{"id":5167,"date":"2024-06-06T14:31:45","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T14:31:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/?p=5167"},"modified":"2024-06-06T14:31:47","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T14:31:47","slug":"whither-the-american-democracy-is-headed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/?p=5167","title":{"rendered":"Whither the American Democracy is Headed?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div><p id=\"pvc_stats_5167\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"5167\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p><div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"882\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"5168\" src=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/e1-882x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-5168\" srcset=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/e1-882x1024.jpg 882w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/e1-258x300.jpg 258w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/e1-768x892.jpg 768w, https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/e1.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 882px) 100vw, 882px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><a href=\"https:\/\/muslimmirror.com\/eng\/whither-the-american-democracy-is-headed\/#:~:text=Most%20surveys%20so%20far%20have,the%20American%20democracy%20is%20headed%3F&amp;text=(Asad%20Mirza%20is%20a%20Delhi,political%20and%20international%20affairs%20commentator.)\n\">https:\/\/muslimmirror.com\/eng\/whither-the-american-democracy-is-headed\/#:~:text=Most%20surveys%20so%20far%20have,the%20American%20democracy%20is%20headed%3F&amp;text=(Asad%20Mirza%20is%20a%20Delhi,political%20and%20international%20affairs%20commentator.)<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/clarionindia.net\/whither-american-democracy\/\n\">https:\/\/clarionindia.net\/whither-american-democracy\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newageislam.com\/current-affairs\/american-democracy\/d\/132437\n\">https:\/\/www.newageislam.com\/current-affairs\/american-democracy\/d\/132437<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.punjabtodaytv.com\/english\/trump-case\/\n\">https:\/\/www.punjabtodaytv.com\/english\/trump-case\/<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"https:\/\/kashmirlife.net\/what-is-the-future-of-american-democracy-356307\/#google_vignette\">https:\/\/kashmirlife.net\/what-is-the-future-of-american-democracy-356307\/#google_vignette<\/a><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><em>Whither the American democracy is headed?<\/em><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The last week brought some rather perplexing developments from the US. The developments related to the former president Donald Trump, who became the first president of the United States, sitting or former, to be convicted as a felon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The former American president Donald trump was convicted on all 34 counts in the \u2018hush money case\u2019 for falsifying business records to cover a $130,000 payment to adult actor Stormy Daniels to buy her silence regarding an alleged affair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Immediately after the verdict was announced, several American billionaires, including those who had distanced from Donald Trump in recent years, pledged support to him or have indirectly backed him in recent days. From Bill Ackman to Stephen Schwarzman, the American billionaires including the tech czar Elon Musk supported Trump despite his conviction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the figures that have pledged support to Trump now, had publicly rejected him in the past over his role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol Hill, but things have now changed and they seem to have flocked to him again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The conviction or the baggage that Trump carries, ranging from the January 6 attack on the US Capitol to three other cases against him, has not stopped many Wall Street billionaires from coming to his support. While some have said they are disillusioned with President Joe Biden, other have said they are concerned about rising anti-semitism in the country under his presidency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Last week, billionaire Steve Schwarzman, the Co-founder and CEO of Blackstone, said he will support Trump and will donate to him. Blackstone is an investment and real estate giant with a market cap of 144.27 billion, according to Yahoo Finance. It has assets under management of more than $1 trillion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Omeed Malik, President of 1789 Capital, has also supported Trump. He is one of the leaders of