America’s reputation is in tatters as the world wakes up to duplicity

This, however, would appear to be a form of projection far away from anything rooted in a material analysis of the increasingly bizarre, universally mind-numbing and downright dangerous race to become the 47th president of the United States.

This is a society, and a system, with deep problems. On the domestic front, its polarised divisions generate not political opponents, but instead an existential contest over the idea of what it means to be an “American”.

The wealth gap is gargantuan, and surveys record that citizens have a bleak outlook for the future. There is a palpable sense of dread as the big day arrives. Globally, the reputation of the superpower is in tatters, as a result of its support for the genocide in Gaza, and its numerous disastrous wars this century.

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Most of the world’s population understands all too well the nature of American duplicity, and this is now being reflected in a reordering of alliances. As one G7 diplomat said recently of the US globalisation: “We have definitely lost the battle in the Global South… Forget about rules, forget about world order. They won’t ever listen to us again.” So much for the “Project for the New American Century”.

Swapping Joe Biden out for a younger candidate seemed like an obvious move. But the late timing of this procedure carved out a sense of democratic legitimacy. I was quite surprised the party machine opted for Kamala Harris.

So was Barack Obama, who reportedly, was unconvinced. Notably, he didn’t join the chorus singing in her coronation. She had not exactly been known for being a strong political performer, and this has come through repeatedly in recent weeks.

Uncomfortable under questioning from even friendly news outlets, the initial vibes-based mania around her rise to presidential nominee faltered. Then again, perhaps simply “not being Trump” will in the end be enough. For now.

Either way, as you read this, the race is a toss-up. A coin flip away from what the Democrats are now openly calling fascism. Trump, who has been the subject of two assassination attempts in recent months, has been put in the same category as the 20th-century Nazi leader himself. He “wants a military like Adolf Hitler had”, says the Harris campaign as part of its official communications.

Unfortunately, we all have to suffer the excesses of American political culture, and it can be easy to let one mad thing lead into the next without much time to stop and think. But let’s do that; let’s pause and consider what this means.

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If Harris really does believe this to be the case, what happens if Trump wins? What forms of resistance would she propose? And should the rest of the world turn its back, finally and fully, on the United States?

Odd, is it not, that the Washington Post, which has been at the forefront of the liberal press pack when it comes to criticising Trump’s authoritarianism, has failed to back the Democrats?

For the first time in 36 years, the publication won’t support a candidate – and all because it is now owned by Jeff Bezos, who doesn’t want to sour relations with Trump should he win. The best democracy money can buy, or to use a more accurate word: oligarchy.

There is a deeper point here. Gone are the days of cohesive imperial planning across the state apparatus, and gone are the days where ideological unity can be found behind the flag, in any meaningful sense. The Trump campaign itself played host to a series of frankly deranged speeches in Madison Square Garden as it entered the home stretch.

Elon Musk let out a “war cry”, a repulsively racist “comedian” (seriously, the guy really isn’t funny) insulted Black people and Puerto Ricans, and a spandex-wearing Hulk Hogan riled the crowd up with a WWF-style diatribe.

The Lincoln Project, a breakaway group of anti-Trump Republicans, say this spectacle was proof that Trump is not preparing to take office, but to “cry foul and incite violence from his supporters”.

There is every chance the election outcome will be contested, if it is close, and we know Trump’s record on accepting defeat graciously. Again, we excavate the deeper point: this is a society, with its limited form of democracy, in deep trouble.

As for the issues facing the American people, these are submerged under the gaudy glitz and the advertising blitz, the Beyonce anthems and sea of red baseball caps.

There is no serious debate about the problems at the foundations of American capitalism. No empathy can be found for the victims of its ongoing genocide against the Palestinians, who even under strict vetting were banned from addressing the glitter-infested Democratic National Convention.

There is, though, a growing sense of unease that something is wrong, and that the house of cards might just fall. Perhaps the mask has slipped too far for it to be put back on.

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The US has exported more war than it has democracy, and more coups against elected governments it doesn’t like than it has acceptance of the rule of the people and national sovereignty.

And internally, turbo-charged capitalism has had ruinous effects on its own people. Nothing lasts forever. Especially when there is no real project to correct these wrongs in the American mainstream. Now, even the basics of liberal democracy are under siege.

“This election comes down to a choice between the candidate of plutocrats and neocon warmongers on the one side and a proto-fascist avatar of the provincial petite bourgeoisie," so says Doug Henwood, host of the Behind The News radio show, based in Berkeley. It is a snappy way to sum things up.

Whatever the outcome of the election, questions will be posed not just for Americans, but for the world.