TL/DR –
The article discusses the impact of Donald Trump’s presidency on American democracy and suggests responses for rebuilding it. It highlights the dangers of Trumpism as a belief system that prioritizes might over right, and warns that such an approach discredits the idea of American exceptionalism and accelerates the nation’s decline. The writer suggests a positive, patriotic, and inclusive response, which includes market-based solutions for the affordability crisis, immigration reforms, civics education, political reforms and a new vision of national service.
“Remember the 5th of November”: John Lennon, The 2024 Elections and American Democracy
John Lennon’s track “Remember”, off the Plastic Ono Band album, eerily resonates with recent events in American political history. Lennon’s closing line, “Remember the 5th of November!” refers to the infamous Guy Fawkes plot to blow up the British Parliament in 1605.
In the context of the 2024 US presidential election, this lyric now underscores the day America elected a man who disrupted our governance system by propagating election lies.
This event symbolizes a self-destructive act by our nation, necessitating a vital need for us to counteract its impact like firefighters. In the larger global context, the US stands out as the longest-lasting large democracy and the first nation founded on an idea rather than a tribal identity.
Abraham Lincoln’s words, “right makes might”, encapsulate the American democratic ideal. This seemingly simple phrase proposes that the law of the jungle can be replaced by the rule of law in civil society – a revolutionary concept. However, Trumpism fundamentally contradicts this.
Donald Trump’s success in the 2024 elections was predicted by the New York Times opinion page. His promises to prosecute his enemies, order mass deportations, abandon allies, and play politics with disasters have all come to pass. His voters, who hoped for reduced living costs, lowered national debt, and combating identity politics, have instead been rewarded with tariffs, corruption, constitutional assault, and increasing debt and daily prices.
Internationally, authoritarian leaders celebrate this outcome. They always viewed liberal democracy as a pretense. Now they have an American leader who concurs, believing that the ends always justify the means. This demonstrates that we are as susceptible to fear and greed as any other nation, undermining the idea of American exceptionalism.
America’s greatness stems from our commitment to democratic ideals, free markets, and free people. When these principles are abandoned, we don’t restore greatness. Rather, we accelerate decline. The challenge now is to resist the political temptation to pursue an equal and opposite reaction.
The solution? A positive, patriotic, inclusive resistance, restoration of democracy’s guardrails, market-based solutions to the affordability crisis, immigration reforms, expansion of civics education, political reforms, and a new vision of national service.
So, remember the 5th of November. Respond with clear-eyed resolve to redeem something useful from the wreckage. The right answer to such a day is a rebellious focus on the real meaning of July the 4th, a rejection of the rule of kings that inspired generations of freedom-loving immigrants, including John Lennon, to come here in the first place.
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