By Philip Yeung
American democracy is not iron-clad
American democracy is supposedly iron-clad and tamper-proof, shielded by its separation of powers, its checks and balances, and the unchallenged primacy of its constitution, watched over by a free and vigilant press. Instead, it has a monster on the rampage.
This tells you that no system is safe. All it takes is for a madman who dares to test the limits of presidential power, cheered on by rabble-rousers. Thus intoxicated, he rides roughshod over Congress, the courts, and the conscience of the nation. Even the universities are not immune. He is above the law because he is the law. He takes a wrecking ball to the rules, domestic and international. Cowered into silence, Republicans become willing accomplices. Democrats are simply too dumbfounded.
No longer the land of the free
Trump's second first 100 days made history with the lowest ratings. Markets are in freefall, the currency is crumbling, tensions spike with allies and rivals, pro-Palestinian academics and students are either locked up or deported, universities face defunding or a freeze of funds for defying his edicts, and immigrants are wrongfully deported. A judge who tried to offer an accused man a safe exit from arbitrary arrest has herself been arrested. A French citizen found to have views critical of Trump in his cell phone has been denied entry. A Turkish doctoral student and former Fulbright scholar was handcuffed and locked up for weeks just for writing a pro-Palestinian op-ed---not to mention over 300 students whose visas were revoked for expressing views sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. So much for the proverbial land of the free. So much for the vaunted rule of law. So much for the safeguard of human rights.
A land of opportunity for nasty narcissists*
I don't understand America anymore. It has elected, or rather, unbelievably, re-elected, a proven moron, a backyard bully and a convicted criminal who is anti-science, anti-climate change, economically illiterate and morally bankrupt. Every time he opens his mouth, it is to lie. He claims that his administration is in talks with China over the tariffs, when no such talks have taken place. Hurt by the lowest presidential ratings for his first hundred days, he immediately threatens to investigate the poll takers. If you don't like the poll numbers, just arrest the poll takers. Pure and simple. America is now in uncharted territory. It is the land of opportunity for nasty nitwits.
Trump predicts that America will be feared and respected by the world. But his brutal tariffs have left the global trading system in tatters, slapping tariffs even on an island inhabited only by penguins, leaving America the world's laughingstock: It is wonderful to see the president do a deal with penguins, displaying Trump's deal-making chops.
Why does Trump still enjoy 40% support?
The world is baffled by this bizarre creature: an ignorant, arrogant, incompetent, serial business failure is free to break all rules. Yet, despite his lunacy, he still enjoys a level of support that alarmingly hovers at around 40%. What does this say about America? They can't all be rural rednecks who lap up Trump's xenophobic outbursts. Is America really a land of gullible simpletons? Trump's ratings should be down to single digits.
Trump can thank the anti-woke backlash
What I suspect is that there is a sizeable swath of Americans fed up with the tyranny of woke values. Across Canada and the UK, too, there is a hardcore of voters sickened by the over-pampering of LGBTQ members, where gender-fluidity is not only tolerated, but even evangelically promoted in schools and in the fields of athletics. Women don't feel safe having biological males who are would-be females in ladies' toilets. This also doesn't sit well with many ethnic or hyphenated Americans.
The comfort of black-and-white moral certitudes
Another touchy issue is the liberal nod towards the use of soft drugs. Drug addicts are allowed to take over or inhabit the streets, leaving local residents fearing for their safety. To many, this is a sign that individual liberties have run amok. They hanker after the certainty of black-and-white moral values of yesteryear. No comeback for Democrats unless they walk back on woke values gone mad.
An early goodbye to this once-in-a-century monster
Trump is a once-in-a-century aberration. His violent rejection of woke principles and practices has won him broad support. It has also left democrats thoroughly discredited. It is interesting that despite Trump's chaos, cruelty and incompetence, the Democrats have not politically benefited from the fallout of his moral bankruptcy. No one is sure when the Trump madness will run out of steam. We just have to wait for the pendulum to swing the other way. But by then, there might not be much of America or of the international order left standing. Three years and three seasons are a long time in politics for Trump to emerge from his wet dreams. The rest of the world can only pray for an early withdrawal by the oversexed, unhinged predator.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of DotDotNews.
Read more articles by Philip Yeung:
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