Donald Trump showed himself to be the greatest enemy of American democracy, says American writer George Packer. And yet someone who files the sharp edges of his argument can easily become president. “The Democrats are weak with Biden.”
–
It is only an hour and a half after the scheduled appointment Friday afternoon that we actually get hold of George Packer. The American writer and essayist first had to make an appearance in the morning shows. It is after 10 a.m. on the American east coast, the projection agency Decision Desk HQ has just been the first to give the victory to Joe Biden. “We are not used to such a trench warfare with endless counts,” he says with small eyes.
–
George Packer is an American writer and essayist for The Atlantic and until 2018 for The New Yorker.
–
In 2013 he wrote ‘The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America’ about growing ideological divisions and economic inequality.
In 2018 ‘Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century’ followed, about the American top diplomat Richard Holbrooke.
–
–
Packer was grim about the future of his country on Wednesday regardless of the result. “Whoever wins the presidency, we are all losers,” he wrote in The Atlantic. He nuances that sentence during the video call. ‘We have been released from Donald Trump, for whose presidency we pay a heavy price. But we are losers in the sense that a democracy only survives if both sides believe in it and we maintain a dialogue with each other. ‘
–
Few understand the photo finish in the US ballot box better than Packer. With lengthy reports and essays for first The New Yorker and then The Atlantic, he has been an eminent chronicler of American society for decades. In 2013, long before politician Trump was mentioned, he described in ‘The Unwinding’ the ideological divisions and economic inequality that have gripped the US.
–
Was this the worst week ever for American democracy?
George Packer: ‘There were also points of light. In my entire adult life, fewer and fewer people voted, the most worrying signal in a democracy. But the turnout now was the highest in 60 years. Also practically and technically everything went smoothly, in the middle of a pandemic. People are still attached to democracy. On the other hand, our president is the greatest enemy of democracy in our country. Tens of millions of people prefer to see him over democracy. They wanted to grant him a new term, even though he had shown his willingness to destroy democracy. ‘
–
He did not want to confirm in advance that he would respect the result. Yet the citizen does not vote him out. What does that say about a democracy?
Packer: ‘That is definitely the hardest thing for me to accept. 70 million Americans see no bones in a man who is xenophobic, who does not care about democracy, and who uses the presidency for personal bills. People may care more about what they earn at the end of the month. The stock markets performed well, as did the economy until before the outbreak of the corona virus. But we clearly care less about our democracy than I thought. ‘
–
Thursday night’s press conference never brought us closer to political violence.
George Packer
Writer and essayist
–
–
–
At a press conference Thursday night, Trump talked about electoral fraud, with no real evidence. What could be the effect of that on a country?
Packer: Over the past few days, I have been reminded of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos. The 1986 elections threatened to turn out to his disadvantage. He stopped the counts and sent armed militias to polling stations. The employees had to guard the ballot boxes. That is of course more dramatic. But Trump has incited his supporters to take matters into his own hands in the election, using force if necessary. That press conference never brought us closer to political violence. They did not want to broadcast several television channels for that reason. ‘
–
Can the US put that behind it?
Packer: ‘There are plenty of examples of countries where a sitting president tries to steal a new term. Think of Ukraine. It always comes down to the question: how strong is the leadership in your other institutions, such as parliaments and the courts? Those who guard the constitution must show that they are patriots and not scum. But I don’t think it will be a case for the Supreme Court. Such a case is too big for the courts, it can destroy them forever. ‘
–
What would you recommend to Biden to bring the polarized camps back together?
Packer: ‘Biden will do that as he does in the campaign: with rhetoric. He owes his victory to the fact that he always acted as the one who wanted to unite. He could convince just enough Republicans in the countryside or in small villages. With his rhetoric, he will certainly blow away the toxic air that Trump leaves behind. But Biden cannot take away the dynamics behind the polarization either. It starts from what people experience, read, hear … In short, from what makes them happy. And nowadays it makes people happier to put someone in their shirt than to reach out to someone. ‘
–
70 million Americans see no bones in a man who is xenophobic, doesn’t care about democracy, and who uses the presidency for personal bills.
–
You referred in your articles to the death of the local media, formerly a unifying factor, now replaced by cable TV and social media.
Packer: ‘In 2008 I covered the Obama campaign in Ohio. We were in villages dominated by white workers. I interviewed some people having breakfast at the local restaurant. Suddenly I noticed that all my conversation partners sounded like the news anchors on television. They just reenacted the national themes that CNN or Fox brought to them. Nobody talked about the local problems. In its slipstream, the local media have died, while it is precisely these that contribute to everyone adhering to the same facts and values at the local level. Now we only listen to loud, polarizing voices at the national level, amplified by social media. ‘
–
What does the future hold for Republicans? Are they disconnecting from Trump’s reckless behavior?
–
–
–
Packer: There may be an opportunity to distance himself from his line and accept Biden as the new president. Mitch McConnell, the leader of the Republicans, has been silent about Trump’s behavior for now. So he does not explicitly approve it. But they are not going to put Trump aside. He will continue to weigh on the lot. He has succeeded in getting many people who no longer felt involved in politics to believe in something again. Someone who makes his speech a little more subtle, and cuts the edges, can easily become president. ‘
–
How so?
Packer: The Democrats are in a very weak position with Biden as president. He is old, leader of a divided party and they have not scored well in the various elections to the parliaments. If the Senate remains Republican, it cannot achieve a big bang, rather small changes. I also see little chance of it coming up a second time. But the Democrats also lack the political talent to bring back the votes of the workers that Trump captured in 2016. ”
–
However, the demographics of the US have been shifting in favor of the Democrats for years, with an increasingly multicultural background.
Packer: The African-American population is still quite solidly voting for the Democrats, and so are the Hispanics. But we saw in this election that Trump has made gains in all possible minority groups. Democrats must abandon the idea that large populations will choose them because the opposition is racist. After this election, they will have to consider which themes they can unite people with, across population groups. ‘
–
–
