Freedom’s two faces

Kamala Harris was due to accept the nomination of the Democratic Party in Chicago last night, becoming Donald Trump’s official rival for the presidency. The two candidates (as characters and in all that they represent) are so different from each other that the winner of November’s election will have to make it their top priority to work towards reconciliation and to attempt a return to a joint understanding of reality. This task will not be easy, as the two sides cannot agree even on the meaning of common words. This is the case with “Freedom,” the banner under which both the Democrats and the Republicans are campaigning. However, the former are fighting to protect personal freedoms and individual rights, with guarantees at the federal level, while the latter covet a weakening of the central government and the strengthening of states, with the aim of limiting personal freedoms and the regulations which keep the economy and society running smoothly and protect the environment. 

The Democrats speak of the freedom of all, which can only be guaranteed by a strong central government, while the Republicans want the federal government to be strengthened only where it limits the freedoms and choices of others. In her speech last night, Harris was expected to present herself and her story, along with her program to help the middle class (with cuts in prices of groceries and housing and lower taxes), and to advance personal freedoms. On the other hand, the authors of Project 2025 (an 887-page “handbook” for a new Trump presidency, if it comes to be), propose solutions based on “the core principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.” Their aim is “to build an America where freedom, opportunity, prosperity, and civil society flourish for all.” This, however, cannot be achieved by limiting freedoms of the many to benefit the most privileged. 

For both sides, then, the same words have different meanings. Similarly, both have used Beyonce’s song “Freedom” in their campaigns (the Democrats with permission, the Republicans without). At the Democratic Convention, the central message is “A fight for Democracy.” A week after surviving an assassination attempt, Trump asked: “What have I done against democracy? Last week I took a bullet for democracy.” The next few months will be extraordinary.