We will not go into the in-depth analysis of the debate of ideas, because there was none. A complicated meeting where President Biden made his (in)capabilities to respond known and, therefore, to carry out the most powerful office on the planet, while Donald Trump made the occasion a storm of inappropriate exchanges, where the majesty of the office was put aside. That Biden responds with insults and Trump replies with mockery is not a debate, it is a bad show. A scene full of fears, as Da Vinci said: “He who possesses the most is the most afraid of losing it,” and that suffering of those who expect harm can lead to subjugation, liberation or panic.
Biden should have passed the baton…
A good friend and teacher told me: In politics and in life, it is very dangerous to consider the clever as intelligent. The intelligent meet with people who they know are smarter than them. The clever – lovers of courtship and gallantry – surround themselves with ignorant people. The contradictory thing is that sometimes the intelligent need a little cunning and the clever demand – without a doubt – a minimum of intelligence. The happy medium of fear is love and humility. The love that scares away fear. And while fear drives away intelligence and kindness, humility rescues love, which rescues light. That is why I think that the debate between Biden and Trump was directed by fears, by suffering, by a murky intelligence lacking humility and love, by preferring a bad combination of cunning and stubbornness.
The Democratic Party should have anticipated the consequences. Joe Biden’s inability to respond, think and move with agility impedes the good performance of his leadership. I am not referring to serious or lengthy incapacities, because it is fair to recognize that Biden is a man with a decent and royal track record; a president who has tried to reunite his country and has faced very complex conflicts such as the war against Ukraine and Israel. But that is present and past. And the future?
His notorious limitations are beginning to have a visible and sad impact. The debate revealed his lethargy in responding forcefully to his opponent’s attacks. In terms of management (economic, foreign policy, security and defense, social programs, infrastructure); analysis of post-pandemic realities; terrorism; war aggressions; review of statistics: inflation, unemployment, economic growth; geopolitics: China, Russia, Iran; the challenges of peace in the Middle East or in the North Atlantic; alliances with Europe, Asia, Latin America, Canada, nothing was not addressed. Everything was diluted into the personal, the hurtful and the trivial.
To think that the responsibility for what happened is limited to Joe Biden would be simplistic. Starting with his family and continuing with his work team, plus his party colleagues, having subjected him to this effort is reprehensible. Some people think that “a debate does not make a difference in an electoral campaign.” I think that in a polarized society, where the advantage of one over the other is small, these events are decisive. This bad spectacle marked a before and after in the Trump-Biden contest, in American politics. I invite you to review the sobriety of the debate between Obama and Romney in 2012. I believe that the elector deserves respect.
Trump is a player who does not hold back against his adversary, whether standing or on the canvas. He goes for everything: be it personal, institutional, public or private. The first ten minutes (of the debate) seemed like a fight where ‘the referee’ had to stop the combat. But since it was not a boxing match, the set continued. An immensely democratic event practically broadcast on national television (more than 45 million viewers) became 90 minutes of fear and frustration. Fear that was noticeable in Biden’s lost gaze or in Trump’s sharp retina. Fear of the moderators (who did not know how to cope with the agenda). Fear of the commentators before and after the event and fear of the citizens. It does not matter whether you are Republican or Democrat. What matters is that these men allowed themselves to be caught up in their suffering of losing everything, which obscures nobility and understanding.
It is not about defending a candidate for an ideology or for considering them a good or bad person. It is about proving whether they have the ability to lead a country. It is about stability between East and West, North and South. It is about being able to make decisions for the well-being of their citizens and world peace. Can Biden continue to lead the office? Can Trump get along with a team that is capable of reuniting the United States and more solidly confronting the serious conflicts that affect and are coming? Biden should have passed the baton. Trump should have shown clemency.
