Katharina Ortner
Gisela-Gymnasium, München/Germany (2002) on 2021-01-13

@ Yassine: Yes! Blind faith is terrible! Especially in a political context! And: it's interesting to see which kind of politicians entice such blind devotion... There are few, or at least fewer, people sporting Biden regalia, putting signs up in their garden and saying that they`d die for him... But I think American politics in general focus too much on the politicians as people, compared to the politicians as, well, politicians! Very often, what they`re selling isn't their proposed policy, but, to a comparably big part, themselves as a brand, which I personally think is the wrong approach to politics.

Katharina Ortner
Gisela-Gymnasium, München/Germany (2002) on 2021-01-13

Thanks so much for both of your comments! I agree, that the storming was the last straw, but was anyone really surprised? Sure, it was still awful when it happened, but it`s not like anyone made a secret of their intentions to riot against the new election. What I think is even more shocking, and /or telling, is the fact that, despite their prior knowledge, the police chose to do nothing. Or failed to prepair accordingly. Both terrible. Especially when compared to the police presence at the BLM protests...

Tassilo Lemke
Gisela-Gymnasium, München/Germany (2003) on 2021-01-13

Hey Katharina, that is a well written article. Indeed, the situation in the United States of America is very heated right now. The recent storming of the Capitol did not help calm the situation down at all. To not make this comment too personal or informal I will try to avoid naming my thoughts about this verbatim. However, I really do think that this was the worst possible thing to happen. Especially now during the Corona crisis and Donald Trump presidency only being a few weeks from expiry. As much as I would like to believe that Trump was not involved in or responsible for the storming, his recent behavior says otherwise. Even Twitter decided to permanently suspend Donald Trump's account, due to the danger of further incitement of violence. I think that this speaks for itself very well. Personally, I am looking forward to Biden and think that he will be a great president, for everyone, including those who didn't vote for him. I would also like to add, that even after Biden has handled the Corona crisis, there still needs to be a lot of cleaning up to be done. Especially the economic crisis caused by the outbreak poses a great challenge for the new president of one of the most powerful countries in the world. I very much do hope that he achieves most, if not all of his goals. Nevertheless, this is a really fascinating article. I really enjoyed the read!

Yassine Ipekli
Gisela-Gymnasium, München/Germany (2002) on 2021-01-13

Quite a sharp oberservation, that the once budding heart of democracy, slowly crumbles to a shattered dream of a million pieces... Biden ought to reunite the eversplit society of this strange yet important nation of the earth, besides the pronounced aversion between members of different ethnical groups, Biden has to fundamentally alter the overdue Health system. Your prospect on Donald Trump´s peasantry, pardon me for this expression, additionally broadens the debate towards an even more dangerous subject: blind faith! And we all know, which consequences introduce themselves concerning that matter...

The Third Time’s the Charm
by Katharina Ortner (2002) Gisela-Gymnasium, München/Germany on 2021-01-10



Katharina originally wrote the following text at school as an English essay. With some time-related changes, it became an article – a classic example of the trait d`union second use, highly recommended for imitation! To read the translations in German or Italian, in French or Spanish, please, scroll down.

Of course, Katharina would be very happy to receive your comments. If you are a trait d’union editor, you may use the comment and discussion function next to the article. Otherwise you can send your comment to contributions@traitdunion.online. There you can also send your own ideas and contributions, especially to this frame topic: "Corona - when disaster strikes in our lives: what young people think about the pandemic and its consequences." You can find suggestions on topics and forms of presentation here. If you discover passages in the translations for which you have found a better formulation, you are also welcome to send your suggestion to contributions@traitdunion.online. Thanks in advance!

 

 

Third Time’s the Charm

After four long years with Donald Trump in the White House, America is ready for change, a fact the American people confirmed by voting out Trump, but also by electing Joe Biden’s vice president Kamala Harris. She is not only going to be the first female vice president, but also the first black one and the first of Indian descent. It is not unlikely that Kamala H. could replace Joe Biden, who is already 77 years old, either during or after his presidency. 

