To call this a turbulent time in politics would be an understatement.
Around the world, authoritarian leaders are taking advantage of economic uncertainty and ethnic divisions to gain power, not with a coup but through the electoral process. Vladimir Putin in Russia, Viktor Orban in Hungary, Recep Erdoğan in Turkey and Javier Milei in Argentina (and, perhaps, Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel) came to power quite legitimately, and with large majorities. This does not make them any less autocratic than Benito Mussolini, Francisco Franco or Juan Peron were in their day. Nor is the United States, ostensibly the champion of democracy, immune from this sad trend.
Donald Trump, who came very close to autocracy in his first term, threatens to go full blast as dictator if he returns to power. Sadly, Trump has a large following, including the full support of his Republican Party, and could very well be in the White House by next year. Trump already promised vengeance against his enemies and, though he denies it, will implement the horrific Project 2025 which will set the political clock back a century.
Not since the Civil War have Americans been as divided as we are today. We no longer have an Edward R. Murrow or a Walter Cronkite to bring us together, despite our political differences. Instead, we rely on social media, where most of our friends agree with us. Thus, our views and our prejudices are enforced. Many families and friendships have broken over politics. Though I still have friends and relatives whose views are different from my own, it becomes harder to get along.
Sadly, our constitutional system is broken. At a time when much of the world is being led by young, dynamic figures, men and women, authoritarian or democratic, in these United States our race for president bogged down to one between two white men who are both older than this writer (who’s pretty old himself). President Joe Biden’s decision to end his re-election bid, and the rise of Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party candidate have given us a candidate young enough for ageist Americans to vote for, though the Republican alternative (Trump) means I would vote for Harris even if she was older than Biden. We are one of the very few countries who never elected a woman leader, and it is time to break that glass ceiling.
Trump and his Republicans will lead the United States on the road to autocracy. Harris, like Biden, will maintain and protect our democratic system. Alas, for too many Americans, democracy is not important. They would rather preserve their white male privileges than a political system that, for all its faults, is a model for all nations. These are rough times, and they will get rougher no matter who gets elected. In the meantime, we must make sure that the United States of America continues to be a democracy, even with all its imperfections. Agree or disagree on the issues, we only have one choice. Vote for Kamala Harris.
