Biden Replaces Trump: A Malignant “Normalcy” Is Restored
The defeat of Donald Trump came as a deliverance to millions of Americans after four years of political hell. It was greeted by mass spontaneous outbursts of joy and relief. Ridding ourselves of a uniquely malicious and bizarre president is reason to celebrate, but I argue that it is misleading to see the election as a victory of democracy over authoritarianism. Biden’s win is the triumph not of democracy but of an oligarchic status quo, itself an increasingly authoritarian system. And I suggest that the conclusions to be drawn from the election point toward a different perspective going forward for the left.
It s imperative to speak out about Trump s lack of mental capacity and psychological dangerousness: mental health expert President Donald J. Trump speaks with reporters after signing an executive order on establishing a White House Council on Eliminating Regulatory Barriers to Affordable Housing Tuesday, June 25, 2019, in the Oval Office of the White House. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) The child king spends his final days throwing an extra ton of trauma-inducing tantrums Dr. Bandy X. Lee was interviewed by presidential historian Joshua Kendall, whose most recent book is
First Dads: Parenting and Politics from George Washington to Barack Obama (Grand Central, 2016). His journalism has appeared in the
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Modern Diplomacy
Biden’s UN Ambassador will find the UN in the same state as the US foreign service post-Trump
Published 4 months ago
If 20 years ago you asked the regular foreign policy scholar what Democrats’ foreign policy was about they would tell you three things: multilateral diplomacy, international institutions and international law. Disregard and disdain for the UN and the web of international legal norms enveloping all countries used to be the hallmark of Republicans “on steroids” such as Bush and Bolton. It was their signature move. Civilized, internationally-minded Democrats aware of the fact that the US does not stand alone in the international arena would fervently defend the UN as the home of diplomacy, even if aware of the many shortcomings of the organization, many of which intended by design.
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Editors’ note: We are posting two articles on the 2020 U.S. presidential election from the forthcoming Winter 2021 issue of New Politics
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[This article will appear in the Winter 2021 print edition of New Politics under the title, “Biden Replaces Trump: A Malignant ‘Normalcy’ is Restored” We re-post it on the website with a new title that highlights its arguments for making a “clean break” with the Democrats and building a new party and movement of the left in the immediate, not the distant, future. We invite responses.]