For Joe Biden it was already his third presidential race. After failing his second time, Barack Obama made him his running mate and subsequently his Vice President. Now, finally, he is the 46th President of the United States, backed by more individual votes than any other President before him. Still, the job waiting for the Delaware national won’t be an easy one. 

The USA is, currently, deeply divided. Joe Biden has made it his mission to be a president for the whole country, not only those who voted for him, but also those who are sad to see Donald Trump go. Joe Biden plans to bring back meaning to the “united” part of the United States of America.

His more immediate goal is to successfully handle the Corona crisis, which he is planning to start doing directly after his inauguration.

Not only the Pandemic, but also climate change and fighting systemic racism are some of his goals in response to recent and current events. He also has plans for reforming the healthcare system, overcoming the growing socio-economic divide and in general ensuring prosperity for all Americans.

At the time of Joe Biden’s victory, it was not yet clear how many of his proposed changes he would be able to realize, as the prognosis of a republican senate was seeming to come true. Now, with the senate officially flipped, the future for the Democrat seems brighter, but with the resolution of the majority problem, a new complication has revealed itself: Donald Trump will not go quietly. With his supporters attacking the heart of their county’s democracy, the Capitol, the political divide deepens.

Donald Trump has left behind a broken country, whose fragments Joe Biden and Kamala Harris can now begin to try and piece back together. Hopefully, for the sake of all Americans they will succeed.

 

 

Alle guten Dinge sind drei

Nach vier langen Jahren mit Donald Trump im Weißen Haus, ist Amerika bereit für Veränderungen. Dies bestätigte das amerikanische Volk, indem es Trump ab-, aber auch Joe Bidens Vizepräsidentin Kamala Harris erwählte. Kamala Harris wird nicht nur die erste weibliche Vizepräsidentin sein, sondern auch die erste schwarze und die erste indischer Abstammung. Es ist nicht unwahrscheinlich, dass sie Joe Biden, der bereits 77 Jahre alt ist, während oder nach seiner Präsidentschaft ersetzen könnte.

Für Joe Biden war dieser Wahlkampf bereits sein dritter Anlauf. Nachdem er zum zweiten Mal scheiterte, machte Barack Obama ihn zu seinem Running Mate und in Folge zu seinem Vizepräsidenten. Nun hat Joe Biden es endlich geschafft, mit mehr individuellen Stimmen als je ein Präsidentschaftskandidat vor ihm. Trotzdem wird die Aufgabe, die ihn wartet, nicht leicht zu bewältigen sein.

Die USA sind derzeit tief gespalten. So hat Joe Biden es sich zur Aufgabe gemacht, ein Präsident für das ganze Land zu sein, nicht nur für diejenigen, die für ihn gestimmt haben, sondern auch für diejenigen, die Donald Trump schweren Herzens gehen sehen. Joe Biden plant, dem „vereinten“ Teil der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika wieder Bedeutung zu verleihen.

Sein unmittelbares Ziel ist es, die Corona-Krise erfolgreich zu bewältigen, eine Aufgabe, die er gleich nach seinem Amtsantritt angehen will.

Nicht nur die Pandemie, sondern auch der Klimawandel und die Bekämpfung des systemischen Rassismus sind einige seiner Ziele in Reaktion auf aktuelle Ereignisse. Er hat auch Pläne zur Reform des Gesundheitssystems, zur Überwindung der wachsenden sozioökonomischen Kluft und zur allgemeinen Sicherung des Wohlstands aller Amerikaner.

Nach Joe Bidens Sieg war noch nicht klar, wie viele seiner Ziele er würde umsetzen können, da sich die Prognose eines republikanisch dominierten Senats zu erfüllen schien. Jetzt, da sich das Machtverhältnis im Senat offiziell zugunsten der Demokraten gewendet hat, scheint die politische Zukunft Joe Bidens rosiger zu sein, aber mit der Lösung des Mehrheitsproblems, ist ein neues auf der Spielfläche erschienen: Trump wird nicht klein beigeben. Mit dem Sturm seiner Anhänger auf das Kapitol, dem Herzen der US-amerikanischen Demokratie, vertieft sich die politische Spaltung weiter.

