Ɖ Obzrvr vy on a denjṛs momnt fr Americn dmocṛsi
(Transcription of an editorial published in the Observer on 6 November 2022)
A Rpublicn midtrm lanslîd z ɖ last ʈñ a dvîdd, angri America nīdz
Súnde 6 Nvmbr 2022
Fṛm wn pspctiv, ɖ historicl sgnificns v ɖs Tyzde’z YS midterm ilex́nz śd nt b oṿstetd. Antiṣpetd Rpublicn genz, n a consiqnt los v Deṃcratic cntrol v Congres, wd, f ɖe mtirịlîz, b nʈñ ǎt v ɖ ordnri. Ɖ parti in pǎr yẓ́li pformz purli at ɖ midpônt v ɖ ilex́nsîcl, ispeṣ́li f ɖ sitñ prezidnt z unpopylr – n Jo Bîdn, wɖ a dis’pruvl retñ v 55%, srtnli z.
Vyd anɖr we, hvr, ɖ imīɉt sgnificns v ɖ vot fr an angri, dvîdd America ɖt split rufli 51%-47% btwn Bîdn n Doṇld Trump in 2020 canot b oṿesṭmetd. Ɖ bacdrop z lūmñ ic̣nomic rseśn, peṣmizm abt ɖ fyćr, dīp scizmz ovr rês, aborśnrîts, crîm, gunz n clîṃt – n rîzñ p’liticl vayḷns fyld bî disinḟmeśn, faŗît pundits, cnspiṛsiʈiyrists n paṛmilitri mliśaz.
So fībrîl z ɖ stet v ɖ yńn in 2022 ɖt sm asc: cn dmocṛsi indyr? Ɖ mn cnsrn z ɖt ɖ xtrimist Maga Rpublicn fax́n cntinyz t dnî Trump’s 2020 dfit, ẃl mni mor modṛt GOP canddets sūpînli rfyz t ćalinj ɖm. Trump s’portrz in mni stets r fixñ votñrūlz n intiṃdetñ oponnts. Ɖz ilex́nz r crūśl bcz ɖr me nt b mni mor – at līst, nt fri n fer wnz.
Unḍlayñ ɖs sinistr campen wɖn a campen z ɖ implisit or xplisit ys v p’liticl vayḷns. Rcordd xamplz includ ɖ hǎndñ v ilex́nwrcrz, ʈrets t jujz, armd demnstreśnz ǎtsd stethǎzz, atacs on aborśnclinics, ʈrets t hospitlz cẹrñ fr trnzjndr ćildṛn, asōlts on flît’tndnts in arğmnts ovr Covid rūlz n haṛsmnt v lîbrerịnz ovr ẃć bcs t stoc.
Wornñ agn v ɖ denjrz t dmocṛsi, Bîdn last wīc d’recli linct ɖ rīsnt, śocñ hamr’tac on ɖ huzbnd v ɖ Deṃcratic Hǎșpīcr, Nansi Pelosi, t Trump’s “big lî” abt ɖ stoḷn ilex́n. “W’r fesñ a dfînñ momnt,” Bîdn dclerd. “W mst wɖ wn oṿẃlmñ, yṇfaid vôs spīc, az a cuntri, n se ɖr’z no ples fr votr intiṃdeśn or p’liticl vayḷns in America.”
Yt hiz asrśn ɖt “dmocṛsi z on ɖ baḷt fr ol v s” z flatli rjctd bî cnsrṿtivz hu argy ɖt an ǎt-v-tuć prezidnt z scermunġrñ t win vots. Abt 63% v lîcli Deṃcrat votrz agri wɖ Bîdn ɖt a fuñṣ́nñ dmocṛsi z mor importnt ɖn a stroñ icoṇmi, acordñ t wn srve – bt 70% v Rpublicnz se ɖ oṗzit. Telñli, 79% v ol votrz sd ɖe flt “ʈñz wr ǎt v cntrol” in America.
