In a video posted on YouTube, Chinese analyst Eric Li drew an interesting comparison between the political models of China and the United States. Li said that, despite the same party holding the power, policies change in China. However, in the United States, although two parties have taking turns in government, policies do not change because the business class has a great weight in the political system and can block any change in favor of the common people. In contrast, in China, business people cannot impose their policies on the Communist Party. 

Generally speaking, common people living in countries ruled by a liberal-democratic political system and regular election processes increasingly realize that the promises made during the campaign do not bring positive and significant changes in their lives. In practice, elections bring along more frustrations than results.

Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells addressed this issue in his 2018 book "Rupture: The Crisis of Liberal Democracy", in which he analyzes the collapse of liberal democracy as a political model of representation and governance, showing that "citizens vote, elect, and they are even mobilized and enthused by those they have hopes for, changing now and then as hope overcomes the fear of change, which is the basic emotional tactic in maintaining political power. But the recurring frustration of these hopes eventually erodes legitimacy, while resignation is replaced by outrage when the unbearable arises". This crisis makes room for authoritarian groups, for nationalist, xenophobic parties, and for supposed critics of traditional politics.

In this respect, the change of government in the United States, with the election of Joe Biden, in November 2020, was seen by the press and political analysts as an opportunity to overcome the worst traits of Trumpism, such as xenophobia, authoritarianism, lies (or “alternative truths”, as his group likes to mention), the denial of science and contempt for minorities. The remarkable alliance made around Biden’s name, which brought together center-right politicians, businessmen, democratic socialists, feminists, anti-racists, and ecologists, among others, held some hope that US politics could change substantially.

However, as we describe below, frustration with the lack of noticeable changes for society has brought new frustration to voters. After 11 months in government, Joe Biden's popularity is low, with 42.5% approval and 51.8% disapproval.  His ratings are the worst compared to the last six presidents (since 1981, with Ronald Reagan). It is only superior to Donald Trump's ratings, which at the end of 2017 was approved by only 38%.

Biden's difficulties in delivering campaign promises reflected the most significant challenge Democrats have faced since they took office after the governors run for Virginia and New Jersey. In the first state, the Democrats suffered a severe defeat. Former Gov. Terry McAuliffe lost by a 2% margin to Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin, who during the campaign was associated with Donald Trump and used a moral values-based agenda to impose himself on the voters – and it’s worth mentioning that, a year earlier, Joe Biden had won the election by a margin of 10%. In the state of New Jersey, where Biden won the election by a 16% margin, it all felt like the Democrats had a comfortable victory, but Gov. Philip (Phil) Murphy beat Republican candidate Jack M. Ciattarelli by just 3.2%.

Donald Trump still represents a very significant movement in American politics. Even though the Republican was beat in 2020, Trumpism is a living and well-articulated force, strongly influencing and limiting Joe Biden's performance. Despite changes in foreign policy regarding environmental issues and a new articulation with allies in the G7, added to the emphasis on the investment on infrastructure programs, the essence of Trump's guidelines remains active in the current government, including restraints on China, and taxes and immigration policies. This is due to intense pressure from Republicans in the House and Senate, by the disarticulation of the Democratic party in both houses, and the restrictions imposed by the Supreme Court, whose majority is conservative.

One of the themes that fuels frustration is immigration. A change in the direction of this policy was at the heart of Joe Biden's electoral promises, precisely to seek the support of the large Latino community present in the United States. In this regard, two points are highlighted: the change in Trump's guidelines that created "Remain in Mexico", the policy adopted to prohibit the entry of immigrants into US territory to seek for asylum, and the legalization of approximately 11 million "undocumented" immigrants who live in the United States illegally.

With respect to Remain in Mexico, on Aug. 24, 2021, the Supreme Court denied the Justice Department's emergency order to suspend a lower court decision demanding that the government revert to the Trump-era immigration policy that forces asylum seekers to wait in Mexico for a hearing in the United States. The order represents a heavy blow to the Biden government, which, as a result, will be forced to make a "good faith" effort to restart the Migrant Protection Protocols program.

Concerning the Democrats' intention to legalize the situation of the "undocumented" through access to public services, in 19 Sep. 2021, the parliament of Senate Elizabeth MacDonough blocked the inclusion of resources in the federal budget, within the scope of discussions on the Build Back Better (BBB) project, aimed at increasing the offer of public services to 8 million immigrants. In her view, this would increase the budget deficit by about $139 billion. MacDonough's decision had an important impact on the legislative process, since it prevents the process called "reconciliation," which would allow Democrats to pass a law by simple majority. Thus, any legislation involving the subject would depend on the support of at least 10 Republican senators, which is basically impossible under the current circumstances because Trumpism is based on the anti-immigration agenda.

The ineffectiveness of Democrats to solve immigration problems is leading the Hispanic/Latin community in the US to frustration. The situation was aggravated by images of border patrol soldiers on horses attacking a group of Haitian immigrants trying to enter the country, including families with young children. The police brutality was similar to that of the Trump government, strongly displeasing the Latino population and the more progressive current of the Democratic Party.

In this regard, it is interesting to note that public opinion in the United States continues to be strongly influenced by the prejudices widespread in Trump's administration, as most of it is against the adoption of more flexible immigration policies. According to research published by the Pew Research Center, in 3 May, 2021, the majority defends the increase of personnel at the borders, the reduction of the arrival of immigrants, hindering the granting of asylum and supporting the countries from which the mass of immigrants come, especially in the so-called Northern Triangle of Central America to improve their economic conditions to stop immigration. The survey brings other conclusions, but points to a strong rejection of the migration policy of the first months of the Biden administration. Also in this regard, it is important to mention the visit of Vice President Kamala Harris, on June 7 and 8, to Mexico and Guatemala to discuss the immigration situation and the inclusion of Central American countries in the Build Back Better World (B3W) with a view to creating job opportunities and trying to contain the migratory currents towards the United States.

Another flagship of Biden's campaign was the promise of a major rescue plan for the post-Covid-19 economy, the reconstruction of the country's infrastructure, the energy conversion by prioritizing alternative sources to burning coal and oil, and a package of social assistance and social services. When it was released in March 2021, estimated expenditures exceeded $3 trillion. However, since then these initiatives are having a hard time moving forward in Congress. In the face of fierce opposition from Republicans, Democrats should show greater cohesion. But that is being undermined on the left, by congressmen such as Alexandria Ocácio-Cortez (NY), who have been trying to push forward a social assistance package that would benefit working-class people, as on the right, as is the case with senators Joe Manchin (WV) and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ), who are against raising taxes for the richest and increasing the public deficit. Given that Republicans hold 50 seats out of 100, any defection on the Democratic side makes White House projects unfeasible.

Joe Biden's inability to deliver election promises is causing concern among Democrats that they may lose the narrow majority they now hold in the House and further lessen their weight in the Senate. As mentioned, state elections in Virginia and New Jersey set the alarm bells on the party's rapid loss of popularity. Added to this are the effects of the 2020 Census and the redistricting that accompanies it, negatively impacting traditionally democratic states, such as New York, Illinois, and California, and increasing seats in Republican-controlled states such as Texas, Florida, and Montana. If, with the current composition, the Joe Biden administration finds it difficult to pass its proposals, the term would potentially be paralyzed in the face of a Republican majority in both houses of Congress.