Donald Trump hat ein zerbrochenes Land zurückgelassen, dessen Fragmente Joe Biden und Kamala Harris nun versuchen können, wieder zusammenzusetzen. Hoffentlich werden sie allen Amerikanern zuliebe Erfolg haben.

 

 

La terza volta è il fascino

Dopo quattro lunghi anni con Donald Trump alla Casa Bianca, l`America è pronta per il cambiamento, come il popolo americano ha confermato deselezionando Trump, ma anche eleggendo il vice presidente di Joe Biden, Kamala Harris. Non sarà solo la prima vicepresidente donna, ma anche la prima nera e la prima di origine indiana. Non è improbabile che Kamala H. possa sostituire Joe Biden, che ha già 77 anni, sia durante che dopo la sua presidenza.

Per Joe Biden era già la sua terza corsa presidenziale. Dopo aver fallito la seconda volta, Barack Obama lo ha fatto diventare il suo compagno di corsa e successivamente il suo vice presidente. Ora, finalmente, è il 46° presidente degli Stati Uniti, sostenuto da più voti individuali di qualsiasi altro presidente prima di lui. Tuttavia, il compito che lo attende non sarà facile da portare a termine.

Gli Stati Uniti sono, al momento, profondamente divisi. Joe Biden ha fatto della sua missione di essere un presidente per tutto il Paese, non solo per coloro che hanno votato per lui, ma anche per coloro che sono tristi nel vedere andare via Donald Trump. Joe Biden intende riportare un significato alla parte "unita" degli Stati Uniti d`America.

Il suo obiettivo più immediato è quello di gestire con successo la crisi di Corona, che ha intenzione di iniziare a fare subito dopo il suo insediamento.

Non solo la pandemia, ma anche il cambiamento climatico e la lotta al razzismo sistemico sono alcuni dei suoi obiettivi in risposta agli eventi recenti e attuali. Ha anche piani per riformare il sistema sanitario, superare il crescente divario socio-economico e, in generale, assicurare prosperità a tutti gli americani.

Al momento della vittoria di Joe Biden, non era ancora chiaro quanti dei cambiamenti da lui proposti sarebbero stati realizzati, dato che la prognosi di un senato repubblicano sembrava realizzarsi. Ora, con il senato ufficialmente capovolto, il futuro dei Democratici sembra più roseo, ma con la risoluzione del problema della maggioranza si è rivelata una nuova complicazione: Donald Trump non se ne andrà in silenzio. Con i suoi sostenitori che attaccano il cuore della democrazia della loro contea, il Campidoglio, il divario politico si approfondisce.

Donald Trump si è lasciato alle spalle un paese distrutto, i cui frammenti Joe Biden e Kamala Harris possono ora cominciare a cercare di rimettere insieme i pezzi. Speriamo, per il bene di tutti gli americani, che ci riescano.

 

 

La troisième fois est la bonne

Après quatre longues années avec Donald Trump à la Maison Blanche, l`Amérique est prête pour le changement, ce que le peuple américain a confirmé en éliminant Trump, mais aussi en élisant la vice-présidente de Joe Biden, Kamala Harris. Elle sera non seulement la première femme vice-présidente, mais aussi la première noire et la première d`origine indienne. Il n`est pas improbable que Kamala H. puisse remplacer Joe Biden, qui a déjà 77 ans, pendant ou après sa présidence.

Pour Joe Biden, c`était déjà sa troisième course à la présidence. Après avoir échoué une deuxième fois, Barack Obama en a fait son colistier, puis son vice-président. Aujourd`hui, il est enfin le 46ème président des États-Unis, soutenu par plus de votes individuels que tout autre président avant lui. Pourtant, la tâche qui l`attend ne sera pas facile à accomplir.

