As I am not a political analyst, I immerse myself with profane curiosity in the fascinating phenomenon of the US elections. “American democracy hangs by a thread” was the title that Umair Haque gave to one of his lucid articles a few days ago, in which he throws a powerful light on what is happening in that country, or rather, what is happening in the world. The American elections are not simply the symptom of the serious disease that that nation is experiencing, a disease much more serious than COVID, one that has begun to destroy the social fabric and generate consequences throughout the planet. This is not the classic claim that what happens in the United States has repercussions in every corner of the world. Much more than that, these elections institute a radical turn in political praxis. In other words, the most aberrant is integrated into the “new normal” as a fact of nature, and the disconnection between ethics and politics reaches a dimension that takes us back to the Germany of the Third Reich. Even overwhelmed by the joy of the result, I read the numbers with disbelief. Trump has obtained five million more votes than in 2016, also achieving a notable increase among the black, Hispanic and female populations, despite having vomited in their faces. It is the tremendous realization that violence, slander, impunity, indecency – which have always existed in the political arena – are now fundamental instruments of governance. Democracy has been stealthily corrupted by the most unworthy forms of manipulation, to the extent that a coup d’état becomes a latent possibility. The coup d’état is no longer an attack on democratic legality precipitated from outside the system. On the contrary, the coup d’état of modern capitalism not only dispenses with military force, but relies exclusively on legitimate voters, capable of supporting even that which is going to lead them to social exclusion, illness and death. The democratic coup d’etat is the latest sophistication of contemporary capitalism which, as we know, possesses the alchemical faculty of turning the most abject into consumable merchandise. The genius of Philip Roth saw this clearly in his novel “The Plot Against America”: a United States dominated by Nazism. It is true that Hitler managed to captivate 99% of the Germans, but his strategy was based on directing hatred at a perfectly defined sector of society. Trump inaugurated a new model, according to which the ferocity of fanaticism applies to all. Since he emerged in the political arena he has spread hatred in all directions. The Jews did not support Hitler. In these latest elections, Trump obtained an increase of 12% among black voters, 32% among Hispanics, and 22% among women, compared to the 2016 elections. An increase in the very groups who were ruthlessly addressed, without using any euphemism, calling each thing by name. Political analysts everywhere stumble upon that mystery that sociology, history and economics together cannot solve: the determined will that takes hold of the masses, driven to dismemberment, to cannibalism and ultimately to suicide. The triumph of Biden, which the whole world should celebrate today, does not mean the end of the Hydra. It is the beginning of a new game where rules have been incorporated that, even intuitively, certain leaders apply in many supposedly democratic countries: the magic formula of sadism as a consensual instrument of domination. A democratic coup allows “legal” concentration camps to form part of the institutions of control, as has happened during the Trump Administration. Millions of bodies exalted and excited by hatred offer themselves as support for the one who will end up destroying them, a grotesque ceremony where the erotic relationship between the leader and his servants is staged. Millions of bodies applauding the “soft” coup that makes use of bot technology and judicial subterfuges. Amid so much despair, this coup has been reined in today. But it is not advisable to fall asleep. The Monster has laid its eggs everywhere, and there are millions of bodies ready to give them warmth and shelter for the duration of their period of incubation. From each of them will be born a new supporter of cruelty, a defining feature of the current operating system of democracies. In her novel “Children of Men”, P.D. James also envisioned a freely voted totalitarian world. God will first have to drive out the Demon before He can bless America again. God defeated the Devil way back in time. Let’s see if he will be able to do it again.

Translated by Roger Litten