US elections are a Hall of Mirrors

By Dennis Etler

One US newscaster characterized the first US presidential debate of 2020 between Donald Trump and Joe Biden as a, "hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck." That is a vivid and accurate description of what was witnessed by millions of viewers both at home and abroad. But, it is also an apt characterization of US politics long before Trump came on the scene.

US elections are a Hall of Mirrors, defined as a confusing or disorienting situation in which it is difficult to distinguish between truth and illusion or between competing versions of reality.

American politicians promise the moon but deliver nothing of value, significance, or substance.

The US poverty rate has stayed the same since the 1960s, income inequality continues to rise as wages stay stagnant but profits soar, education becomes less affordable while resources are cutback, affordable healthcare is still unavailable for millions of the uninsured and underinsured, America's infrastructure crumbles while hundreds of billions are wasted on military systems that are never used.

Race relations have deteriorated while killer cops run rampant and white supremacist vigilantes run riot. Xenophobia has taken hold of both major political parties which rant and rave about adversaries who they blame for the problems they themselves created. Islamophobia, Russophobia, Sinophobia, and Iranophobia are used to deflect from the responsibility both the Republicans and Democrats share for the "hot mess" the US finds itself in.

The US political, social and economic systems are all dysfunctional. They do not meet the needs of the majority of the American people, and it's reflected in the low percentage of Americans who think the nation is on the right track for a better future. No matter who wins in November, unless the US changes course, stops trying to intervene in other nation's affairs and starts looking after its own problems, nothing will change.

Poll: Both Democrats and Republicans believe election will be rigged

A new poll has revealed that both Democrat and Republican voters in the United States believe there is a possibility that the 2020 presidential election will be rigged.

Dennis Etler is an American political analyst who has a decades-long interest in international affairs. He conducted years of archaeological research in China and is a retired professor of Anthropology at Cabrillo College in Aptos, California.

He recorded this article for Press TV website.

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