USA: Democracy under attack: Is America falling apart?

USA: Democracy under attack: Is America falling apart? Article by Hans Czerny • 4 hours • 3 minutes reading time USA - The rise of the ultra-right Rallies like those under the Nazis: right-wing radicals at the "Unite the Right" demonstration in Charlottesville, 2017. On the first of two themed evenings on the election in America, ARTE is dealing with the advance of the ultra-right in the United States. The article "USA: Democracy under attack" shows how dangerous the situation is. Fake news and false accusations have long been part of the political calculation under Trump. On the first of two themed evenings shortly before the US election on November 5th, ARTE is dealing with the now long-standing advance of the ultra-right in two films (8:15 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.). One thing that becomes clear is that the repetition of false accusations, especially against immigrants, who are accused of rape, murder and manslaughter, is clearly bearing fruit among a certain section of the population. For Donald Trump, the main aim is to strengthen his own right-wing conservative camp in the face of a predictable close election result. In "USA: Democracy under Attack," political cartoonist Ann Telnaes of the Washington Post sets the tone with a sharp pen. At times Trump resembles an anteater with his sharp nose, at other times he is a giant hellmouth that swallows poor little Uncle Sam in his miserable boat. A whole series of historians and law professors make it clear in the docile documentary that the polarized conditions can hardly be topped satirically. Not even the oldest constitution in the world, the constitution of 1787, is spared criticism. It begins with the words "We, the people..." - "Good idea if you were neither black nor female," says a political science professor in the film. Black people only got the right to vote in the 1960s, and women in 1920. The constitution was once made by upper-class white men, many of whom were slave owners. To this day, Trump supporters believe that the country could be taken away from them; they pay homage to a glorification of the past, although the slogan: "Make America great again!" does not come from Trump himself, but from Ronald Reagan. You just have to say things often enough and publicly, then they will be believed; that is a core radical philosophy. The horror of the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021 is still in the bones of not only US society. Incidentally, the myth of election fraud lives on to this day: while 29 percent still believed there had been election fraud in 2021, the number of "believers" rose to 34 percent in 2024. "If Trump wins, it will be much worse than the first time," is not just the thesis of the Washington Post cartoonist. A Christian nationalism is looming, which is causing fear among abortion supporters, homosexuals and other minorities. The ultra-right at the center of power The second article, "USA: The rise of the ultra-right" (9:45 p.m.), asks the question: How did the ultra-right manage to reach the center of power in the judiciary and politics? And yes, why is it possible for an American convicted in court to become President of the USA, why is this permitted by law? Trump is already threatening a campaign of revenge. "If you bring me back, we will wipe me out," promises the Republican, whose hard core even makes his own party members tremble. The hope that Uncle Sam will not go to hell after all is the last to die. And above all, that Kamala Harris' promise after her nomination: "We are not going back" will remain more than just a promise. USA: Democracy under attack - Tue. 22.10. - ARTE: 8.15 pm