The Guardian view on US democracy: safe – for now
That the worst did not happen is a cause for relief – but not too much of it. The electoral college officially approved Joe Biden’s victory on Monday. On the same day, the attorney general, William Barr, resigned, having earned Donald Trump’s wrath by denying that there had been widespread fraud. Hours later, Mitch McConnell, the senate majority leader, finally recognised Joe Biden as president-elect. Days earlier, the supreme court unanimously rejected a preposterous lawsuit aiming to invalidate results in swing states.
These, together, allowed Mr Biden to claim victory not only for himself but for the American polity. He presented an institution strong enough to resist an unprecedented assault: “The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know that nothing, not even a pandemic or an abuse of power, can extinguish that flame.”
It is true that the worst nightmares of Mr Trump’s opponents failed to materialise. As the country passed the grim milestone of 300,000 dead in the Covid-19 pandemic, Mr Biden paid tribute to those who ensured that the elections could go ahead, and who came out to vote, ensuring record turnout and handing him a clear victory: almost 7 million ahead of his rival in the popular vote, with 306 electoral college votes.
But to others, the flame of American democracy looks more like a candle in the wind than an unquenchable beacon. It is no surprise that Mr Trump continues to tweet lies, unable to accept defeat. The real danger, as ever, comes from those who have ranged themselves with him. This was not only the most scrutinised election in history, but arguably the cleanest and most secure. Yet Republicans simply dismissed the results. Seventeen attorneys general and 126 members of Congress signed on to the preposterous lawsuit filed by the Texan attorney general, asking the supreme court to overturn results in four swing states. Some may hope to keep supporters fired up for future elections; others may simply fear that angry Trumpian retaliation for a disobliging comment will torpedo their electoral prospects. Either way, they have looked to their own political futures at the cost of their country’s.
The decision to deny the undeniable sets a dangerous precedent. The next Trump might well be smarter and more sophisticated; Republicans who have played along with this crude effort to hang on to power might go further. And the widespread acquiescence in Mr Trump’s fantasy has encouraged his voters to believe the lies, deepening the country’s divisions. There is still a risk of violence before Mr Biden enters the White House by the thugs Mr Trump has emboldened.
It would be ironic if stoking of fears of electoral fraud backfires by deterring Republicans from turning out in the crucial Georgia senate runoffs, which could yet hand Democrats control of the upper chamber. The reaction to Mr Trump’s defeat demonstrates that, without it, Mr Biden’s desire to heal divisions and pursue bipartisanship is unlikely to bear much fruit.
But even a dreamed-of victory in Georgia would be scant consolation for the erosion of standards. Before the election, a project tracking the health of democracy worldwide concluded that America’s had eroded to a point that more often than not leads to full-blown autocracy – drawing parallels with Turkey and Hungary. The refusal to acknowledge what has happened since 3 November for what it is – an attempted coup – has deepened the damage. It is not time to breathe easy, but to begin the hard work of addressing this.