Can Joe Biden Fix America? – Liberal Article
I could not believe my eyes. For four nights, I watched intently as Joe Biden overturned Wisconsin, Michigan, Arizona, and then Pennsylvania. One by one, he clawed back what Trump had snatched from the Democrats in 2016. A huge sense of relief and happiness swept over me. Good riddance to Trump.
Not long after Biden won the election though, my happiness was replaced with dread. The Pollsters were wrong. The Democrats did not gain a clear landslide victory. They barely won over a deeply divided nation. Good riddance to Trump?
Biden wants to reform the White House, the government, and the entire country. Yet, Biden faces some incredible obstacles in front of him. Time will tell if he can defeat them.
The most immediate threat is Trump himself. He refuses to believe the election was fair. He refuses to go down without a fight. Most of all, he refuses to keep his dignity.
Legal challenges have been set up by Republicans all over the country, especially in the states they lost. The Democrats predicted this. However, they could not predict how close Trump would come to winning. As a result, Biden and his campaign have been smeared as nothing but fraudsters. This is one of the most baseless accusations Trump has made, and that’s saying a lot. His lawyers claim Biden rigged Wisconsin, whilst accepting North Carolina’s results without a doubt. What a waste of donation money.
The claims, on their own, don’t mean much. By themselves, they are the deranged ramblings of an angry old man. What frightens me, however, is how widely believed they are by his supporters. His voters will not let an impossible Trump victory go. They yelled ‘stop the count’ in Georgia, but ‘count all the votes’ in Arizona. Clearly, democracy is not their guiding light.
This support will not die easily. The cult of Trump will live on. Biden aims to take America in a more liberal, co-operative direction, but he is swimming against strong Populist currents. Biden has some ambitious goals, promising to rejoin the Paris Agreement and the World Health Organization whilst repairing foreign tensions. However, only half the country will greet this with applause. Many are strongly convinced that the WHO and Paris Agreement are forces for evil, perhaps even tools of the ‘Globalist Agenda’. As for International treaties, conservatives will scoff at making peace with Iran and Russia. It will weaken America, they say whilst ignoring how Trump mishandled the nation for years.
Do not underestimate Trump’s four years in office. His presidency has polarized America. Biden is left with not only a divided people but a divided government.
That’s why Biden’s worst hurdles are in the very heart of the American political system. The Democrats have won the presidency but may lose the senate. With an increasingly hostile and partisan Republican party now ready to control Congress, Biden could face severe difficulties in making a real difference. His bills for universal healthcare and environmental protection, bills which are sorely needed in the USA, would be shot down by a Republican senate quicker than Soleimani. Biden will have to pray that the Georgia run-offs bring him the senate he deserves. Otherwise, it will be two more years of waiting.
Let’s finally not forget about America’s most undemocratic branch of government – The Supreme Court. Six staunchly Republican judges, all sitting for life, could steer America into the pits of regression for decades to come. Biden’s presidency is not the only thing at stake. With him, forty years of progress will be relentlessly challenged. The judges will make sure the fires of Trump’s legacy burn bright, razing the nation in the process. Ruth Bader Ginsburg weeps.
Yet, there are solutions. Hope is not lost. To heal a polarized nation, Biden must mend the divides, not strengthen them. Whilst Trump refused to listen to his opposition, Biden must lend his ear.
In government, Democrat senators must promote an integrated congress to help deliver their bills. Rather than trying to pass ‘Democrat’ measures, Biden’s senators and people in Congress must pass measures for ‘America’, or for ‘the people’. This would appeal to both populist and liberal sentiment, and strengthen Biden’s support not only amongst Republicans but democratic socialists too.
Biden himself must forge a common, but non-aggressive, American identity as well. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, with his New Deal and Fireside chats, managed to unite a nation in a World War and the worst economic crash ever witnessed. The result? A booming economy and a stable nation. Facing a worsening pandemic and recession, Biden should do the same.
Most importantly, local Democrats must listen to local Republicans. One method, tested and proven in Ireland, is the ‘Citizen’s Assembly’. Local citizens, representing different perspectives and experiences, should meet to decide on political goals whilst also giving other voices a platform. In Ireland, ‘Citizen’s Assemblies’ have helped to promote compromise in the face of a difficult Brexit settlement. Measures like these would severely weaken the rhetoric of Trump. The ‘contact thesis’, when done well, works well.
Biden has made some promising first steps. Right out the gate, he pledged to serve all Americans; Democrats, Republicans, or otherwise. His first speech as president-elect did something Trump never once attempted in his four years as Commander-in-Chief. It empathized with the opposition. A commendable achievement from a commendable man.
Biden’s presidential campaign was rooted in uniting the American people. I strongly believe that he will fulfil this. Joe Biden, with the right tactics, can fix America.
