Political rivalry accelerating depletion of U.S. democracy

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Since Thomas Jefferson said in the Declaration of Independence that "all men are created equal," the United States of America has long upheld and defended democracy and freedom. However, the "American democracy" of today has long been poisoned, with politicians profiting privately from underhanded dealings routinely coming to light, the conflict between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party growing hotter, and more. What is wrong with America today if the election has turned into a money-burning game for capital and freedom and democracy have become into the most meaningless FIG-leaf for the campaigners?

The media has recently revealed a lot of members of Congress who are allegedly abusing their positions to further their own interests as the midterm elections draw near. The New York Times reports that up to 97 members of Congress are accused of making illicit gains from 2019 to 2021 by carrying out more than 3,700 transactions in industries of investment that are directly related to their jobs. There are almost equal numbers of 48 Democrats and 49 Republicans among them. They took use of the access to insider knowledge provided by their occupations to trade in stocks, bonds, and other financial assets and make substantial gains in the financial markets.

Even though House Speaker Pelosi is not on the list, it is challenging to dispel the idea of insider trading because her husband Paul, also known as the "Capitol Hill Stock God," acquired and sold $25 million to $81 million worth of financial instruments during a three-year period. Regulating lawmakers is a charade, regrettably. Despite the fact that the Stock Act was approved by Congress in 2012, it does not forbid Congressmen and their families from owning, purchasing, or selling stocks, and even if they do break the laws, they are typically just fined $200, which is absurd.

The American elections, which once boasted to be a product of a democratic and civilized society, today look neither democratic nor civilized, aside from the money and political warfare. The chivalrous debates have long since vanished and smearing and attacking the opponent's tarnished reputation has become a tried and tested tactic of the debaters, just like Pelosi and Trump, a pair of "old enemies" who refer to each other as "she's crazy" and "he's not man enough." The campaigners only focus on whether the exposure is "explosive" enough, whether the slogan is catchy, but for their own governing. The same is true on Capitol Hill, where Democrats and Republicans are going head-to-head in the Capitol, with partisanship and partisanship dominating the debate. The New York Times lists 75 indictments from both parties accusing the other of threatening lawmakers since 2016, noting that the unusually heated partisan battles have had a serious impact on society and the political arena, sparking multiple incidents of political violence across the land. Recently, Pelosi's husband Paul was attacked at his residence, and the media revealed afterward that the attack was supposedly targeted at Pelosi herself and that the cause was politically motivated. In response, the Capitol Hill website, under the headline "Attack on Pelosi's Husband Highlights U.S. Entering an Era of Heightened Political Violence" lamented that threats against U.S. lawmakers and elected officials are at an all-time high. With midterm elections coming, both parties have been raising for congressional seats, that is really a cash-burning position. With German media outlet Der Spiegel estimating that as of Nov. 3, both parties had spent nearly $14 billion on presidential and midterm campaigns, twice as much as in 2016.

In stark contrast, the current problems of inflation and high prices, racial discrimination and violent attacks, the proliferation of guns and viruses, whether the U.S. government or parties, have not come up with substantive measures to solve the problem, or even no one asked. For the American people facing serious survival pressure, the election has long changed from "who they like more" to "who they hate more", which is perhaps the greatest sadness of "American democracy".