The first US presidential debate was alarming not just for US voters but for anyone who cares about the integrity of our political systems.
As I watched last Thursday’s US presidential debate – the con man and former US president Donald Trump versus the old man and sitting US President Joe Biden – it was impossible not to think of the famous observation that democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.
It was alarming not just for American voters but for anyone worldwide who cares about the integrity of the political systems we live in. Americans are proud of their democracy, but what we are watching is the world’s single most important democracy falling under the mesmeric spell of a new American Caesar, with as-yet-unknown implications for both the United States and the global economy.
Adding to this profound alarm, we have this week two suddenly called democratic contests in the UK and France which raise further questions about the capacity of democratic systems to deliver competent governance when times are tough or when difficult decisions have to be made. Angry and frustrated voters can protest by unseating current political leaders, but they do so without any confidence that any new government will do better.
Democratic elections deliver choice but provide no assurance of competence. Augmented by social media, they could appear to rely disproportionately on performance theatre rather than steady competence.
US Vice-President Kamala Harris was right to express frustration that Biden was being judged on 90 minutes of theatre rather than on three years of strong performance, but she was speaking to the void. As a Financial Times editorial noted: “Debates can swing elections, and this one – like Richard Nixon’s sweaty outing against John F Kennedy in 1960 – may go down as the moment hope was lost.”
The normally moderate Martin Wolf observed in the Financial Times: “Biden may be old.
