Midterm elections expose US’ political malaise

The indications so far are that the midterm elections in the United States could leave the Democrats in control of the Senate while the Republicans would gain control of the House of Representatives.

That the Democrats managed to avoid the anticipated bloodbath is not a vote of confidence in the Joe Biden administration’s performance over the past two years in office, but rather another sign of the partisan divide in the US.

The Biden administration came to office riding a huge wave of popular support. It was expected to make its mark on domestic governance by effectively addressing the country’s domestic woes. Instead it has failed to find satisfactory solutions to any of the pressing challenges over the past two years.

That is not to say the Republican Party is offering workable solutions. It isn’t. Against the backdrop of growing partisan conflict, the Republicans are more likely to use the domestic woes as political leverage against the Democrats rather than to actually solve them. What the midterms have once again shown is that slurs rule in US politics. It is how well you can diss your opponent that matters, not actual policies.

Biden’s approval ratings have plunged to a record low, as with decades of experience in government, people expected him to demonstrate the ability to govern.

There were hopes that Biden would be able to heal the country’s political, ideological, cognitive and ideological rifts. But the midterm elections have shown that will take major surgery not BandAids.

Right now, the US seems to be in a state of helplessness and confusion. It’s not that the US doesn’t know what it needs to do, it is just that it doesn’t know how to do it. That is not being helped by its political system, which in its design for TV-appeal is incapable of selecting politicians with the needed leadership capabilities.

For most US people, the so-called democratic process in the country is essentially a competition to see if the next administration will be more harmful to their well-being than the last. Essentially they are choosing from two baskets of not very appetizing apples.

The state of US politics today shows that the country is moving further and further away from the glorious America of the past.