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A hard choice? Or not?

‘Incredible’ may not be the appropriate adjective to describe the event, but incredible indeed it was to watch a sitting President of the United States addressing a boisterous crowd, inciting them to march to the US Capitol, just a mile way. The mayhem and chaos that ensued were simply bound to happen

A hard choice? Or not?
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History has been made, and for all the wrong reasons (more on that later). In the United States of America, which for decades has proudly stood for and spoken eloquently about its democratic lineage and processes, the last few days have been shameful, a terrible blot. The developments in Washington, the Capital city of the United States, were as horrific as they were incredible. You could argue that 'incredible' is not the right adjective to describe the events, but incredible indeed it was to watch a sitting President of the United States addressing a boisterous crowd, exhorting and inciting them to "march to the US Capitol building", a few kilometers way.

Let's go back to some damning parts of that 70-minute address by US President Donald J Trump at the 'Save America' rally: "We won this election, and we won it by a landslide. (And) we will stop the steal. We will never give up. We will never concede. It doesn't happen. If you don't fight like hell, you are not going to have a country anymore. We are going to the Capitol." Of course, the President did not go with them to the Capitol.

What was happening at the US Capitol at the time of President Trump's address? Well, the US Congress was meeting to certify Democrat candidate Joe Biden's win in the elections. Minutes after President Trump took the applause, the attack on the US Capitol began. An hour later, six people were dead, including a policeman.

So what is historical?

As mentioned earlier, history has been made for all the wrong reasons. A few days after the storming of the Capitol, President Trump was impeached for a second time in his tumultuous four-year stint. This was the fourth impeachment ever in US political history, and the timelines are telling. Between the first and second impeachment in US Presidential history; that of President Andrew Johnson in 1868 and President Bill Clinton in 1998; there was a gap of 130 years.

The third impeachment was that of President Trump in 2019. The fourth to be impeached was again Donald Trump, in January 2021—a gap of just 13 months. He has thus become the only US President to be impeached twice, and that too in one four-year term. Admittedly, while impeached, none of the first two impeached Presidents were convicted at their Senate trials (a President who is convicted is removed from office and not entitled to the benefits provided by the Former Presidents Act).

Will we see some more history being created soon?

The vicious attack on the Capitol didn't happen just because of one 70-minute address. In the articles of impeachment, the following quote appears: "In the months preceding the Joint Session (of Congress), President Trump repeatedly issued false statements asserting that the election results were the product of widespread fraud and should not be accepted by the American people or certified by State or Federal officials. Shortly before the Joint Session commenced, President Trump addressed a crowd at the Ellipse in Washington, DC. There, he reiterated false claims that 'we won this election, and we won it by a landslide'."

One US Congressman asked: "Are we going to condone through acquiescence, or condemn through impeachment?" In the end, US Congress decided to condone through impeachment.

Thus, then, President Trump's second impeachment went through by 232 ayes against 197 nays, barely seven days before he was to leave the White House. The real trial begins now.

Even one cook can…

The lesson to be learnt here is that even one cook can spoil the broth. President Trump has shown us just that. In his four-year, single tenure, the reputation and stock of what America stands for has nosedived sharply. In many parts of the US itself and around the world, the outgoing US President has become the butt of ridicule and countless jokes. Media reports, especially in the US, even speculate about inter-family problems President Trump is facing and how his own standing within the Trump clan is down and nearly out.

There are other repercussions. Across the United States, social media, sports, banks and businesses are distancing themselves from the President and his companies. Social media sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram have banned him, in varying degrees. The US PGA pulled its championship from the Trump-owned Golf Course in Bedminster, New Jersey. Citing the tragic events of the Capitol riots, New England Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick refused to accept the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Trump. And according to the New York Times, Deutsche Bank, the primary lender to Trump's many businesses, is no longer interested in doing business with him.

The Mayor of New York City, Bill de Blasio, joined the all-round Trump-distancing trend and issued a scathing statement: "The President incited a rebellion against the US Government and threatened to derail the constitutional transfer of power. The City of New York will not be associated with these unforgivable acts. We are immediately taking steps to terminate all Trump Organization contracts."

Closer home…

Let's not just read this column about unsavory developments in a foreign land and move on with our lives, for there are parallels in India as well and we need to stay alert. What's transpired over the last week in the United States is a clarion call for every democracy in the world, especially as it highlights the alarming fact that even one single individual can impact a country's Corporates and businesses, cripple economic outlook and growth, singe and tarnish communal harmony, even change the very present and future of the nation.

In an interview with The Quint, Satyan (Sam) Pitroda, who has been living in the US for nearly 55 years and is a technocrat heading the Indian National Congress' overseas wing, expressed dismay over the scenes of violence and infamy on Capitol Hill. Drawing a parallel with India, Pitroda also voiced concerns about the state of democracy worldwide, including in India. "There are lessons for the whole world in what happened in the US on 6 January…" Outlining the reasons for Donald Trump's defeat at the hustings, Pitroda spoke of the outgoing President's divisive politics, hate-mongering on social media and breakdown of institutions in the United States.

We do have similar issues in our own country. Clashes on the base of creed and religion are up over the last year. Indian businesses large and small have shed crores of jobs, even before the COVID-19 pandemic, and exponentially through it. The economy has taken a battering and annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP) numbers are expected to be in negative double-digits, or thereabouts.

Time for introspection

As he prepares to leave the White House for the last time, President Donald J Trump has unwittingly provided guidance to the Americas and the rest of the world… On the need for introspection, taking a deep breath and acting responsibly, especially those in positions of power—at home, in businesses, in the hurly-burly of politics and in Government itself.

A single outrageous address has seen the United States lose face and become a laughing stock, globally. We have enough outrageous speakers in Indian polity and have seen the outcome of their many shameful and inciting speeches—on India's streets and maidans, in legislatures and in Parliament itself.

As we (hopefully) approach the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, now is a time to recoup, regroup and rebuild. More than ever in India's history, we need vision and coherence in policies and decision-making, solid and implementable steps in the upcoming Union Budget (which the Government has assured the nation will be a game-changer), India's development and infrastructure growth plans, a clear strategy around creating employment, and a dire need to sort out the agitation on Delhi's many borders by the farming community.

In the above lies a unique opportunity. We can sort out the many problems confronting us today and go down in history as messiahs who turned around a nation of nearly 140 crore people and moved them collectively down the path of peace, growth and prosperity. Or we can botch things up and go down in history as those that destroyed 70 years of struggle, hard-fought-for progress and growth, ruining our global standing and letting down crores upon crores of people who reposed their faith in us.

It shouldn't be a hard choice. Or should it?

The writer is a communications consultant and a clinical analyst. narayanrajeev2006@gmail.com Views expressed are personal

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