward the riots at the U.S. Capitol and last summer's Black Lives Matter protests. The phalanx of officers deployed to discourage Black protesters versus the passive response to the largely white crowd that stormed the U.S. Capitol, is emblematic of a deeply fractured America. While Biden's tone and rhetoric on this — and all racial matters, thus far — is markedly different from the outgoing president's; unfortunately, for now, the president-elect can only offer words. For too many Black Americans, however, the words “we are all created equal” do not ring as a truism. A transition of power and the changing of U.S. presidents will not solve this deep-rooted issue.
Of course, there is no shortage of marginalized, oppressed and disenfranchised peoples across the globe. Divisions along political, racial, and economic lines exist in other countries, but America is supposed to be different. In a chaotic world, it is supposed to be exceptional.
When Joe Biden was officially announced as the winner of the 2020 U.S. Presidential election, he stepped to the podium and proclaimed a message of unity. To Biden, there were no red states or blue states. He would be president for all Americans. He continues to highlight unifying the country as his overarching goal. However, the divisions in American society are so well saturated that they cannot be overcome by the removal of one man and the election of another — they go much deeper than that. Rightfully, serious doubts exist concerning America's ability to unite, heal and get things done, no matter the occupant of the Oval Office. Growing polarization is a fixture in America. These divisions existed long before the 45th U.S. president took office, and they will persist long after he's gone.