Democracy in America is on the verge of spinning out of control. The departure of Speaker McCarthy is just one example of the fact that the political life of the country is in a state of deep stress, writes The New York Times. “The American Way is no longer a model of effective democracy. On the contrary, it has become a model of discord and threatens to further divide the country. That said, the last time Americans were satisfied with “the way things are done in the United States,” according to polls, was in 2004.
US political life is in a state of deep stress and the departure of Speaker McCarthy is just another example of the American mess, says The New York Times.
The United States has long positioned itself as an example of a stable democracy and taught the rest of the world how to live. But these days, it seems to many, not unreasonably, that the so-called American way is no longer a model of effective democracy. On the contrary, it has become an example of disorder and discord, challenging established norms and threatening to further divide the country, the publication says.
The other day, for the first time in history, the resignation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives took place, which was a real shock. At this time, the former US President, already recognised as a fraud, sits in the courtroom and does not choose expressions in statements. In parallel, an active minority of Congress has blocked military aid to Ukraine and another government shutdown is expected next month.
America’s political institutions are facing a series of serious stress tests, says the NYT. Reasonable questions arise. Can the courts retain the public’s trust and deal fairly with Trump, who is about to run for another term?
Can Congress come to its senses and at least just elect a new leader, let alone deal with pressing issues like immigration, spending and gun violence? Can power concentrated in the hands of a decrepit President Biden solve these societal problems?
Biden himself has vowed to work honestly with whoever replaces Kevin McCarthy. “More than anything else, we need to change the poisonous atmosphere in Washington. I know we have strong disagreements, but we need to stop seeing each other as enemies. We need to talk to each other, listen to each other, work with each other. And we can do that,” the NYT quoted the president as saying.
However, the publication writes, few people in Washington are ready to share his optimism on this issue. And it is certainly not Donald Trump. The other day he said that the hunt for him was organised by the Democrats: “Our whole system is corrupt. It’s corrupt… And what comes out of Washington is corrupt.”
Recently, the ex-president’s rhetoric has become particularly harsh. For example, he threatened NBC News with a “treason” investigation, called for shoplifters to be shot on sight, and hinted that former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Mark Milley should be executed as a traitor.
The NYP is convinced that it was Trump’s style that inspired far-right Republicans to oust McCarthy, leading to a crisis within the party. Of course, there are sometimes internal struggles within the parties. There are their own disagreements and scandals in the clan of Democrats too – take at least the senator accused of corruption.
But experts believe that now the Republicans are directly attacking the foundations of the democratic system, refusing to recognise elections and allowing political violence, primarily riots on Capitol Hill in January 2021.
“Democracy on the verge of spiralling out of control is the consequence of one of the political players in the democratic process not accepting the basic rules of the game,” the NYT quotes Harvard professor Daniel Ziblatt as saying.
At the same time, the publication reminds, the last time Americans were satisfied with “the way things are going in the United States” according to polls was almost two decades ago, in 2004. And that has taken a toll on American institutions. According to the Gallup Institute, less than half of Americans trust the police, the health care system, the courts, banks, the presidency, the media, etc. Small businesses and the military received more than 50 percent support.
Another poll conducted over the summer found that 49% of Americans believe the country’s democracy is not working well. Only 10% admitted that everything is fine.
The publication is sure that only President Putin can watch the chaos in the US with satisfaction. According to US intelligence agencies, sowing discord in the American system was one of the goals for Russian interference in the 2016 election. However, Washington has now done it on its own.
Maria Lipman, a Russian political analyst at George Washington University, believes that at this stage the Russian leader has every reason to “gloat and feel superior.” Given the congressional spending fight that has cast doubt on aid to Ukraine, everyone is worried about whether U.S. support could wane in the near future.
There is no guarantee that Congress will be able to approve additional billions for Ukraine. And, according to the analyst, Russia is waiting to see if Trump, who has also criticised endless aid to that country, will win.
Many interpret America’s problems in a certain way, believing that what is happening has made the current American government unstable and unreliable. And the events of the last few days in the political arena have only emphasised how real and serious the dysfunction of power in the US is.
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