A win for the soul of America

The past week was a long and unnecessarily painful one not only for the United States but for the world, as the country that is still the most powerful on the planet awaited the outcome of its elections.

It was not simply a matter of waiting as the last votes were counted. It was clear before the US went to the polls on Monday that the 2020 election would be one of the most scrutinised in recent history.

Drawing attention to potential flaws and hiccups in the process was no less than the sitting president, Donald Trump, who claimed even before a single absentee ballot was cast that the process was “rigged.” Later, in lieu of a graceful concession, he began a campaign of legal challenges and baseless allegations of irregularities.

Even before then, a large part of the legacy of the Trump presidency was that the US is a country whose divisions have been exposed, deepened and actively encouraged.

In brief televised appearances after the election, Mr Biden consistently poured oil on troubled waters, promising to be a president for all Americans, not just those who voted for him. His statesmanlike demeanour boded well, and contrasted with Mr Trump’s unchecked onslaughts on any opposition, heedless of the consequences.

For Mr Biden, healing the wounds inflicted on the American body politic over the last four years will massively increase the difficulty of running so large and powerful a country, especially as the Democrats have not fared well in Congress and the Senate.

It must be remembered, too, there will be no regime change until January. A lame-duck President Trump in the White House offers little hope of change in the US approach to covid19. In another dismal aspect of his legacy, America holds the undesirable record for global leadership in the pandemic – with the prospect looming of ten million people infected and a quarter of a million deaths.

But, looking to the future: the president-elect recognises the need for both unity and diversity – as shown in his choice of Senator Kamala Harris as his vice president, the first woman of colour to hold that position, and who understands, as he did – as millions of people did – that this election was about “the soul of America.”

Mr Biden’s age has been held against him, but he has half a century of political experience, and as his choice of running-mate demonstrated, he remains open to new possibilities. No doubt he also learned much when he himself served in that post under America’s first black president, Barack Obama. He has shown he possesses humility, patience and empathy. Critics disparage President-elect Biden for his centrist positions, but what his country needs now is leaders who will work to help the United States of America live up to that name.