Victory of Sleepy Joe a triumph for respect and civility
THE US election has been a reflection of democracy itself – combative, messy and frequently badtempered. One cartoon had the title ‘Election party’, with Presidents Putin and Xi dancing in party hats next to a discarded paper bearing the front page ‘America Divided’.
The clear implication was that leaders of authoritarian regimes, where citizens yearned for freedoms, would take one look at events in the US and instead be thankful for their lot.
Maybe. But I think this election tells of a much wider truth.
Whatever you think of Donald Trump’s policies – whether it is the international successes, such as the normalisation of Israel by a number of its Arab neighbours, or domestic controversies such as separating illegal immigrant children from their parents – his election four years ago was a howl of pain by those feeling unheard and misunderstood.
It was exactly because he was an uncouth bruiser who shot from the hip that they wanted this political outsider to go to Washington to shake things up.
It didn’t matter if his election cries of ‘drain the swamp’, ‘build the wall’ or ‘lock her up’ came to pass (they did not), the fact he thumbed his nose at convention and told slick-suited professionals where to go was seen as striking a blow for the little guy.
But picking such fights comes with a cost. One being the sheer number of people prompted to vote for the first time to see him gone – the highest tally in history secured by his opponent. This election felt big, like a tussle for the soul of the nation, and the country voted to calm the fires Trump had lit.
I love the US. For all its faults, deep divisions and obnoxious sports fans, it is still a beautiful land with an unmatched diversity and belief in opportunity.
Who leads America doesn’t just matter to Americans, it matters to us all. And that’s why the debasement of public discourse under Trump has been so jarring, painful and damaging.
AGAIN, this is not about being Democrat or Republican, or a discussion of any particular policy initiative or economic position. This is about the way in which politics is conducted and how the powerful choose to lead.
Using the weight of office to persecute individuals you disagree with, undermining the democratic legitimacy of the constitution, insulting other world leaders, or flat out lying about the provenance of news stories from the bully pulpit of a White House podium or presidential Twitter account is corrosive, dangerous and destabilising. At a time when the world, battered by the financial crisis and a global pandemic, seems more divided and partisan than ever, it matters that the unofficial leader of the Western world understands the weight of their office and how to conduct themselves.
When a lack of civility encourages hate speech and disrespect inspires wilder outriders to flout the law, it shows how necessary decorum and respect are.
Saying there are ‘very fine people on both sides’ of a neoNazi rally has consequences, as does mocking the physical disability of a reporter and branding Mexican immigrants as rapists.
Such consequences include emboldening white supremacists, giving the green light to minority hate speech and encouraging violence at home.
But it also diminishes the US abroad. The moral authority and diplomatic leadership the US had cultivated was dismantled.
Mr Trump’s great insult to Joe Biden during this campaign was to call him ‘Sleepy Joe’. Well, the voters of the US decided they would prefer sleepy sincerity over bombast.
The benefits of a president who understands civility and who treats voters, allies and opponents with equal respect will be felt the world over.