Ɖ xtnt t ẃć Americnz on bʈ sîdz v ɖ dvîd sīm t ʈnc ɖ wrst v ć uɖr, or r msléd or misinformd, wz rvild bî a rīsnt CBS/YGuv poul v 2,100 rejistrd votrz v ol psweźnz. Fr xampl, 53% sd ɖe b’livd ɖt ɖ Deṃcrats, f ɖe wún, wd cut p’līsfundñ. N 59% ɖt ɖe wd opn ɖ YS-Mx̣co bordr t unliṃtd iṃgreśn. Nɖr pṛpozl z Deṃcratic-parti poḷsi.
Cnvrsli, 63% sd ɖe b’livd Rpublicnz wd trî t impīć Bîdn, ẃl 56% xpctd ɖ GOP t oṿtrn Deṃcratic vicṭriz n impoz a naśnl aborśnban. Sadli, ɖt z intîrli plōzibl. Yt dspt ɖs oṿol lac v confidns in ɖ integṛti v poḷtiśnz n ɖ ilectṛl proses, a strîcñ 89% sd ɖe wd defiṇtli or probbli vot or hd olrdi votd. On ɖs evidns, rports v dmocṛsi’z deʈ r gretli xaɉretd.
So intns z America’z intṛspx́n ɖt mni mis ɖ bigr picćr. Nɖr Rpublicnz nr Deṃcrats hv majic ansrz t probḷmz isnṣ́li globl in nećr – rseṣ́nri preśrz, eṇjicosts, post-pandemic s’plî iśuz, clîṃt impacts, Ćîna’z ic̣nomic dǎntrn, wor in Yṛp. Lîc Britn’z Brexitrz, it z a fūliś cnsit v Americn cnsrṿtivz ɖt ɖ YS z smhǎ iḿn t sć globl forsz. It me hv bn wns. It z’nt nǎ.
Rîzñ p’liticl vayḷns, ẃl pridominntli eṃnetñ fṛm ɖ faŗît, olso rflects a brōdr crîsis fesñ ol wstn dmocṛsiz: ɖ fṛstreśn n angr flt bî ordnri ppl ɖt slf-srvñ p’liticl ilīts canot b trustd, ɖt ɖer vots r westd. In ɖ YS, fełr t rform consttyśnl anacṛnizmz sć az ɖ Ilectṛl Colij n tū-p’-stet distṛbyśn v Senit sīts, rgardlis v popyleśnsîz, z a slf-inflictd handicap.
N ɖen, az f ɖz wr nt probḷmz inuf, ɖr’z Trump himslf. Lawrñ ovr ɖ ilectṛl lanscep lîc a ʈundrclǎd redi t brst, ɖ formr prezidnt éjz closr bî ɖ de t dclerñ hiz canddsi fr 2024. Hir h z spīcñ in Aywa last wīc: “In ordr t mc ǎr cuntri s’xesfl n sef n glorịs, I wl vri, vri, vri probbli d it agn… Gt redi, ɖt’s ol I’m telñ y. Vri sn. Gt redi.”
It’s plen ɖt Trump hz lrnt nʈñ, rgrets nʈñ, cerz fr nʈñ bt hiz ǒn endlis slf-pṛmośn. It’s amezñ h z nt in jel. H fesz akześnz v inṣrex́n n sbvrśn ovr ɖ 6 Jańri 2021 Cápitl Hil rayts, ilex́nrigñ in Jorja, criminl ʈeft v Ẃît Hǎs recordz, frōdyḷnt biznisdīlñz n a deḟmeśnsūt bî a raitr hu sz h rept hr. Yt nt onli z h stl a fri man, h’z feṿrit fr ɖ Rpublicn noṃneśn.
Gvn hiz record in ofis n hiz bhevyr sins, it z dificlt t imajin a mor denjṛs prospect, fr YS dmocṛsi, fr globl s’kṛti n fr comn dīsnsi, ɖn a secnd Trump prezidnsi. Yt it z on ɖ rzults v ɖs wīc’s midterm ilex́nz ɖt hiz fînl dsiźn t run me hinj. Fr ɖt, f fr no uɖr rīzn, w hop Americnz vot Deṃcrat.
