Died to Vote: Fierce Voter Wars & the Presidential Poll

The election marks the resurgence of the American dream. But President Trump alleging “systematic” voter fraud even after the results were out is a constitutional disgrace. One hopes no further unbecoming conduct will mark the smooth transition of democratic power

- Upendra Baxi

THE US presidential election was described by Joe Biden as the “struggle for the soul of America”. This phrase captures the essence of (what Swedish economist and sociologist Gunnar Myrdal once called) the “American Tragedy”. It also needs deeper analysis not only because “the President represents the national interest”, as JFK said, but also on that incumbent “alone converge all the needs and aspirations of all parts of the country” and “all nations of the world....”.

There may be an anachronist imperialist ring about the last phrase, reeking of “manifest destiny”, but no one may ever doubt that the tumultuous election results mark the triumph of democratic traditions in the United States. This wounded civilisation (as VS Naipaul once termed India) is now a society marked by lynch-justice, violent institutional racism, pervasive xenophobia, deep-seated misogyny, discrimination against sexual minorities and political legitimation of the far right’s beliefs and practices of majoritarianism. And veteran activist-intellectual Noam Chomsky’s grave forebodings about the American democracy as narrated to Isaac Chotiner (of The New Yorker) were based on his view that “Donald Trump is the worst criminal in human history”. When we look at 2,30,000 plus Covid-19 deaths in America and the climate change denialism that the President has pursued with rare devotion, one cannot but agree with Chomsky.