Archive image:
Keystone/EPA/Etienne Laurent
The US presidential election was less about voting for a Joe Biden than it was about voting out Donald Trump. With the handover, it will now be boring – but also healthier.
Lent actually doesn’t start until February 17th. But for the editors it already breaks four weeks earlier: After four fat years, the days of juicy headlines from the USA are over for the time being. Instead, nutritious, but rather boring news fare is now on the menu again.
Even if we all know that this is healthier in the long run – many people will only taste it to a limited extent. Ever since Donald Trump appeared on the political scene, emotions have always been on the twelve on a scale from zero to ten. Be it horror, admiration or just astonishment: the now-elected president was always astonishing.
Trump, the quota guarantor
Even if the editors sore their fingers because of the exceeded limits and violated norms, even if the audience was upset about the lack of statesmanship: Many loved the constant crossing of boundaries – even if they would never have said it so openly. Because finally there was fire again in the otherwise often sedate political reporting, suddenly articles from this department were among the best-read. Trump was to Swiss foreign editors what Roger Federer is to sports reporting.
The now resigned president delivered fat news fare – but this had dire consequences for society, as it was shown on January 6 in Washington: Incited by Trump’s repeated and unfounded accusations of electoral fraud, which the media carried on, it would be on the day almost came to a democracy attack. Thousands of supporters of the president stormed the Congress in order to prevent the democratically decided change of power.
But the days of hair-raising news are over: The Democrats control the Senate and House of Representatives, and the eyes are on the new strong man in Washington: Joe Biden. And “rest” fits perfectly here, because with the 78-year-old in the White House, the flow of news from Washington will slow down, and significantly.
With Biden, reason returns to the White House
Joe Biden was chosen less because of his outstanding visions for the future of the United States or his captivating nature, but more because he is not Trump. Because he promised to deliver less drama and more tangible things. Sure, the resigning president will continue to rage. But since his banishment from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and now also from the media conference room of the White House, he no longer has the same platforms, and his Republicans have also lost their last bastion with the US Senate.
Joe Biden is laughed at by his opponents and also by many media people as an old man and a joke. Even as Vice President under Barack Obama, he was notorious for his rhetorical missteps. But it will not provide a replacement for Trump’s permanent exceptional situation. Because Joe will listen to his staff and not leave confused messages on Twitter at 2 a.m.
This makes it boring for everyone involved. We’ll all have to get used to it again. But that is certainly better for democracy and trust in the institutions.
To stick with the image of the entrance: for the last four years there was pizza and burgers with a lot of fat, salt and sugar every day. But soon steamed vegetables will be on the menu again, or a clear soup. Not the same taste fireworks, but none of us face acute diabetes.
On weekdays at 11:30 am and sometimes not until 12 noon there is a regular column on “blue News” at noon – it is about well-known personalities, sometimes also about unknown ones – and sometimes an asterisk will be found.
Back to the home page-
