“Government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth”
Whose word is this? It’s a phrase from Lincoln’s famous Gettysburg speech, beginning with the prelude “87 years ago… (Four score and seven years ago).”
This speech was part of a speech given at the dedication of the National Cemetery set up for war soldiers on the battlefield four months after the Battle of Gettysburg. Lincoln’s speech, known for writing his own speech, is perhaps the greatest political phrase in American history and the most cited.
This phrase has now become a symbol of democracy. Everyone would like to believe that the United States is a country with such a nice, beautiful, and clearly organized concept of democracy, but I wonder if Americans really belong to the’people’. Anyone with even a little food would think that America is far from the’people’ and has no ties at all.
So whose country is America? If you look inside the United States a little, you can organize it as simple and clear as Lincoln’s speech. America is a country of wealth and business, and a country of elites. The political elite, the bureaucratic elite, the military elite and the pop culture elite dominate and exercise sovereignty and live with most of the political and cultural benefits.
America, a country of wealth, business and elite
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| ▲ US President Trump at the signing ceremony of the Corona 19 Economic Stimulation Act on March 27th. | |
| Ⓒ Yonhap News/AP |
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I wonder if there is another country that applies sovereignty mechanically as much as the United States. Sovereignty in the United States-although other countries are similar-is like an option clause when buying a car. The types of sovereignty have been subdivided (this is an endless present progression) and different ways of using them. What’s interesting is that the upgrade and downgrade happen at the same time. Gaining wealth increases the quality of sovereignty, and losing wealth decreases it. We refer to these phenomena as’freedom’ collectively. In other words, each person is given the right to freely (!) choose and use’freedom’.
If you ask anyone that America is a class society, you will get an answer, “Of course”. The problem is the contradiction of logic. In the founding ideology, in the Constitution, and in Lincoln’s speech, the United States should be a society of equality, but it is not. Since the founding of the country, it has never been equal until now, and it is unlikely that it will be equal in the future.
There is a widespread view that’equal society’ is not feasible in the United States as if it were describing an ideal society. The reason it doesn’t come true is that some classes are very selfish and dominate most of their freedom.
Can you buy a seat in the Senate with money?
On August 28, 2019, Georgia State Senate Johnny Isankson announced his resignation on the grounds of a recruit. It was a shocking event that Jung Jin, whose position had been strengthened after three consecutive years between 2004, 2010 and 2016, suddenly declared his resignation, but the news that really surprised the world was next. He asked the governor to appoint a successor under state law. From this time on, it was speculated that the place name must have followed a reasonable procedure. On December 4th, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp overturned everyone’s expectations and nominated an unexpected person as senator.
It was Kelly Loeffler, who lost 0.6% to the first Democratic candidate, Raffael Warnock, in the re-election of the Senate two days ago. The case where she was nominated for a senator caused much controversy. Previously, she was well known as a business woman. Immediately after completing the MBA, I started working in a few large corporations, then worked for a fairly successful investment company, where I met my current husband, the CEO and owner, and solidified my position as a successful business woman. You can fully understand this part.
However, her actions as a politician are full of speculation and irrationality. It is estimated that she entered the political world for the first time in 2014. He registered as a candidate for the federal House or Senate elections, but he was tormented in the primary. Then, in December 2019, it appeared like a comet and appeared before the public as a federal Senate nominee. The media paid attention to her appearance, which surprised everyone, but it was criticized. Above all, it was her birthplace that puzzled people. In general, federal senators considered it a practice for indigenous peoples born in the area to run.
She is from Illinois, and had been active in Chicago and other places until marriage. It was the next controversy that had a short career as a politician. The political elite living in the state of Georgia revolted collectively, and the local media also sharply criticized it. However, the party’s leadership and party governor Brian Camp, and former senator Johnny I-Jackson, who expressed their resignation, pretended to be unaware and confirmed her nomination. The corruption that the media has been uncovering all the time was mainly her husband. The main content was that he mobilized enormous wealth to pay for a seat in the Senate.
