You know what? I would love to just not think about the United States any more. The whole continual psychodrama is just exhausting and I often think that’s it’s genuinely one of the last Western countries on earth I’d like to live in. But editing a website around Americana music makes that an impossibility, so I think we do have to say something at this juncture and clarify where we stand. Make no mistake, the results today are devastating not just for many Americans but for millions of people around the world. It is difficult to see how the US as an entity will continue as a democracy and not just end up like a real-life version of The Handmaid’s Tale (and this is said with no hyperbole at all). In terms of freedom of the press, the judicial system, future elections, there is nothing on the horizon for years to come now that isn’t relentlessly bleak.
And yes, there are many people who are saying it’s time to live without America, which again would be a bit difficult for us as an Americana website, but anyway the impact of US policies going forward on a range of issues from climate change to support for authoritarian regimes is something it’s impossible to escape. We all have to live with this and the far-reaching consequences of what happened overnight.
I think the thing I would say on a personal note is this, and I realise this point has been made plenty of times by other people already today (not least by Bernie Sanders)* but regardless – liberalism as a philosophy is finished. Politicians like Tim Walz seem like perfectly affable figures, but 50 years of declining living standards facilitated by both major parties in the US has led us to this. The only protective factor against right-wing populism is a massive redistribution of wealth from the richest in society to ordinary working people, and those who for whatever reason aren’t able to work, which undoes some of the damage of this whole destructive project. If this isn’t centrists’ wake-up call that their beloved model is broken then seriously what the fuck is it going to take? It’s socialism or barbarism folks – and if the word socialism has too many connotations for you, then call it what you like. But people’s lives need to materially improve significantly if we want to avoid full on fascism, tinkering is not going to cut it. Labour won a majority on 33% of the vote here in July and having since cut fuel allowances, maintained benefit caps and actually increased the cost of some things like bus fares (!) are already less popular in some polling than the despised Tories. It’s broken. It’s time to say goodbye to a failed project.
(It’s also worth noting AIPAC’s influence on this election, an organisation that is a cancer-eating away at the heart of US democracy and one which has been for many years. For all the focus on foreign interference with elections from Russia, there’s a bad faith actor with far greater impact hiding in plain sight.)
It may be too late for the US for the foreseeable future, so understanding this, it’s important to say a couple of things – firstly, the US is more than the sum of its parts – the vast majority of musicians we cover do not share the views of the incoming administration, and we will continue to celebrate the country’s rich heritage, culture and diversity, and highlight the best of America, not the worst.
The second thing is that if you are a member of any community which Trump and his entourage are now going to go to war with, we stand by you. The LGBTQ+ community, people of colour, people with disabilities, people without a voice, fuck it for having to say this but women – we stand with you. We will never let down our guard in ensuring you feel included and represented. We will be developing some new guidelines for our comments system to reiterate these points. If you don’t agree with them, there are plenty of other Americana websites out there, good luck and cheerio.
Not withstanding for a moment the violent context in which it came into existence, the country which gave us Pete Seeger, Johny Cash and Hank Williams is one with a radicalism and beauty in its soul. This will continue to be a thread through everything we publish. Sometimes there’s hope to be found in the most unlikely of places. If you get a chance, please do read novelist Colum McCann’s thoughts on the election here with its striking story of a segregationist sheriff and a Black family who crash into a tree. Dark times lie ahead but although today it feels like a distant hope, as the saying goes, this too will pass. Solidarity everyone.
* apologies for linking to X on this of all days but can’t find the comments anywhere else
I support your thoughts wholeheartedly. I don’t have the intelligence and knowledge to pull things together like you do. I fear for democracy and true ethics and morals, net just wealth, etc . May you god be with you
well-written Mark, and thank you
Have a big clump of dread in my heart. Not that they’ll be coming for the likes of me first. But after they’ve enabled the murder of countless Palestinians, censured the few journalists who are still exposing their war and environmental crimes, rigged the judiciary and the electoral system and targeted black and brown people, LGBTQ and climate activists, they’ll also turn their attention to pesky socialists and trade unionists. So we need to stick together. And keep our radical Americana flag flying. Thanks to you, Mark and all at AUK who do just that.
USA RIP
Thanks Mark
For this thoughtful and erudite response.
Well that’s some “thought for the day”, Mark.
What makes this site stand out, and what the reader soon realises, is ‘music, information, commentary – and attitude’.
These are tough times so it’s great to feel warmed by a preparedness to tell it like it is. Les
Many thanks Les, great to have you as a reader (as you know you have me as a reader too!)
Thank you Mark, both musically and politically.
Donald Trump’s victory makes history.This was a humiliating defeat for the Democrats and their big mistake was assuming identity politics would secure votes, especially when Trump had spent years building a broad, multi-ethnic coalition of supporters. There’s no doubt America is still divided – but the result was definitive. Liberal commentators need to understand that, he has been democratically elected, not only by the system but by the popular, yes popular vote!
All comments very funny, If only they were meant to be,
You get a mention in our Back Pages piece today Andy!
Nothing to laugh at in any comments that I can see. Still, it takes all sorts of senses of humour.
