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By Niccolo Balducci
The year is 1932, and the results of the July German federal election have just been released. Adolf Hitler’s NSDAP obtains a plurality of the vote, with the social-democratic SPD and communist KPD coming a distant second and third, respectively. Not all is lost; due to the seat distribution in the Reichstag, left-of-centre parties might just be able to eke out a majority by forming another grand coalition.
This is not how events would play out. Still bitter about the SPD’s brutal suppression of communist leaders during the 1918 Spartacist uprisings, the KPD was not shy about equating social democrats with Nazi thugs. For their part, the SPD was blinded by a pathological fear of political extremism that equated communists with the surging NSDAP. The deadline for forming a governing coalition came and went; in the November elections, Hitler obtained a parliamentary majority by striking a deal with the centre. He worked his way up to the position of Chancellor by January 1933 – and the rest is history.
And history has a tendency to repeat itself. Throughout his presidency, and especially in 2020, Donald Trump has been increasingly behaving like an early 20th century dictator. From using unidentified law enforcement personnel to secretly kidnap protestors, to dehumanising political opponents in his July 4th address, to attempting to de-legitimise and undermine the electoral process, Trump’s actions have been reckless and inexcusable. America has been able to withstand this unceasing assault on its liberal democratic framework thanks to the strength of the centuries-old institutions upholding its system of checks and balances. As time marches on however, Trump continues to replace top state officials with cronies, fuel doubt towards the system, and purposefully overlook the desperate need for socio-economic reforms. If this keeps up, the republic’s resilience will be tested to its very core.
The other side of this Hegelian coin is, unsurprisingly, the political left, and the crucial role it will play in this transitionary period. The Democratic Party has picked Joe Biden as their champion, an unflattering candidate of visibly declining health whose contradictory track record paints the picture of a Republican masquerading as a centrist. His shortcomings have been made especially noticeable by Bernie Sanders’ strong showing in the primaries, someone beloved by progressives for his uncompromising positions on healthcare, tuition fees and workers’ rights.
Because of this, numerous left-leaning voters have firmly stated their intention to abstain from the November election or to throw their weight behind third parties as an act of defiance. These include a wide range of demographics, but primarily consist of the minority electorate that is the lifeblood of the Democratic Party. To them, Biden is just more of the old guard, his ‘return to normalcy’ slogan translating into lukewarm responses to climate change, half-baked welfare reforms and token gestures of social progressivism.
But that’s just it; a Biden presidency will be one of stagnation, but not one of active hostility towards the values progressives purport to hold dear. Biden will not try to walk back on LGBTQ+ rights in an attempt to please evangelists. He will not try to further isolate the United States from global climate action. He will not try to actively reform the tax system to make life easier for the rich at the expense of the poor. Regardless of public perceptions towards Biden, nobody can realistically claim he is an ideologue. He will do what the Democratic Party tells him to do, and it is within the Party’s interest to maintain the support of the growing minority electorate that is most affected by the aforementioned issues.
Besides this, Biden’s attempts to meet Sanders supporters halfway are worth emphasizing. For one, the candidate has embraced the Green New Deal in all but name, promising to implement numerous environmental regulations to help realign the U.S. with Paris climate agreement standards. Alongside this are his endorsement of a scaled down, yet ambitious government-funded healthcare plan, as well as offers of federal housing assistance. Biden only started seriously voicing these proposals once it became clear that Sanders would no longer be a threat to him. Opportunistic? Certainly. Pragmatic? Absolutely.
The Democrats are hoping that these compromises will be enough to solidify progressives’ support in the upcoming election, and the left should probably go along with these offerings. In the event the party loses because of boycotts from Bernie-or-Bust proponents, the party will almost surely be pushed over to the right. They will view the left as little more than uncompromising, petty idealists, and a base not worth catering to any longer, especially if former Republicans flock to the Democratic ticket.
If Biden wins thanks to support from the left however, the story will be different. The party will effectively be kept in check by its more radical wing, who will be able to ring out more concessions by threat of sabotage. It should also be worth noting that said radical wing will only be able to exert such pressure on policy making in the event the Democrats come to power. Because of all this, it should be clear why token shows of electoral opposition just might not be worth it this time around.
Will a second Trump term usher us into a period of dictatorship and violent political crackdowns comparable to Nazi Germany? Probably not. However, what it will do is set a precedent, demonstrating that contempt and trampling of civil rights is something a sizable portion of the electorate will accept. A second Trump term will empower competent far-right extremists to run for office, whilst forcing the Democrats to move right to keep up with the nation’s shifting political spectrum. Robbing the president of the office might not impede that, but it will send the powerful message that the American people will reject populism and authoritarianism if pushed too far. Once again, it is up to the left to put aside their differences and come together for the good of their society, and themselves. And hopefully this time, history will not repeat itself.
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