“We talk about America’s system of government,” New York Times columnist Ezra Klein said after Trump’s inauguration, “as if it is a solid thing, bound by the constitution and institutions the way a belt cinches around the waist. But it’s really just a pile of norms in a trenchcoat. Knock the norms down and everything changes.” Trump’s very purpose is to knock them down, but in some ways, he is only accelerating a process that had already started.
Take Trump’s order to construct a migrant detention centre in Guantánamo Bay – a space that has for years operated outside international law despite outcries and appeals for closure. Hundreds of prisoners were kept there under military law, often following rendition, disappearance and torture at CIA black sites. Trump’s proposal to detain tens of thousands of migrants there is an outrageous move, but it is not an aberration. He is building, literally, on what came before him. Long before the second Bush administration used the facility to hold and abuse nearly 800 Muslim men and boys as part of its ‘war on terror’. Last year, the Biden administration awarded a private contractor over $160m (£130m) to run the facility.
The same goes for Trump’s withdrawal from international organisations such as the World Health Organization and his imperial adventurism when it comes to foreign policy. The US has a long record, under much more gentlemanly presidents, of breaking international law, insulting international institutions and embarking on unilateral campaigns licensed by its superpower status. Over two decades ago, Congress passed a law authorising “all means necessary and appropriate” to “free US or allied personnel detained by or on behalf of the International Criminal Court”.
The danger comes from assuming that Trumpism comes out of nowhere. In fact, it comes from many sources, but one of them is his predecessors’ creation of a political system in which serial breaches are seen as acceptable because they are done by the right people. Well, to millions of people, Trump is the right person.
What’s incredible to me is that these trends were glaringly apparent for decades. Yet, Western liberals deliberately chose to turn a blind eye. Now, they are realizing that they are no longer seated at the table, sharing in the spoils, but have instead become part of the feast themselves.
Trump is merely the outward, unashamed expression of the manner in which America has operated for hundreds of years.
This was a very long process that did not happen overnight. There are no perfect systems of government- they are run by humans and will always have human influence. The system is working as intended. Yes, there are checks and balances, but they are only as strong as the people enforcing them. No form of government is safe from this.
The only way to truly combat this is for us, as a society, to value and advocate for education and empathy. More importantly, we need to call out harm. Talk about politics at work. Your job is political and ignoring that fact will harm you and your neighbors. Politics is uncomfortable to talk about, but if we don’t, we’re letting our oppressors have control. Silence always favors the oppressor, never the oppressed.
We are all responsible for communicating with each other. A lot of people shut down after the election. This is not the time to stick your head in the mud and give up. This is the time to stand together and take action. Call and email your elected representatives. Volunteer. As Bernie said, if there’s a piece of legislation you disagree with, call the capital switchboard at (202) 224-2131.
We are not defeated. We are united in a cause for change.
If you still count on Bernie then you have already lost.
He is a force for good and doing what he can and should. I’m relying on people, everyone really, to do their part. I’m relying on you. Take things one day at a time. If you need a break from politics, take one. But do not give up. Do not cow to your oppressors.
Bernie has fully cooperated with everything mentioned in the artle. It is because figures like Bernie, sheepdogging any opposition movement into the DNC, that this point has been reached.
Were it not for Bernie the left would have split off long ago. Possibly they could have won and corrected course. But alas. Bernie chose the ratchet effect.
The article mentions “democrats”, but Bernie is not mentioned specifically. I’m assuming you have a source?
Bernie isn’t even a Democrat.
Yeah, he’s independent.
Was it not Bernie who fought to keep Biden as candidate, when even Nancy Pelosi wanted Biden out?
You’re suggesting that Bernie not support Biden, the sitting president, for a second term when Biden himself stated that he was staying in the running.
Here’s a comprehensive list of everything the Biden administration accomplished: https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/fact-sheet-the-biden-harris-administration-record
Pelosi also hasn’t advocated for the best ideals. We don’t need a moderate, or someone who “reaches across the isle”. We need strong leaders who push for meaningful change for the American people.
Pelosi also hasn’t advocated for the best ideals. We don’t need a moderate, or someone who “reaches across the isle”. We need strong leaders who push for meaningful change for the American people.
Okay… That is the point… Can you not see the irony in Bernie’s stronger support for the establishment than Pelosi?
Amerika Über Alles.
Here in South America, we’ve been painfully aware of US’s empire building for more than a century. Trump is not the cause of the current events, he is merely one more symptom of Americas unchecked narcissistic exceptionalism.
This article nails it. Trump is exposing US hypocrisy and unilateralism like never before.
He is dispensing with the crocodile tears, backstabbing and fake bonhomie that masked the depravity, corruption and self interest. It is now on full display, warts and all.
