Joseph Robinette Biden Jr., 77, coasted home to victory in unanimous media projections in the United States presidential election in a historic defeat of the incumbent, Donald J. Trump, whose tumultuous first term has cemented old, and opened new fissures in the world’s pre-eminent democracy. Elected as vice-president is Kamala Harris, the first woman and an African-American with roots in Asia, to occupy that post since it was created in 1789. With poll tallies from only three states – Georgia, Arizona and North Carolina – outstanding, Biden crested the 270 Electoral College vote pledges needed to win, signalling an end to the Trump Presidency and his ascension come January 20, 2021, as the 46th president of the US and “leader of the free world.”
It is good news for the US and the world. For a country that is seen as an exemplary reference in the civilised and democratic world, Biden’s victory offers a refreshing hope that democracy and liberty will never fade away from the face of the earth. But it is one thing to triumph, quite another to heal the bitter divisions in the country that have upended consensus and bipartisan cooperation. In this, Biden has an uphill task ahead.
In spite of its strong institutions and civic political culture, the country is facing the most contentious transition in two centuries with Trump and his party, without evidence, refusing to concede defeat and battling in the courts; some hard-line right wingers threatening violence and questioning the legitimacy of the polls. But around the country, non-stop celebrations by Biden’s and Democratic Party supporters are almost matched by protests by sullen Trump supporters echoing his unfounded claims of polling fraud and insisting on recounts and lawsuits. Typically, the 45th president, disruptive as ever, has discredited its 231-year-old constitutional democracy before the global audience. His obduracy unfortunately resonates with his support base and most big wigs in his Republican Party.
Indeed, this is expected as Trump also discredited the 2016 election that brought him into office because he did not get the majority vote. As usual, he taps into a rich vein of discontent where there are, in effect, two Americas, mutually hostile, bitter and convinced of the rightness of their position and the evil of their rivals. They are also evenly matched. In the record-breaking polls, over 160 million persons voted, 67 per cent – the highest turnout in 120 years. With over 75 million and 71 million votes respectively, both candidates surpassed the record of the highest number of votes – 69.49 million previously set by Barack Obama in 2008. A former US Secretary of Labour, Robert Reich, said, “The nation was already divided by race and ethnicity, region, gender, education, national origin, religion and class. But Trump exploited these divisions (to a dangerous level) to advance himself. He didn’t just pour salt into our wounds. He planted grenades in them.”
In the last four years, Trump has stoked disagreements with reckless relish. Having come in as an outsider and upset the establishment with his race-baiting, racist and isolationist message to clinch the presidency in 2016, Trump dug in throughout his term, appealing to the base sentiments of closet racists, the rich, neo-Nazis, right-wing white supremacists, extremist fringe groups, the gun lobby and religious fundamentalists, all finding cover under a Republican Party that he has bent to his will. Pitted against them are the minorities, especially African-Americans, who have been subjected to a new wave of racist attacks, police brutality and killings; liberals, the LGBT community, women, clean climate advocates and proponents of the welfare state that Trump and his allies sought ardently to destroy, and targeting the Affordable Care Act, Obama’s headline initiative to provide health insurance cover for the vulnerable.
Biden’s challenge lies in overcoming the fanaticism of Trump’s 71 million-strong phalanx who believe his every word, relish in conspiracy scenarios and are motivated by religious fundamentalism that defies discourse or compromise. Just how destructive the divide is shows up in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic that had affected 9.9 million Americans and killed 237,408 by Sunday, the world’s highest. Trump and his supporters continuously downplayed its danger, ignoring the science and experts. Basic precautions have been ignored and response by the federal and state governments has been chaotic. Over 120,000 new cases daily were reported for the third day running by Sunday. Tempers still fly high.
What can Biden do? He has already set to work, seeking reconciliation, a major theme in his campaign message. “I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide, but to unify; who doesn’t see red and blue states, but a United States,” he said in his acceptance speech. Appealing that the contest is over, he will need to work hard on his promise to govern for all, not just for Democrats, but also for those who voted against him. The GOP-dominated Senate will be a major obstacle unless the dominance is overturned by the outstanding senatorial seats in Georgia. His 36 years record in the Senate and as vice-president for eight years bear him out as a conciliator. In his deputy, Harris, the first woman VP, her ancestry as African-American and Indian suggests inclusion for historically marginalised minorities.
Republican senators need to place the country above the party, to restore America’s glory and its role as an inspiration for democracy and liberty. The days ahead will test the system to the limit, as all the conventions that lubricate it have been assaulted, leaving only morbid partisan politics and strict legalism. As in Nigeria, there are fears that the Supreme Court, that has also become an ideological battleground, now solidly conservative, may have the final word. This could further damage its reputation as an impartial arbiter in the acrimonious environment.
But as Biden said, “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric; to lower the temperature, to see each other again; to listen to each other again. To make progress, we must stop treating our opponents as our enemy. We are not enemies. We are Americans.”
Truly, America will regain its soul and its lost voice in the global affairs. The American Dream, backed by the stirring words of its founding fathers, may have its flaws, but it has inspired millions around the world to strive for freedom, liberty and democracy and the rule of law; all men and women of goodwill need to join Biden and Harris to restore this vision.