Written by Senior Liberal Writer, Frank Allen
Point of Information
Trump created division, Biden must restore unity – A Labour Response
The last week has been a real rollercoaster in the world of politics, thankfully ending in great celebrations worldwide. I too celebrated, it was a huge sense of relief. But, this election will not be the final hurdle for Biden. And it is certainly not the last we will see of Trump, as Frank’s article epitomises.
‘Can Joe Biden fix America?’ is the perfect question to be asking here. It hasn’t yet been a week since the projected win announcement and Trump has already caused quite a noise, both metaphorically with his legal challenges, and quite literally with his Twitter rages. It is clear Trump will not give up without a fight.
Trump’s legacy, and interestingly that of his Twitter, will live on for a long time. He has always used social media as a place to voice his opinions and to encourage division across America. He has succeeded in doing so, and he still is.
So what does Biden need to do about it?
A strong social media presence to counter Trump’s will certainly be a good place to start. He has to focus on unity, using social media to bring opposing parties together and undoing the division Trump has created. If Biden can’t master this, the division will only worsen, proving catastrophic to Biden’s presidency.
Only then can Biden move to tackle the key issues facing him and his administration. I would personally love to see him first address the coronavirus pandemic and of course the climate emergency. But, again, this will only be possible if some form of unity is restored in the USA.
Biden has only four years (potentially eight but let’s not get ahead of ourselves) to create real change and to ‘fix’ a broken, divided America. He needs to serve not as a Democrat president but as a decent, American one. Biden has great potential, but he sure needs to be wary of Trump and his respective legacy.
Written by Co-Chief Labour Writer, Abi Clargo
Sleepy Joe will not fix the USA – A Conservative Response
Trump and his army of Republicans have still not conceded the presidential election results. I fear Trump’s call to arms with voter fraud cases will be taken to the Supreme Court. This battle will last for months and it could tamper with the presidential transition. It was a very bold move from Biden in his first speech as President-Elect calling for unity which I commend him for but it will be a long extended battle with the Republicans.
Biden’s next two years will be highly unproductive in Congress with the Republicans holding the majority in the Senate and the House of Representatives held by the Democrats. I can only see further government shutdowns and an increase in the presidential veto. If Biden really wants change, then the only way forward will be to use the presidential veto and executive orders as I can guarantee that the Republicans will not warm up to any agreements easily. 2 years shall be wasted immediately and it will be hard for the Democrats to regain a majority in the Senate when the Republicans will surely look to boost their majority during the midterms.
However, I am almost certain that Biden will unite Congress when it comes to the Covid-19 response. Perhaps the Republicans will finally see the logic when referring to science. The Republicans will certainly take some persuading and it will be an uphill struggle but with the state that the country is in, I hope the Republicans can be bought to their senses.
All in all, Biden’s next 4 years will not be easy and he must be prepared for the future dents in his agenda.
Written by Junior Conservative Writer, Max Jablonowski
Max Jablonowski
I am Max Jablonowski, a second year student studying French and Politics at the University of Exeter, and I am about to go on my year abroad to Paris to complete two internships. I was Academic Events Manager of the Politics Society in Exeter and I was privileged enough to organize events such as Question Time, co-host the 2019 General Election Hustings with MWEXE and host the Rt. Hon. James Brokenshire MP, the current Minister of State for Security.
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Max Jablonowski#molongui-disabled-link
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Max Jablonowski#molongui-disabled-link
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Max Jablonowski#molongui-disabled-link
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Max Jablonowski#molongui-disabled-link
Abi Clargo
I’m Abi! I am a liberal, political enthusiast from the Welsh valleys. Since I was young, I have been captivated by politics. I used to spend so much time watching the morning news before school, and have paid close attention to political campaigns for as long as I can remember. It was a lot later that I decided I wanted to pursue politics academically. Now, I have just finished my second year studying Politics and International Relations at the University of Exeter.
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Abi Clargo#molongui-disabled-link
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Abi Clargo#molongui-disabled-link
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Abi Clargo#molongui-disabled-link
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Abi Clargo#molongui-disabled-link
Frank Allen
Politics was a completely taboo subject for me as a young boy. Having lived almost all my life in Brunei and Qatar – two very strict, theocratic autocracies – I was cautious to keep my opinions well-guarded. The smallest negative remark about either country’s governance, for example, would’ve meant deportation for my family and I. Any non-approved political activity, no matter how naïve, had to be kept a secret. It was best not to question at all.
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Frank Allen#molongui-disabled-link
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Frank Allen#molongui-disabled-link
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Frank Allen#molongui-disabled-link
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Frank Allen#molongui-disabled-link
