The beacon still shines bright
For better or worse, whether we like it or not, the United States remain the beacon of the West. When it goes dark, the rest of the West also goes dark and doesn’t know how to chart a course, especially when the waters are uncharted. When the beacon flickers for a while, but then shows that, yes, it still has strength to shine, the rest of the West is relieved. That’s what happened last Tuesday with the midterm congressional elections.
Why? First of all, because the institutions worked without shouting and incidents. No Republican disputed or convincingly disputed the election result. This used to be self-evident. Not anymore. Nevertheless, the glue that held the cohesion of American society around a common denominator seems to hold more than we thought.
It is also significant that candidates who questioned institutions in an extreme, or even vulgar way, were comprehensively defeated. Their defeat debunked former president Donald Trump’s supposedly magical ability to pick candidates who win. Quite the opposite happened. And this in turn brought the sharp criticism of the ultraconservative media, such as the Fox News channel.
Trump himself expected a victory and was ready to announce his candidacy next week. He failed miserably.
What happened is amazing. The Democrats are represented by a president who seems doddery and rather lost. Inflation, especially the cost of energy, is putting a lot of pressure on the middle class. But the map of the US was not painted “red.” Middle-ground voters were offended by Trump’s arrogant attitude and the Supreme Court’s decision against abortion rights. They felt, perhaps for the first time, the fear for the survival of democracy itself. I cannot recall another time when truly serious people wondered aloud if America was going to turn into a totalitarian regime.
The debate over whether the US still has the power of renaissance, or whether it is headed down the predestined path of an unavoidable deep decline, has been ongoing for a long time. Many thought the ultimate test would be whether Trump would be elected president in 2024. Right now that seems unlikely and the relief is great. I still remember a conversation with a very prominent European leader. I asked her, “What keeps you up at night?” She replied, “Trump’s re-election.” When I pressed further and asked why, she replied, without much hesitation, “Well, because this will be the end of the West.” I assume she watched last Tuesday’s results with relief.
