Democracy under attack

The American ruling elite has created the perception that the rise of ‘Communist China’ and authoritarian Russia pose a threat to capitalist democracy in not only the US but also the democracies around the world.

It accuses both China and Russia of promoting and encouraging authoritarianism and undermining democracy. The Biden Administration even organised the democracy summit to counter the challenge posed by authoritarian regimes to liberal democracies.

The reality is that the political developments taking place in the US since the victory of Joe Biden are posing serious challenges to American democracy. Republicans are using ‘political manipulation’ to control the political system and democratic process to establish rightwing domination and hegemony.

We Pakistanis know the tactics used to favour a certain political party through delimitations of constituencies, media campaigns, fake news, etc. Republicans are using some of these tactics to take advantage in the coming midterm 2022 elections and in the 2024 presidential elections. They wanted to create an election system that favours and gives undue advantage to Republicans in future elections.

Democrats know what Republicans are doing but they have failed to resist these efforts to rig the election system in their favour. They are relying on the courts to overturn the legislation to suppress voters and laws instead of forming a broad alliance with the left and trade unions to politically resist these manoeuvres.

What Republicans are doing to secure victory in the 2024 presidential elections and to win majority in Congress is akin to undermining democratic values and spirit. Fears are growing that the neoliberal American ruling elite in heading towards authoritarianism. American democracy is facing serious challenges from within.

Neoliberals and neocons in the Republican Party seem on a mission to do whatever is possible to win the 2022 midterm and 2024 presidential elections. Republicans have successfully implemented a slew of changes to the election laws across a number of crucial swing states, alongside a campaign to gerrymander congressional districts.

They are using all the possible means, from gerrymandering congressional districts to voter suppression and electoral legislation in different states, to undermine election results. They are changing electoral rules and procedures to undermine the electoral process and popular votes.

The US conducts a national census every ten years, and congressional districts are redrawn according to the census. Democratic- and Republican-led state governments use this opportunity to redraw the constituency boundaries in such a manner to gain maximum advantage. But this time, Republicans are not only redrawing the constituencies to their favour but also intruding state legislation to undermine the election process.

At least 19 states that are dominated by Republicans have so far introduced laws and rules to overrule the presidential elections in these states. Republicans are hoping to win more states in midterm elections this year and to gain majority in Congress. They are making it harder for people of colour to vote in the elections.

For instance in Alabama, the Republican government has redrawn maps in such a way that the state’s Black American voters are packed into only one congressional district, diluting their votes The local court ruled against these changes in the constituency, but the Supreme Court set aside this order and restored the redrawn constituency boundaries. There is abundance of evidence that show what Republicans are up to.

They know well that President Biden’s popularity is falling; he hasn’t been able to fulfil his election promises regarding the economy. Inequality continues to rise. Biden has failed to address this issue which is a key issue for the working class whose incomes and real wages are not rising, but the wealth of billionaires and CEOs continue to increase.

Republicans and neoliberals in the Democratic Party are making sure that every effort to increase state spending on infrastructure, education and healthcare and other sectors faces defeat in the Senate. Any idea to increase taxes on big corporations and the rich is being fiercely resisted by neoliberals in both parties.

It is likely that the Republican Party will gain majority in Congress in the midterm elections. This victory is likely to lead to an even weaker Biden presidency, with more states being dominated by Republicans who would introduce anti-democratic laws.

If Democrats and the Biden Administration failed to overturn the state legislation introduced by Republicans through Congress, their chances of winning the presidency and gaining majority in 2024 would be much slim. The chances are that Trump or any other rightwing Republican candidate might be elected as next president. It is likely that Republican congressional and presidential victory in the 2024 elections (more Republican-dominated states would clear the way for a more authoritarian presidency in the US).

Republicans want to gain a significant majority in the 2024 elections and win the presidency and majority in both houses of Congress and Supreme Court to establish complete control over American political and judicial systems. It is likely that they will introduce laws to entrench themselves for future elections. They want to make it even more difficult for Democrats to win future Congress or presidential elections.

Surveys and opinion polls are pointing to the fact that Americans now think that democracy is being undermined. A CNN poll in September 2021 reveals that 56 percent of Americans think democracy in the US is under attack and 52 percent reply that they are just a little or not at all confident that elections reflect the will of the people. A 2021 Pew survey revealed that 72 percent of Americans believe that democracy in the US has not been a good example for others to follow in recent years.

The writer is a freelance journalist.