Les États-Unis sont actuellement profondément divisés. Joe Biden s`est donné pour mission d`être un président pour tout le pays, non seulement pour ceux qui ont voté pour lui, mais aussi pour ceux qui sont tristes de voir partir Donald Trump. Joe Biden a l`intention de redonner un sens à la partie "unie" des États-Unis d`Amérique.

Son objectif plus immédiat est de gérer avec succès la crise de la Corona, ce qu`il prévoit de commencer à faire immédiatement après son investiture.

La pandémie, mais aussi le changement climatique et la lutte contre le racisme systémique sont quelques-uns des objectifs qu`il s`est fixé en réponse aux événements récents et actuels. Il a également des plans pour réformer le système de santé, surmonter la fracture socio-économique croissante et, d`une manière générale, assurer la prospérité de tous les Américains.

Au moment de la victoire de Joe Biden, il n`était pas encore clair combien de ses propositions de changement il serait en mesure de réaliser, car le pronostic d`un sénat républicain semblait se réaliser. Aujourd`hui, avec le retournement officiel du Sénat, l`avenir du démocrate semble plus prometteur, mais avec la résolution du problème de la majorité, une nouvelle complication s`est révélée : Donald Trump n`ira pas tranquille. Avec ses partisans qui s`attaquent au cœur de la démocratie de leur comté, le Capitole, le fossé politique se creuse.

Donald Trump a laissé derrière lui un pays brisé, dont les fragments Joe Biden et Kamala Harris peuvent maintenant commencer à essayer de se reconstituer. Il faut espérer que, pour le bien de tous les Américains, ils y parviendront

 

 

La tercera vez es el encanto

Después de cuatro largos años con Donald Trump en la Casa Blanca, América está lista para el cambio, un hecho que el pueblo americano confirmó al expulsar a Trump, pero también al elegir a la vicepresidenta de Joe Biden, Kamala Harris. No sólo será la primera vicepresidenta mujer, sino también la primera negra y la primera de ascendencia india. No es improbable que Kamala H. pueda sustituir a Joe Biden, que ya tiene 77 años, durante o después de su presidencia.

Para Joe Biden ya era su tercera carrera presidencial. Después de fracasar su segunda vez, Barack Obama lo hizo su compañero de fórmula y posteriormente su Vicepresidente. Ahora, finalmente, es el 46º Presidente de los Estados Unidos, respaldado por más votos individuales que cualquier otro Presidente antes que él. Aun así, la tarea que le espera no será fácil de cumplir.

Los EE.UU. están, actualmente, profundamente divididos. Joe Biden se ha propuesto como misión ser un presidente para todo el país, no sólo para los que votaron por él, sino también para los que están tristes al ver que Donald Trump se va. Joe Biden planea devolver el significado a la parte "unida" de los Estados Unidos de América.

Su objetivo más inmediato es manejar con éxito la crisis de Corona, lo que planea comenzar a hacer directamente después de su toma de posesión.

No sólo la pandemia, sino también el cambio climático y la lucha contra el racismo sistémico son algunos de sus objetivos en respuesta a los acontecimientos recientes y actuales. También tiene planes para reformar el sistema de salud, superar la creciente brecha socioeconómica y, en general, asegurar la prosperidad de todos los estadounidenses.

En el momento de la victoria de Joe Biden, todavía no estaba claro cuántos de sus cambios propuestos podría realizar, ya que el pronóstico de un senado republicano parecía hacerse realidad. Ahora, con el senado oficialmente dado vuelta, el futuro para el demócrata parece más brillante, pero con la resolución del problema de la mayoría, una nueva complicación se ha revelado: Donald Trump no se irá en silencio. Con sus partidarios atacando el corazón de la democracia de su país, el Capitolio, la división política se profundiza.

Donald Trump ha dejado atrás un país roto, cuyos fragmentos Joe Biden y Kamala Harris pueden ahora empezar a intentar reconstruirse. Esperemos que, por el bien de todos los americanos, tengan éxito.