“Fruits of Incitement”
(Incite: भड़काना/उकसाना; to encourage someone to do or feel something unpleasant or violent)
After the Capitol (सदन; a building in which a US state government meets) breach (उल्लंघन; an act of breaking a law, promise, or agreement), the task of building bipartisan consensus (द्वि-पक्षीय सहमति; a generally accepted opinion or decision by two political parties) is that much harder
If the history of nations is replete (भरा हुआ; full or full of) with ironies (विडंबनाओं; situations in which something which was intended to have a particular result has the opposite or a very different result), nowhere were they more evident than in the U.S., when the “greatest nation on earth” became hostage to an ugly attempted coup (आघात/आकस्मिक शासन परिवर्तन; a sudden illegal, often violent, taking of government power, especially by part of an army) led by a mob (भीड़/गिरोह; a large, angry crowd, especially one that could easily become violent), bearing slogans of support for outgoing President Donald Trump.
On Wednesday, hundreds of them stormed (धावा बोलना; a very angry reaction from a lot of people) the Capitol building, as police appeared to be overwhelmed (ज़बर्दस्त ढंग से; strongly or completely), and members of Congress, who were gathering to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election, cowered (दुबक जाना; to lower your head or body in fear) behind benches or were evacuated (सुरक्षित स्थान पर ले जाना; to move people from a dangerous place to somewhere safe).
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Although the mob was eventually ejected (अंततः बाहर निकाल फेंकना; to force someone to leave a particular place in the end after lot of effort), lawmakers went on to reconvene (फिर इकट्ठा होना; to come together again for a meeting) and formally certify the results, and Mr. Trump finally committed to an “orderly transition,” major social media platforms locked his accounts for violating their civic integrity policies, namely inciting violence with months of contentious (विवादपूर्ण; to cause disagreement and argument) posts that made baseless allegations (आरोप; a statement, made without giving proof, that someone has done something wrong or illegal) about electoral fraud.
The immediate trigger for the mob, said to have been methodically planned online via social media, was the surprise victory of two Democratic candidates, Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, in the January 5 runoff election in Georgia.
That election was necessitated (जरूरी; to make something necessary) by the fact that no candidate won 50% of the popular vote in the November 3 general election. Their win gives Democrats 50 seats in the Senate, which is tantamount (बराबर; equal) to control of the upper chamber of Congress, because the incoming Vice-President, Kamala Harris, will cast a deciding vote in a tie.
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To say that the incoming and 46th U.S. President, Joe Biden, has a tough job on his hands after his inauguration on January 20, would be an understatement (ख़ामोश रहना/परदा डालना; a statement that something is much less important or serious than it really is). The sheer viciousness (सरासर शातिर; complete quality of showing an intention to hurt or upset someone) of the January 6 mob attack, and more than two months of hateful vitriol (आलोचना/अपशब्द कहना; hate and anger expressed through severe criticism) online and offline following the 2020 election, is proof that political America is deeply polarised (ध्रुवीकृत; to cause people in a group to have opposing positions), brimming with anger (क्रोध से भरा; full of anger) and disenchantment (मोहभंग; a feeling of no longer believing in the value of something) at the ground realities.
The “unprecedented assault (अभूतपूर्व हमला; a violent attack existed in the past)” on the very soul of democracy (as Mr. Biden put it) has been in the making for more than four years. At the heart of the tsunami of angst (गुस्से;strong worry and unhappiness about some or personal problems) that was evident throughout the election campaign is a sense of frustration that grips middle America, including the white middle class and blue-collar workers (शारीरिक परिश्रम करने वाला; doing work needing strength or physical skill rather than office work), over the inevitable (अनिवार्य; certain to happen and unable to be avoided) changes to the U.S. economy and society.
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There is a view that the forces of immigration and globalisation have lit the fuses on this explosive combination of racial prejudice (पूर्ण पक्षपात; extreme unfair and unreasonable opinion formed without enough thought or knowledge) and economic insecurity. In reality, Mr. Trump’s strident rhetoric (तीखी बयानबाजी; unpleasant or rough speech intended to influence people, but has no real meaning) exploited this sense of alienation (अलगाव/अन्यसंक्रामण; the feeling that you have no connection with the people around you) and socioeconomic dysfunction (सामाजिक-आर्थिक शिथिलता; a problem or fault involving both social and economic matters) for narrow political and personal gains.
Now Mr. Biden has an opportunity to strike a more balanced note by, on the one hand, seeking to revive the moribund spirit (मृतप्राय भावना; not active or successful way of thinking, or behaving) of bipartisan consensus and expediently tackling (उपयोगी लेकिन अनैतिक ढंग से निपटना; to deal with something or someone in a way that is helpful or useful, but sometimes not morally acceptable) the thorny issue of comprehensive immigration reform, and, on the other, redressing the ills (बुराइयों; problems or difficulties) of runaway free-market liberalisation (उदारीकरण; allowing more freedom in laws, systems, or opinion) and forging (गढ़ना; to make an illegal copy of something in order to deceive or cheat) a postCOVID19 economic vision that can truly deliver on the American dream.
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