I have a limited knowledge of the history of the USA but I did think that the American War of Independence was fought in order to cast off the yoke of a foreign, constitutional and hereditary monarchy, and establish a republic, under the control of an elected President.
Post WWII, when I was in my early teens, my understanding was that any American citizen could aspire to become President.
Times change. Only those with many $millions have a chance of running in the race to the top.
The growth of globalisation, of massive commercial giants, of monopolies and influential social media, has transformed the world to one which is ruled by financial interests.
The USA may pay lip service to a god, but it more often seems to be the almighty dollar, rather than some ephemeral being, which guides politics.
That said, America does not seek for an established dynasty, except in its TV fantasies, and its most recent President – Donald J Trump – has seemed unable to distinguish between the seductions of power and the duties created by responsibility.
POTUS is not elected to look after those who voted for her/him but for all USA citizens.
And the increasing death toll from COVID-19 shows how poorly Trump has managed his responsibilities.
A glance at other democracies would reveal that the outcomes of many elections take days to be determined. Postal, absentee and other forms of voting which can be conducted before Polling Day will always delay the determination of the final outcome, particularly if an election is closely fought.
It is a display of ignorance of the process to expect an instant result and call foul when it does not occur.
Donald Trump may have been popular with a certain cohort of the US population, but popularity and competence are not necessarily synonymous.
Trump had no prior experience of working in government – being a director of a board carries some similar responsibilities to those of a publicly elected government officer, but they are far from identical.
Throughout his term in office Trump has displayed a woeful ignorance of the USA Constitution, the legal system and diplomatic processes.
Being popular, by entertaining the crowd, does not cut it when it comes to developing and maintaining international relationships.
At no time, even before his incompetence was so clearly displayed, did Trump’s election give any room for members of his family to have any grounds to believe that he could pass his mantle on to them.
Yes – several members of the Bush family have risen to high office in State or Federal politics, but they all did so through their own efforts from a variety of government backgrounds.
Being President should never be regarded as a means to promote one’s own interests – rather, one has little time to perform the job of President as well as promote one’s own interests!
The present display by the President’s children (let alone his legal counsel!) of petulant refusal to accept the legality of the process by which their father has been denied a second term, is a clear indication of their unsuitability to ever think of, themselves, standing for high office.
Acceptance of defeat is the honourable course to follow.
Only a mountebank refuses to accept the truth and seeks to subvert it!
But then again – truth and Trump have never been comfortable bedfellows!
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