The tragedy of smerican domestic politics
MIKE SILICZ VOLUNTEER STAFF
The campaign for the 2008 presidential election in the United States has taken off over the past few weeks. However, long before the Republicans and Democrats battle each other for control of the executive branch, each side must nominate a president-vice-president ticket to run for office. While the Republican race for president appears close and unsettled, the Democratic side presents a far clearer picture.
The Republicans, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event like a new Pearl Harbour, have already lost the 2008 election. There is no need to recount the mistakes of the current administration. No amount of spin, grassroots mobilization, or appeal to religion is going to change that. Not since Herbert Hoover exacerbated the largest market crash in human history in the 1930s has a U.S. president been so disapproved of as George W. Bush. This will be a decisive factor going into the 2008 campaign.
Despite this substantive advantage, as the 2004 election campaign demonstrated, nothing is certain for the Democrats. So far seven people have announced officially their intention to run; five of them are irrelevant. The Democratic race will come down to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The question is, of course, is not who should win, but who will win?
Hands down, Clinton should win. She is the best candidate of the Democratic lot. She comes as close to American royalty as is possible. She was an integral part of her husband’s presidential team. She has extensive experience in politics, and is a familiar name that many Americans (in a time of political confusion) will associate with stability. Ideally, she would make the best candidate for the Democrats, and would probably lead the U.S. well for the next eight years as a truly diplomatic stateswoman.
However, when dealing with American politics, an important lesson to grasp quickly is that what’s in the best interests of the country is often the first casualty of an election.
Politics has changed dramatically over the past few decades. And nowhere is this more apparent than in the United States of America. There was a time when politicians debated issues. They argued with each other over what the best policies would be to make the country the most well-off. That is no longer true in today’s mass-marketed world. Politicians now run their campaigns as advertisements. They feed on what mixed-economy activist George Soros has coined “the feel good society,” preying on the fears, ignorance, complacency, and apathy of voters.
After the 2004 campaign, with its flip-flops and swift boat veterans, the Democratic leadership will have taken these lessons to heart. That is why Barack Obama will win and become the next president of the United States.
Obama boasts only a decade of political experience. He is young. He has no connections to big business. He was born to meagre parents. Clinton may have money, be of old blood, and have extensive political experience, but, she lacks two things that Obama has, which will ultimately cost her any shot (at least for the time being) at the presidential nomination.
First, Obama possesses charisma, appeal, charm and magnetism. Obama has electricity about him that Clinton can only dream of. It is the same charisma that made the majority of the American public shrug off Bill Clinton’s shenanigans, and the same charisma that got Bush elected over both Al Gore and John Kerry. Obama speaks eloquently, and because of this Clinton will always be at a disadvantage.
Second, colour. In the United States, the prospect of electing the first African-American to the presidency (with a legitimate shot of winning) is far too tempting for the Democrats to pass up. Race in the United States is still a contentious issue. While race shouldn’t be an issue, you can guarantee it will be. As the recent Super Bowl pointed out, the media was obsessed that Tony Dungy was the first black coach to win the Vince Lombardi trophy. Media outlets everywhere overreacted by proclaiming this as a progressive step forward for African-Americans, making it seem like America was still in the 1960s, and not the 21st century. What do you think the media will do if a black man receives the party nomination for president?
American electoral politics is no longer about what’s best for the nation. It’s about selling the public an image of confidence, leadership, and conviction. And to do that, you need a salesperson, not a politician. While Clinton may be the most qualified leader capable of pulling the U.S. out of the blunders caused by the current administration, chances are likely that it will be Obama’s job to do so. Obama is mostly hype and little substance, and American history is full of such presidents, with George W. Bush being the latest example. Obama simply has the luck of being persuasive and entertaining; and after the inability of Gore and Kerry to capitalize on Republican mistakes, the Democrats will not tolerate any risks in obtaining the last branch of American power outside their control — the executive.
Michael Silicz is a first-year law student with a background in political science and history.
