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US’Democracy IS a Mess ; Not IN a Mess

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us democracy

*  Narasimhan Vijayaraghavan

American Democracy is a Mess. A complete Mess. Not IN a Mess. But IS a Mess. And Constitutionally it IS so. That is the worst part. With just 27 amendments since Sept 18,1787 till date (compared to our 110 since Jan 26,1950) and the process in place,  in poisonously partisan days between the Grand Old Party a.k.a. Republican and Democrats , forget any change in the immediate future.

And on the verge of the animus driven mid terms for 435 members of House Representatives, 35 members of Senate and 34 gubernatorial posts in the States and multiple other posts in the States as Secretaries of States, Attorney Generals, Justices ( yes  some judge positions are up for grabs in the hustings), on Tuesday, Nov 8,2022, it has gotten ugly, uglier and worse.

Their 55 Founders had the best interests when they got 13 confederates or nations to join to form United States of America, now 50 States. To form a ‘more perfect Union’ as they called it. Benjamin Franklin famously said, coming out of the Continental Congress,to a lady who called out, “What have you got us?”, “ Madam, a Republic. If you can keep it”. US of A has ‘kept’ till now. Somehow, despite warts and all. Or so we believe.

Can they ‘keep’ it now? Will they? After the Midterms. The GOP needs just 5 seats in the House and one in the Senate to flip it in their favour. If they do, which seems possible, as the overwhelming prognosis and history for over a century suggests, it would be chaos, mayhem for the next two years  of Josef Biden administration. It will turn a lame duck one and he may get ready  to veto Bill after Bill, the Republicans would manufacture,  as if on assembly line, with a vengeance.

As if this is not sufficient, GOP’s  ‘2020 election deniers’ (299 of them are in the ballot as WaPo has counted) are licking their fingers to move for impeachment of POTUS Josef Biden, his Attorney General Merick Garland and a few more department officials. Not to forget that GOP would launch  House/Senate investigations into Hunter Biden s/o. Josef Biden and his ‘corrupt laptop’ and Ukrainian/Chinese connections. There are no dearth of ‘issues’ for the GOP to invent, innovate to indulge.

Let’s begin with POTUS elections. It takes place once in four years on Nov 8 and the winner is sworn in on Jan 20th of the following year. The popular vote or majority winner does not become POTUS. He/she ( there has been no ‘she’  till date in over two centuries) shall be a winner only if the candidate gets 270 votes in the beast called Electoral College. Hillary Clinton lost despite winning 3 million plus votes more than Donald J Trump in 2016 and it is GOPians who have benefited from Electoral College by  critically winning in   ‘5/6 swing states’. Add the disease called ‘gerrymandering’ where you delimit/limit constituencies with ‘your own chosen voters’. Unbelievable constitutional course to perpetrate undemocratic methods.

Then the party of the POTUS in power, historically loses in the midterms. Remember the candid confession of Barack Obama  that the democrats ‘were shellacked in 2010 in the midterms’. So, history is staring at  the Biden party in 2022.

Add the poisonous potion of ‘voter suppression’ statutes put in place by Republicans since 2020 loss. Fifty States ‘run the elections with distinct and different rules starting with time schedule, mail in votes, identity cards necessary, voting mode and counting schedule and manner’. There is  no Central Election Commission as their  Federal EC deals with ‘sponsorship money’ alone.

Counting starts instantly. But takes minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and remember Bush v. Gore which had to be settled by SCOTUS and not in the polling booths by voters.It would/could be worse this time. GOPians are refusing to ‘accept the result’. Already. They ‘will accept only if they win’. They are already  tomtomming that ‘voting is  being rigged as it was in 2020’. Jan 6,2021 insurrection on Capitol, the election deniers are saying was ‘a trial run’. Scary.

Sitting far, far away in the comfort of my home in Gopalapuram,Chennai, South India, safely ensconced in my favourite chair, I am enjoying the live drama. Media is taking sides and hollering. Print, electronic and social media are baying for victims not winners. I love it. Who cares who wins or loses? Yes, it could impact Ukraine-Russia war and. World is now flat and not merely connected. It is inter-connected.

But I don’t care. Damn the small ‘d’ democracy in USA. I love it. I am enjoying. It is fun. Lovely. There is so much of LAW too, constitutional LAW at that to keep me hooked. I love this chaos and mayhem, more and worse. I bless all the actors in this live dance of  dark and dismal democracy. And the conspiracy Music is a perfect fit.

Time USA learnt its lessons. Unlikely. That makes it even more attractive. For, if the election deniers trump the democrats, well,well, well 2024 elections for POTUS will start next week commencing on 14th Nov,2022, with Donald J Trump announcing a rerun. A mouth watering prospect of GOP Primary Debates for starters, with Trump giving each one a nick name!

It cannot get any better for selfish me. Worse it does for US’ democracy, it should/would be divine entertainment to me and many. US’ democracy sucks. It stinks.

Honest to god it smells good to  selfish me. Carry on America! I love you and your democracy with a Capital D.

You have no  more any right to teach and preach to the world. On Democracy and its ‘commendable values’.

Now,it is time  for you to SHUT UP please. Worse is in store. For US’ democracy IS a Mess. And not IN a Mess.

So, SHUT UP please.


( Author of Constitution & its Making/Working- Musings,Anecdotes & Episodes, OakBridge,2021/2022- practicing advocate in the Madras High Court)


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