Analysis. “Democracy is sometimes confusing”, Joe Biden said. The American election that we have just experienced – like a familiar, if not intimate, drama – provides grounds for relief for those who remain attached to respect for popular sovereignty, checks and balances and the rule of law. The country has passed a historic test, without being cured. Those who try, in Europe, to find an antidote to the so-called “populist”, identity and nationalist movements, will find food for thought there. But which ones?
Let’s start with some obvious reservations. Joe Biden, 77, first elected to Congress in 1973, does not embody a new and original offer, despite the identity of his running mate. The end of the American drift does not imply an automatic collapse of other populist experiments. Then, from one side of the Atlantic to the other, the realities differ. In Europe, there is no such extreme cult of freedom, which justifies part of the Republican base to arm themselves with assault rifles or not to wear a mask. Likewise, the relationship to central power or the issue of minorities are approached differently.
This does not prevent indulging in a game of mirrors. So popular wisdom claims that voter turnout is a reliable measure of the health of a democracy. The more you vote, the better. The American fever allows this theorem to be put into perspective, without denying it. The general mobilization was breathtaking. There is still a powerful, inclusive electoral liturgy in the United States, according to which every vote can be decisive. But after four years of Trumpism, American society is electrified. Participation therefore also translates into an erosion of confidence in a common future, in a base of shared values, in institutions. It shows a hysterization of public debate, which makes it difficult to find a compromise. Joe Biden’s first challenge will be this: appease.
Thinking about institutions
Two countries face each other, in one. The role of the media – especially on the Republican side – has been overwhelming. We do not have in France the exact equivalent of Fox News. But news channels cannot shirk their responsibilities, any more than platforms such as YouTube or Facebook or even tabloids in the United Kingdom. The trade in hatred and lies, which some have set up as a model or even tolerate, leads to a sloppy society, where prejudices formerly silenced or whispered become rallying cries. In this ecosystem, a paradox emerges. Donald Trump’s blatant failure in the fight against Covid-19 has not prevented him from expanding his base, even if it may have cost him victory. Populism is ineffective in the face of crises requiring expertise, but its supporters adhere to it for other reasons. In order to counter populism, it is therefore not enough to demand better results. An election is not a report card contest.
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