However, nothing was confirmed. It seems that she was able to secure the Senate position in no time because of a donation that her husband had worked hard for over a decade. However, the results of the re-election were disastrous. It’s a terrible feeling because she was eliminated due to the difference between the two and the other… Now she has fallen into a senator, but in the past year while she served as a senator, she was recorded as the most wealthy senator in American history.
Trump supporters invade the Capitol… a day that clouds American democracy
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| ▲ Protesters in support of US President Donald Trump are climbing the western wall of the Washington DC Capitol on the 6th (local time). The Senate and House of Representatives were scheduled to hold a joint meeting that day to certify the victory of President-elect Joe Biden, but the meeting was halted due to the unprecedented incident of protesters invading the Capitol. | |
| Ⓒ Yonhap News/AP |
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From dawn on January 6, 2021 (local time), a crowd of demonstrations began to gather in the Capitol Building, wearing red hats and jackets full of camouflage patterns worn when hunting. As noon came, protesters increased, and the police who were guarding the Capitol also began to increase the number and equip them.
It was around 1 p.m. when protesters sporadically shouting slogans or waving flags began to surround the Capitol. These are the pictures taken at this time when protesters climb the stairs with the front of the Capitol in the background and waving flags. Recognizing the seriousness of the situation, President Biden held an emergency press conference, urged the dissolution of protesters, and criticized Trump at the same time.
At the same time, the governor of Maryland ordered the movement of the State National Guard. Every few minutes, politicians were busy moving. Influential politicians urged a peaceful protest through social media or broadcast interviews. Trump also requested a peaceful protest through Twitter and appealed to return home whenever possible. All roads to the Capitol were blocked and the subway was also stopped. Until this time, the conflict between the protesters and the police was sporadic and not serious.
The harsh atmosphere began to be detected when the news of the imminent inauguration ceremony came after a demonstrator broke into Vice President Pence’s office without permission around 2pm. They began encouraging the protesters, yelling out loud that someone had to take over the Capitol. Protesters walked firmly to the front door of the locked capitol, and the urgent police fired tear gas. This is the time when a picture of tear gas rising from the front of the Capitol was taken like a crushed cloud.
At approximately 2:30 pm, soon after, angry protesters broke the front door of the Capitol and broke into the Capitol where the meeting was taking place. In the meantime, one of the protesters was killed by a gun fired by the police. Soon after, the Capitol was occupied by protesters. It was when 3pm was over. At the same time, the President of the Federal Senate, Mitch McConnell, who has been in the past, poured out a lot of words to the protesters and to the people in the name of defending democracy as the position and role of the (Republican Party) chairman.
The protesters’ aim was to disrupt the legislative ceremonies and damage legitimacy of the federal Senate and House of Representatives coming together to formally elect the next president, which seems to have been a good success. Although several victims (four including the police) occurred, the message they wanted to convey was dramatically wired around the world. It seems as if this is the first sign of the collapse of the federation that has wrought before, and vague anxiety comes upon us (related article: Trump extorted victorious? Biden is under attack from democracy).
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| ▲ Trump supporters intrude into the US Capitol Supporters of US President Donald Trump broke into the Capitol in Washington DC on the 6th (local time) and waved the stars and stripes in the rotunda. The Senate and House of Representatives were scheduled to hold a joint meeting that day to certify the victory of President-elect Joe Biden, but the meeting was halted due to the intrusion of protesters. | |
| Ⓒ Yonhap News/AP |
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Perhaps this anxiety is a common feeling that an average American feels. Similar anxiety sentiment was reflected in the stock market. Until the morning of the previous day (6th), I was a little excited about the launch of the stock market and the Biden government. However, as the news of the protesters’ occupation of the Capitol, the stock market cooled down and interest rates plummeted. Until today (January 7th local time) morning, the stock market and interest rates remain unchanged. I guess the shock was pretty big the day before.
The most notable thing in the media was the collapse of the national system. For the first time since its founding, the House of Parliament has been violently occupied by its own people. I was most concerned about the collapse of the federal system. Many of the demonstrators waved the Confederate flags used by the Confederates during the Civil War in the past. As many of the southern regions were already publicly shouting for the collapse of the federation, it may seem natural that the demonstrators from there show, but the flag waving at the Capitol shows more than a symbol.
