CROSSROADS FOR POLITICS IN AMERICA
Posted on 6th January 2024
Today marks the anniversary of one of the darkest chapters in American history, the invasion of the U.S. Capitol by a bunch of insurrectionists. That these people were encouraged by a sitting U.S. President in the form of Donald Trump seems irrefutable and is in itself deeply disturbing as it shows a man willing to drive a sword into and through the beating heart of American democracy. His behaviour has been so outrageous that I have to shake my head sometimes to convince myself that these events have really occurred. Now facing a presidential election, the States of Colorado and Maine have barred Trump from the ballot under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which prohibits those who have incited an insurrection being on the ballot. Trump, of course, has appealed the matter to the Supreme Court. It is hard to anticipate which way the Supreme Court will rule. Meanwhile, a candidate who is facing 91 criminal charges is leading in the polls. Is it really possible that Donald Trump could regain the Presidency? Frankly the very thought of it fills me with trepidation. Amongst many aspects to Trump that are very unsettling are his vengefulness and his obvious fondness for dictators, Putin in particular. What will happen to US foreign policy if the Trump returns to the White House? US military aid to Ukraine has been an essential component in their struggle against the Russian aggressor. Would Trump withdraw US support or equally alarming would he leave NATO? We may be neutral in Ireland but lets face it the status quo has suited us very well. We really don’t want to see Vlad the Bad waltzing into the Baltic States and overturning Europe’s apple cart. This may seem like fanciful stuff but who would have imagined what happened a year ago today live on CNN for all the world to see. You would have thought that would have been fair warning to US citizens that Donald Trump is a dangerous man.
I believe Joe Biden to be a good and honourable man who understands the concept of public service. In many respects he has been a good President and has displayed one important characteristic. He has chosen good people to be part of his administration. Being President is a very stressful job. Many have visibly aged while in office. Biden shuffles along and occasionally gets in a muddle. In short, he is too old to run again but I’d vote for him because of fear of the other.
