By Aly Kamadia, Editor-In-Chief, iDose
President Donald Trump has been defeated in the 2020 American election. Joe Biden is set to become the 46th President of the United States (US).
In the weeks leading up to inauguration day 2021 (January 20th, when Biden will officially be sworn in), here are three things (out of many) that are on my radar.
Revenge of Sanity
While I’m hardly a fan of President-elect Biden, before the election, I argued that the failure to vote for Biden constituted an act of insanity. Trump’s negligence on the pandemic, his policies to accelerate climate change (you know, that little reality that threatens organized human life as we know it) and threats to the very institution of American democracy rendered my conclusion inescapable. His term in office has been plagued with a distinct flavor of chaos that America has never witnessed.
Relative to Trump, Biden embodies a potent sense of sanity.
I’ve been happy to see Biden reaffirm his commitment to the Paris climate agreement (though certainly much more needs to be done in this area). It’s sobering to learn that the president-elect has committed the US to rejoining the World Health Organization. And desperately needed federal leadership on the pandemic will be welcomed.
While these are only a few examples, in general, any policies that represent a revenge of sanity will be on my radar.
Biden’s Cabinet picks need to include Progressives
The question of who Biden selects for his cabinet positions is fundamental.
Currently, the Senate looks like it’s going to remain in Republican hands. Meaning that one of the many threats Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell (who, at the time of this writing, has not accepted that Biden has legitimately won the election) will issue to Biden will relate to his cabinet picks. McConnell will warn Biden that only hardcore corporate Democrats will be tolerated. Anyone even resembling a progressive will be immediately rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate.
Predictably, some mainstream broadcast (American) media outlets are already framing this as a situation where Biden’s hands are completely tied, and it’s simply impossible to choose any progressives.
Of course, this view completely fails to take into account that it is perfectly legal for Biden to select temporary appointments indefinitely, much the way Trump did in many cases.
Thus I’ll mention two specific examples that Biden should include in his cabinet.
Given her character, intellect and courage in calling Wall Street Bankers criminals to their face (as they offer up sworn testimony that demonstrates their fraudulent conduct; see video below for an example), Elizabeth Warren is the obvious choice for Treasury Secretary. We’re well into the 21st century, and it’s long overdue to have a Treasury Secretary who isn’t a servant of Wall Street and America’s corporate oligarchy.
For equally obvious reasons, Bernie Sanders would make for the perfect Secretary of Labor.
Do I believe that Biden will welcome Warren and Sanders, along with other progressives?
I’m genuinely trying to remain optimistic. Though the question that keeps haunting me is: how hard will Biden end up slapping progressives on the face?
The Urgent Threat to Democracy
More than 70 million Americans voted for a certified maniac. While a detailed autopsy of the election won’t be available soon, it’s undeniable that the US is deeply divided.
But it is grossly misleading to paint a picture in which Trump is the only problem.
The outright criminal degree of income and wealth inequality in the US did not begin under Trump (we have four decades of neoliberal globalization to thank for that).
Neither did the systemic racism, nor did the assaults on journalism, science, objectivity and free inquiry.
With or without Trump, America is transparently haunted by toxic conditions open for exploitation. American democracy and the precious freedoms that accompany it remain under siege.
It is therefor hardly shocking to see warnings coming from a number of thoughtful intellectuals.
As an example, on October 31st (i.e. before ‘election day’), more than 80 scholars of authoritarianism from around the world signed an open letter warning of the current threat to democracy, part of which reads:
“As scholars of twentieth century authoritarian populism, fascism, and political extremism, we believe that unless we take immediate action, democracy as we know it will continue in its frightening regression, irrespective of who wins the American presidency in early November.
“In contrast to the hollow proclamations of economic and political liberalism’s “inevitable” triumph over authoritarianism in all its iterations, studying the past demonstrates that democracy is extremely fragile and potentially temporary, requiring vigilance and protection.”
One needn’t be a historian to recognize the “extremely fragile” state of American democracy.
The extent to which the Biden administration acts with “immediate action” on this threat will be on my radar.
As will the health of American civil society.
After all, if US democracy ends up strengthening, it will in large part have absolutely nothing to do with many of the self-serving politicians in Washington. Nothing less than a vibrant civil society is needed to guard American and Western political liberalism.
This is another obvious lesson from history, but one that merits repeating.
© All Rights Reserved
Aly Kamadia is Editor-In-Chief of iDose. To read selected articles by Kamadia, click here.
Very few Senate exchanges get a couple of million views. This is a must watch for political junkies, in which Senator Elizabeth Warren exposes the utter criminality of Wells Fargo. Justice in real time.