Didn’t some of the protesters even shout, “We have won.” If it had been in another country, it would have been a crime of treason if this kind of capitol occupation had occurred. This is because it can be said that it was planned to overthrow the country. During the Civil War, the Confederates declared their withdrawal from the Federation and tried to establish an independent state.
Meanwhile, on January 6, look at the 31-year-old Ashley Babbitt, who was killed by police shooting while occupying the Capitol. He is a Trump supporter and is known to be a veteran. A number of media outlets note that the white community is not upset even though white protesters were killed in white police shooting (related article: Black protests quelled violence… Watch the capitol intrusion?). I am also curious about why a black man reacts so differently than when he died.
Leaders of each country also sent messages of concern. The United States has been recognized as a’democratic textbook’ until now. To borrow from some of the leaders’ expressions, “The United States has been a model of democracy in the past,” he praised, but expressed his regret at the ruined appearance. Above all, the concern from the allies is the destruction of the constitutional order. They also paid attention to the ripple effect that would be transmitted to their country. In addition, I will be worried about the economic collapse that will result when the United States is broken.
But will it break easily enough for the US to worry? No matter how severe the situation is, it will be resolved quickly and the citizens will also regain their psychological stability. Perhaps after the inauguration, politics and society are sure to return to their normal patterns. The problem is that the wound has deepened and the cracks are clearly visible. Previously, it was a popular belief that the United States was politically stable and that society had a balanced harmony. However, it turned out that the myth was fictional. The reality of America has proved itself to be nothing more than a huge group full of numerous wounds and numerous cracks.
Trump supporters, not covered in the media
Perhaps because of the severe unrest, the media is showing no interest in the nature of the victims and protesters. They are known as Trump supporters. The image on the outside is so. She wears a red’Make America Great Again (MAGA)’ hat, which is a symbol, and a Trump support T-shirt, waving the stars and stripes. Surely most are white. If you look closer, they are white people who belong to the lower economic class among white people. If the image of white people and Trump supporters is stripped off, most of them are known to belong to the underprivileged, classified as low-income groups.
Since the founding of the country, white people who have been marginalized have lived their lives silently and silently. Even in World Wars 1 and 2, he played the role of a bullet catcher. The pension he received for his life was a dong-a line that extended his life. In the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Afghan War, their roles were the same and remained silent. The sense of alienation they feel is quite different from the concept that ordinary people thought. Poverty has been inherited from generation to generation. The cultural benefits they can enjoy are extremely limited, and the majority are groaning in the blind spots of medical care. Everything in life is a vicious cycle.
In these eyes, the economic stability enjoyed by minority races is inconspicuous. It has been a long time since the relative advantage of being white has already been lost. They chose Trump not because of his character, but because he embodies the excuses of anger and resentment. It is strong that the ruling class used their psychology subtly. If the outlet of anger had not been made a reality, it may have caused more serious social disturbances. If the U.S. had a full white supremacist regime, as they dreamed of, could it guarantee a stable life?
Trump’s political life
Countless people criticize Trump’s personal greed and ignorance. I’m also not very interested in the quality of the leader he showed. Was it just the level of a second or third class politician? But I want to remember one thing. Trump seems to have an excellent talent for revealing the fiction and the subtlety of American politics. If that’s what he intended, I applaud his role and belief.
Would the majority of politicians who belong to the same Republican Party but who apply strict standards and criticize him be better than Trump? Perhaps throughout his four years in office, or even during his entire career as a politician, he was inflamed with established politicians and their own culture. Trump’s political life may have been up to this point due to the occupation of the Capitol of protesters who are following him. Even inside the Republican Party, the burden is too great to be pampered with him.
Some speculate that they are dreaming of a third party. In fact, many people are waiting for the third party. Historically, the Third Party has always attracted attention. However, the problem has been that the Third Party has been used as a political appointment gate for opportunists so far. If Trump is planning a third party, it will look completely different from before.
He served as president and has a strong support. If he has a great political alternative to break down the two-party system, so if the adventure is successful, the United States will be transformed into a different shape than before. Americans seem to have been given the fate to watch the adventures of Miwoo, Gouna, and Trump.