US polls and the messy nature of democracy
US President- elect Joe Biden.
What you need to know:
- Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated just how badly the decisions of faraway governments can affect us.
Early results as soon as the polls closed showed huge leads for the incumbent president, Donald Trump, and many people quickly concluded that the man would be elected for a second term.
This past week, many of us have stayed up late tracking the results of the US presidential election. While some have looked upon this disdainfully, arguing that we should pay more attention to local happenings, we can argue convincingly that, at this point in time, our fates are so entangled that whatever happens in the US has the potential of affecting our wellbeing in Kenya.
Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic has demonstrated just how badly the decisions of faraway governments can affect us. The saying that no man is an island has never been truer.
Early results as soon as the polls closed showed huge leads for the incumbent president, Donald Trump, and many people quickly concluded that the man would be elected for a second term.
Indeed, the man himself declared an early victory, indicating he would not accept any other result. It turns out that the victory claims were premature.
Swearing-in
At the time of writing this, it was just a matter of time before his challenger, Joe Biden, declared victory and initiated the chain of events that would lead to the swearing-in of a new US president in January.
As usual, there are many lessons to be learnt from the US electoral process. Firstly, we learn that just as happens elsewhere, elections in the US can be divisive and even openly tribal.
It is human nature that when confronted by complex decisions with lots of uncertainty, we resort to making decisions based on what we think are the desires of others who look, talk, and behave like us.
We turn to the tribe in the expectation that even if we make the wrong choices, our tribe would stand by us in case we get into trouble. While traditionally the tribe had a lot more to do with blood relatives, today’s tribe is increasingly taking on additional attributes, including religion, views on marriage and immigration, and certain life-and-death issues like how to handle a pregnant woman whose life is threatened by the pregnancy.
Inner wounds and scars
Secondly, we learn that an important attribute of reasonably stable societies is the systems that are put in place to keep the society functioning even during disputes such as fractious elections.
While the current electoral process has opened up the body politic in the US to reveal inner wounds and scars, it has also allowed us to catch a glimpse of why America still works.
The bureaucracy continues to hum in the background, and despite huge threats that clog it and risk its collapse, its constant rhythm reassures the citizens that at the end of the day, the system is meant to work for them.
Above all personal desires and aspirations, there are higher ideals, and the haggling political class is only meant to disagree on the methods, but not the goals. However, the main lesson one takes away from the US electoral process is the fact that democracy is messy and sometimes unpredictable.
It can result in winners who so polarise a society that people on opposite ends of the political spectrum feel as though they live in alternate realities.
The thing that keeps it going is the trust that there will always be another opportunity to change political leadership and that the system is set up to serve the people rather than the elected leaders.
