The deeply wounded democracy in the States and the hope for recovery after Biden’s win

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By Christos Gavalas

After many waiting days and a pre-election campaign that has been known for its polarized feel -which was only toned down by the coronavirus that put a lid on the number of debates and rallies – we can now clearly say that a new era has come for the United States of America, with Joe Biden and Camala Harris in the country’s front seat.

Does this mean that American has entered a new course? Not necessarily and certainly not in an instant. Let’s not forget that anything that we witnessed in the last four years during Trump’s administration was essentially a lasting institutional collapse of a mature, liberal democracy.

This is an era that will be forever stamped on the public’s memory for its clear signs of political decay; a problem that was further enlarged by how things stacked up for  democracy all over the world and which was expressed in waves in social media, giving prominence to its natural proximity to fake news.

However, one should admit that the symptoms of decomposition and racial polarization in the United States had started to emerge even before Donald Trump’s successful campaign in 2016. Even more precise, these symptoms had been solidified by then.

• Yet, Trump’s administration won’t be historically able to free itself from the fact that during its time, federal imposition of law and presidential abuse of power have been widened.

Donald Trump abandoned the norms while America stormed out of its role as timeless protector of the term “international normality”. But still, he was able to win more votes than any other presidential nominee, excluding Barack Obama in 2008 and Joe Biden in 2020. It’s exactly what we sometimes tend to say that “the degree of someone’s victory is measured by the value of the one who lost” and Mr. Trump put this year’s winning bar very high for his opponent.

This is a seemingly valueless achievement, but it’s also quite indicative of the correlations within the american society; an impressive batch for anyone who would seek to maintain and carry ideas similar to his.

Politically what needs to be observed is that this very fact will possibly bring the Republican party into a position to almost dutifully preserve this anti-liberal rhetoric as its political pillar for some time in the near future, regardless of what that will entail in the short run.

• Under these circumstances, Joe Biden’s pledge that the United States wll organize and host a Global Summit for Democracy during his first year in office is very critical in order for the spirit and common cause of nations of the free world to be renewed.

Joe Biden will need to slowly but steadily work towards bringing the United Stated back close to its allies and partners. But also on the national level, he has to restore democratic values that will give power to the people which will subsequently reunite them. By breathing life into democracy inside the country, he will be able to expand it on the outside. And Greece will be waiting, just around that corner…

Christos Gavalas is a journalist and an Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute (NYU) Master of Arts holder. As a Stavros Niarchos Foundation fellow, he attended the Lede Program on Data Journalism in Columbia University. He has worked for CNN New York and for Greek television station MEGA Channel. He currently works at CNN Greece, anchoring its newscast and presenting his own data journalism web show.

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