Voters are not aware, they are children. We have democracy
In Venezuela we were deceived by a seductive narrative. After that famous “for now” Chavez became a presidential candidate due to an acquittal that freed him of all blame after a coup d’état, he knew how to connect with a population tired of the establishment and the two-party system. I am not going to analyze the causes or the “political offer”, because (Chávez) did not offer it. I am talking about the consequences of his election. Nor am I talking about the personality variable. I am talking about polarization. (Chávez) only had to harangue “fry the heads of Adecos in oil” and denigrate Carlos Andrés Pérez (victim of his coup d’état) to go from a 5% preference to an electoral triumph. They let him run free in moments where he showed off anti-politics, fragmentation and cunning. There was also no consensus to unite against Chavez. Alfaro et al later chirped, assisted by a “remarkable” leverage, which paved the way for the commander who, for much less than what he did, has persecuted, disqualified, imprisoned and tortured. I am not the one saying this. The International Criminal Court in The Hague is.
In politics, events are foreseen and avoided. It was obvious what Chavez would bring to Venezuela, I insist, in terms of group fracture. It is obvious what polarization can mean for the US and the world. I am not personalizing. I am referring strictly to the polarization that ended with Venezuela, Argentina, Nicaragua, Bolivia, Iran or Syria. Division and violence as the guiding thread of institutional, constitutional and democratic dismantling. Spain, Colombia and Mexico are following that path. The hope is that in the US, its institutions are strong. Citizen awareness is decisive and libertarian and respect for the constitution, more than a duty, is a feeling. There is no such thing as an alienable armed forces, a mortgageable CSJ, an intervened legislative power or freedom of expression with a muzzle.
Passing the baton in terms of alternation of power and endorsement is part of the democratic game in the US. Two periods. No more. Or one, or less due to trespassing or incapacity. An intelligent, self-controlling system. In Venezuela, the leaders do not know about alternation or relief. The US is a permanent history of alternation. Biden must reflect on his republican history. Rómulo Betancourt knew how to separate himself, yielding to Leoni and others. That is where democracy was born, not before. Nixon left and left Gerald Ford. Justice and institutionality triumphed over politics. Lyndon Johnson decided not to aspire to the election (1964) and left the way open to Hubert Humphrey who lost against Nixon. Wise, statesmanlike decisions. Before leaving, Rómulo respected the Puntofijo pact; Nixon complied with the law and Johnson signed the Civil and Political Rights Act of 1964 (with a popularity of 49%). We have democracy.
The cultural gap doesn’t matter. It does matter as a restraining factor. In Venezuela we were unable to contain the revolutionary maelstrom. The US does have a solid institutional reserve. But be careful. Voters are like children. And when “children” don’t know how to drive and parents have to go out to work, everyone is trapped on the farm (Dixit George Orwell).
And now that…
At the time of writing these lines, everything suggests that Donald Trump will win the election. There is speculation that Biden is considering dropping out of the race. Too little too late? Trump will have in his hands the golden opportunity to reconcile his country and the entire world. This is not wishful thinking. It is understanding political correctness.
In Venezuela we had the opportunity to relaunch democracy, promote a model of social inclusion, rebuild the economy and turn (Venezuela) into a prosperous and developed country. Venezuela was at the doors of the fifth wave of political and social redemption after that of Bolívar, Páez, Gómez and Betancourt. The four kings of the deck. But it decided to become a grouse like Bóves or Zamora, which brought us the mess we have today.
Trump will have it in his hands to redeem his nation, the V after Lincoln, Roosevelt, Kennedy and Reagan. He would be remembered as the man who could contain his deepest fears, to become the man who drives away his sufferings, redeems. He has the character to do it. And the lineage of a nation clinging to its constitution.
It is not only the Democrats who are in panic. Fear is universal. The world needs a huge political effort to avoid war and impose peace. I trust in the will of the American people. If their leaders do not read and abide by their Magna Carta and its amendments, their institutions will make them read and abide by it. And fear, overcome, as Aristotle said, will make them free.
As Aldous Huxley warned: “Love drives out fear, and reciprocally fear drives out love. And not only does fear drive out love; it drives out intelligence, goodness, all thought of beauty and truth, and only mute despair remains; and in the end, fear drives out humanity itself.”
Let us defeat panic with healthy pain, love and intelligence…
@ovierablanco
Source: Orlando Viera White