a fundraiser at New York for Trump where donations of up to $25 million were sought, as per a report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Robert Bigelow, the owner of Bigelow Aerospace and Budget Suites of America, has also supported Trump. He has even paid Trump $1 million for his legal fees, as per Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Billionaire Bill Ackman, the CEO of hedge fund Pershing Square, has said he will not vote for Biden and has indicated he is backing Trump. He denounced Biden as a wave of anti-Israel protests swept across the United States, which many criticised as being anti-semitic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Jamie Dimon, the Chairman and CEO of JPMorgan Chase, has also indicated his support for Trump in recent days. Trump has also been increasingly finding support among venture capitalists in the Silicon Valley, which has long been a bastion of Democrats, according to The New York Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prominent among the Silicon Valley supporters was Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk, who has said he will support a candidate in the 2024 US presidential election, The Wall Street Journal has reported that he has become close with Trump in recent months and is holding multiple private telephonic conversations with him in a month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Musk, a known supporter of Trump, believes the conviction was driven by political agendas rather than a genuine pursuit of justice. This sentiment echoes the reactions of many Trump supporters who view the charges related to hush money payments as a minor offence blown out of proportion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Why this sudden support for Trump?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This apparent shift of loyalty also makes us wonder to the basic logic of the decision made by these billionaires. And as usual when you start removing layers then the ultimate answer found at the base or rationale for every so-what illogical move is: Money. Trump has promised to cut taxes for the wealthy and eliminate regulations. President Joe Biden wants the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While some billionaires have cited disillusionment with Biden\u2019s policies and the rising anti-semitism in the country as reasons for ditching him to support Trump, commentators have said the major reason is Trump\u2019s proposed tax cuts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of these business leaders have harshly criticised Trump in recent years. Following the January 6 attack on the US Capitol, JPMorgan Chase boss Dimon had said that he \u201cstrongly condemn the violence in our nation\u2019s capital\u201d and \u201cour elected leaders have a responsibility to call for an end to the violence\u201d and accept the election results. Blackstone boss Schwarzman called it \u201can affront to the democratic values we hold dear as Americans\u201d and later said he would not back Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, however, Schwarzman has said the US under Biden was heading in the \u2018wrong direction\u2019. He further said that the \u2018dramatic rise of anti-semitism\u2019 made him to support Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Writing in The New Republic, Timothy Noah highlighted that the issue of anti-semitism does not entirely address the support for Trump, as he has been associated with the movement for years. Whitney Tilson, who previously ran hedge fund Kase Capital Management, told Bloomberg that business leaders were supporting Trump out of self-interest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Meanwhile, in a rather bizarre and related development as the Trump\u2019s hush-money trial inched towards conclusion, the former US president compared himself to saint Mother Teresa further calling the charges \u2018rigged\u2019. \u201cMother Teresa could not beat these charges. The charges are rigged. The whole thing is rigged,\u201d he said. The comments came in as he was leaving the court after the trial ended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This sentiment brings us back home where we have our own god man, claiming he thinks that he was not biologically born. In fact, it proves the old dictum that religion continues to be the last refuge of scoundrels in power because it provides some sort of legitimacy and a cover against criticism by their opponents and world powers. It further confirms the view that political elites co-opt religion for their political gain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, despite the conviction, Trump, currently campaigning for re-election in 2024, remains eligible to both run for and be elected President. Trump himself has dismissed the verdict, asserting that the American people in the upcoming presidential election will deliver the true judgment. Most surveys so far have shown that Trump may win the US presidential election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The whole episode and the connected developments, makes us wonder whither the American democracy is headed?