litical power as well as the terms in which that power is returned to the state and accessed by others in time.
There is certainly much to improve in democratic political systems (for example, the outdated consensus that some of the most important political decisions we make require only a simple majority among the electorate or, in the US, that the electoral college system continues to be desirable), but arguments for electoral elitism have implications and consequences as dangerous as the most undesirable of democratic decisions. Furthermore, it is important to remember that by sabotaging Bernie Sanders’ campaign, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) subverted its own democratic values and procedures. We will never know whether or not he would have defeated Trump in the presidential elections or, if elected, would have helped to alleviate the present discord within the country.
On the state of the union
For many years already, the US is intensely divided over a number of socio-economic, cultural, and political matters. A number of socio-political movements, spanning the entire spectrum of political ideologies, have emerged as a result. Despite the fact that the Republican Party has control of the executive and legislative branches of government, and will probably appoint a judge of their liking to the Supreme Court, it is crucial that civil society continue to strive in order to further liberal values. Although the Trump presidential campaign has allowed the darkest groups among the US far-right to voice themselves loudly, it is important to remember that neither is the far-right committed to the Republican Party in its entirety nor is the Republican Party in its entirety committed to far-right politics.
When Barack Hussein Obama was elected president, his “Yes We Can” slogan never prepared us for the continuation and expansion of drone warfare and mass surveillance, his failure after eight years to close the Guantánamo Bay detention center, or the most intense persecution and imprisonment of whistleblowers in the country’s history. In this same sense, we will have to wait before knowing what in Trump’s campaign discourse was demagogy and what was meant to become policies that could seriously disadvantage women and minorities in the US – and those who are non-white and/or non-Christian.
On human and civil rights
The last years of struggle, debate, and politics in the US have evidenced the shortcomings of several of its institutions. Although significant improvements have been made, such as when the Supreme Court ruled that bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional, other injustices remain only topics of public debate and foci of social and political activism. For women, these include restrictions to their reproductive rights, the condoning of rape culture, and the failure to be provided parental leave and equal pay. For people of color, these include denial of police brutality as well as the continuation of disproportionate sentencing and imprisonment. Attempts to debate and reform these and other policies, for example, those concerning immigration and refugee asylum, have repeatedly failed. The Trump presidential campaign and the President-elect himself have provided abundant examples of homophobic, misogynistic, racist, xenophobic, and intolerant discourse. It should then come as no surprise that the electoral results in the US – bearing a striking resemblance to what happened after the UK Brexit referendum – have led to a rise in harassment and violence against minorities and immigrants.
The profound fear of which campaign promises the Trump administration will follow through on and in which terms is the very reason why whoever, conservative or liberal, who condemns discourses and acts of hatred should unite and defend against them. The protests that have sprung up throughout the country are a way to do so, but no matter the anger or disappointment of protestors, they cannot be marred by violence and confrontation. Beyond protests, civil society should rely upon the various well-developed and resourceful non