We do take ourselves very seriously.
Great comment. We need a whole lot more people to ‘stand up and be counted’. But I am still baffled as to how the biggest ex-democracy in the world could vote for for someone who stands for hatred of all minorities (are women a minority?), and can’t speak without lying and insulting. People say Kamala was short on policy, well most Presidents are. What with the US election and the floods in Valencia I despair.
Trump previously had four years in office. We will survive these next four and then he will be out. It is important to note that we are a country of states and many of our laws are not the same as federal law. On the positive side in Colorado: the prohibition on gay marriage has been removed from our state Constitution; the right to abortion has been enshrined in it; everybody still has to pay their share for public education; the right to bail has been revoked for first degree murder suspects; and, an excise tax has been imposed on firearms and ammunition.
Perhaps Joe Biden calling 50% of the US population ‘garbage’ wasn’t the smartest political move. Harris’s lack of any coherent policy commitments, apart from ‘joy’ and ‘vibes’, didn’t help either!
Absolutely spot on, Mark, and wonderful writing, albeit very sad and thought-provoking. As the years went by, I thought The Handmaiden’s Tale was becoming too close to reality, but I thought it was just me sadly it wasn’t
Many thanks John
Hullo Mark,
First let me say that it’s been too long and that I hope all is well with you.
Second, I would be remiss if I didn’t acknowledge right out of the gate that much of what you write expresses the same frustration and disillusionment that many of us are feeling over here.
With that being said, I do want to push back a little.
Giving up on American democracy is nihilistic on the strategic level.
Retreating to a place of tactical support for the already (or soon-to-be) oppressed is reactionary.
Pete and Woody and Steven and Bruce romanticize the struggle. They’re so damn good at it that sometimes we lose sight of the fact that the struggle involves struggle.
[This feels like a good spot to link to Bluto Blutarsky’s speech – but I won’t give in to the impulse]
Fascism is on the rise across the western world. And yes, there are powerful forces of authoritarianism making plans and making progress in the east.
Apparently 3-4 generations is all the longer that the stench of those dead-end ways of thinking can linger after a total global upheaval. But the future contains more possibilities than a choice between another trip down that road or the alternative of resigning ourselves to their ascent as though it were inevitable and irresistible.
Here in America, we need to find a way to fight the worst of what’s to come without sacrificing democratic principles in the process – if possible. Failing that, we need to be prepared to do what must be done to preserve humanism, liberalism, and progressivism to ensure that they do not disappear entirely.
It’s our fight to fight, but it would be nice to know that our allies have our backs (even if it’s only moral support and sound advice for the foreseeable future) – the way we’ve always had theirs.
There’s too much to process and too much to do to pack it all in here. One thing at a time, with the expectation that each one thing will be a struggle and the hope that someday the outcome will be a Steve Earle song.
For now, I’ll leave you with this: https://youtu.be/gNMfOwA6qUo?si=pHUy_7UBTDdGsjF1
Take good care my friend,
Steven
Thanks for those encouraging thoughts Steven. I guess at a basic level I just don’t see how Republicans are going to ever give up power again and it’s fairly likely they will gerrymander and do whatever they have to do to ensure that happens. I suppose you’re right in the sense of Tony Benn’s often quoted comment: “There is no final victory, as there is no final defeat. There is just the same battle. To be fought, over and over again. So toughen up, bloody toughen up.” Great to hear from you anyway x
It would be great if there was a binary choice between fascism and socialism. But I don’t think we can have either without some restrictions on democracy, and tempting though that is, it would end in tears. Someone said Americana is country music for Democrats, so let’s keep spreading the word.
I don’t think socialism requires any restrictions on democracy Pete, I’m talking about Bernie Sanders style socialism which is the only offer which I can see stemming the turn away from fascism. The Democrats are sadly not a good advert for democracy!
American dream is just fine. So glad Trump won. Better days ahead. Woke is dead. Thank goodness.
Mark, Thanks for a thoughtful piece. It reminded me of the choices we will have to make. It isn’t between right or left. It is a choice between the rule of law or the lawlessness one expects from a felon with immunity. It a choice between decency and respect inspired by compassion or sarcasm and ridicule fuelled by a sense of resentment. It is a choice between seeing the environment as a source of life or a resource to be converted into profit. It is a choice between striving to be the best we can be or aspiring to be the richest, and not conflating the two. A vote from Trump does mean that a person has made all those decisions but at some point, they will have to choose. And the music is where we should look to for guidance in making these decisions. Not for specifics, but for the imponderables, to remind us about what is really important. It is the songs of love, freedom, devotion, sacrifice and celebration that have guided through the dark times of the past, And if we listen, the music will guide us to our better natures. So, what you do at Americana-UK will become even more important.
Many thanks for those great thoughts Michael
Sometimes I consider whether or not this empire can hold on for much longer, and what comes of it if it crumbles. Sometimes I wonder if that’s the best case scenario. One where the smaller nations don’t need to control, but can share mutual aid nonetheless.
I don’t know what the future holds. I just want something better than what’s being offered.