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2014\u2013<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"pvc_stats_5167\" class=\"pvc_stats all  \" data-element-id=\"5167\" style=\"\"><i class=\"pvc-stats-icon medium\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" version=\"1.0\" viewBox=\"0 0 502 315\" preserveAspectRatio=\"xMidYMid meet\"><g transform=\"translate(0,332) scale(0.1,-0.1)\" fill=\"\" stroke=\"none\"><path d=\"M2394 3279 l-29 -30 -3 -207 c-2 -182 0 -211 15 -242 39 -76 157 -76 196 0 15 31 17 60 15 243 l-3 209 -33 29 c-26 23 -41 29 -80 29 -41 0 -53 -5 -78 -31z\"\/><path d=\"M3085 3251 c-45 -19 -58 -50 -96 -229 -47 -217 -49 -260 -13 -295 52 -53 146 -42 177 20 16 31 87 366 87 410 0 70 -86 122 -155 94z\"\/><path d=\"M1751 3234 c-13 -9 -29 -31 -37 -50 -12 -29 -10 -49 21 -204 19 -94 39 -189 45 -210 14 -50 54 -80 110 -80 34 0 48 6 76 34 21 21 34 44 34 59 0 14 -18 113 -40 219 -37 178 -43 195 -70 221 -36 32 -101 37 -139 11z\"\/><path d=\"M1163 3073 c-36 -7 -73 -59 -73 -102 0 -56 133 -378 171 -413 34 -32 83 -37 129 -13 70 36 67 87 -16 290 -86 209 -89 214 -129 231 -35 14 -42 15 -82 7z\"\/><path d=\"M3689 3066 c-15 -9 -33 -30 -42 -48 -48 -103 -147 -355 -147 -375 0 -98 131 -148 192 -74 13 15 57 108 97 206 80 196 84 226 37 273 -30 30 -99 39 -137 18z\"\/><path d=\"M583 2784 c-38 -19 -67 -74 -58 -113 9 -42 211 -354 242 -373 16 -10 45 -18 66 -18 51 0 107 52 107 100 0 39 -1 41 -124 234 -80 126 -108 162 -133 173 -41 17 -61 16 -100 -3z\"\/><path d=\"M4250 2784 c-14 -9 -74 -91 -133 -183 -95 -150 -107 -173 -107 -213 0 -55 33 -94 87 -104 67 -13 90 8 211 198 130 202 137 225 78 284 -27 27 -42 34 -72 34 -22 0 -50 -8 -64 -16z\"\/><path d=\"M2275 2693 c-553 -48 -1095 -270 -1585 -649 -135 -104 -459 -423 -483 -476 -23 -49 -22 -139 2 -186 73 -142 361 -457 571 -626 285 -228 642 -407 990 -497 242 -63 336 -73 660 -74 310 0 370 5 595 52 535 111 1045 392 1455 803 122 121 250 273 275 326 19 41 19 137 0 174 -41 79 -309 363 -465 492 -447 370 -946 591 -1479 653 -113 14 -422 18 -536 8z m395 -428 c171 -34 330 -124 456 -258 112 -119 167 -219 211 -378 27 -96 24 -300 -5 -401 -72 -255 -236 -447 -474 -557 -132 -62 -201 -76 -368 -76 -167 0 -236 14 -368 76 -213 98 -373 271 -451 485 -162 444 86 934 547 1084 153 49 292 57 452 25z m909 -232 c222 -123 408 -262 593 -441 76 -74 138 -139 138 -144 0 -16 -233 -242 -330 -319 -155 -123 -309 -223 -461 -299 l-81 -41 32 46 c18 26 49 83 70 128 143 306 141 649 -6 957 -25 52 -61 116 -79 142 l-34 47 45 -20 c26 -10 76 -36 113 -56z m-2057 25 c-40 -58 -105 -190 -130 -263 -110 -324 -59 -707 132 -981 25 -35 42 -64 37 -64 -19 0 -241 119 -326 174 -188 122 -406 314 -532 468 l-58 71 108 103 c185 178 428 349 672 473 66 33 121 60 123 61 2 0 -10 -19 -26 -42z\"\/><path d=\"M2375 1950 c-198 -44 -350 -190 -395 -379 -18 -76 -8 -221 19 -290 114 -284 457 -406 731 -260 98 52 188 154 231 260 27 69 37 214 19 290 -38 163 -166 304 -326 360 -67 23 -215 33 -279 19z\"\/><\/g><\/svg><\/i> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"Loading\" src=\"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/wp-content\/plugins\/page-views-count\/ajax-loader-2x.gif\" border=0 \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"pvc_clear\"><\/div>\n<p>https:\/\/muslimmirror.com\/eng\/whither-the-american-democracy-is-headed\/#:~:text=Most%20surveys%20so%20far%20have,the%20American%20democracy%20is%20headed%3F&amp;text=(Asad%20Mirza%20is%20a%20Delhi,political%20and%20international%20affairs%20commentator.) https:\/\/clarionindia.net\/whither-american-democracy\/ https:\/\/www.newageislam.com\/current-affairs\/american-democracy\/d\/132437 https:\/\/www.punjabtodaytv.com\/english\/trump-case\/ https:\/\/kashmirlife.net\/what-is-the-future-of-american-democracy-356307\/#google_vignette Whither the American democracy is headed? The last week brought some rather perplexing developments from the US. The developments related to the former president Donald Trump, who became the first president of the United States, sitting or former, to be convicted as a felon. The former American president Donald trump [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[83],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-latest-articles-in-english-all"],"a3_pvc":{"activated":true,"total_views":111,"today_views":0},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5167"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5169,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5167\/revisions\/5169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/asadmirza.in\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}