OUR ELECTIONS FROM A DIFFERENT OPTIC

An edited version of what was written right after the 2016 election in the USA:

A week is long enough to make some objective remarks on even a highly emotionally charged and shocking outcome.  America was failed by its leaders as well as by common folk alike in the recent elections.  They offer some interesting lessons to America and also for the much younger Indian democracy.

The Clintons’ story is one of incessant scandals, hubris, and self-centered egregious greed.  But they are not alone.  When it came to the Presidency, Obama and those in the DNC were more concerned about keeping the party in power and paying back political dues rather than what is good for the nation.  They were insiders who would not acknowledge that despite all the rhetoric and fine words imprinted in various national documents and monuments, America has remained an oligarchy of the rich and powerful few, throwing but relatively much smaller crumbs at the masses and hoodwinking them into believing that they had a democracy of equality and fraternity.  There was much “anchoring” of the minds in pre-conceived and convenient beliefs refusing to accept that the nation is changing and less willing to be hoodwinked. 

It is a compelling theory that Obama cut a deal long ago to include Hillary in his cabinet and to work for her election in 2016 to prevent the distraction of a Clinton campaign in 2012 and to ensure his own second term, and deliver he had to in 2016.  While his role in marginalizing Bernie Sanders was open and obvious and should be judged unpardonable for Obama, the former social activist, we will have to wait to really assess whether Biden withdrew due to his personal grief or saw that he had no support of Obama and couldn’t therefore win.  In fact, we may never find out.  We will also have to wait and see how much money (and from where and from whom) the Obamas make in the coming years to really judge if they are any different from the Clintons when it comes to money and greed, and if the deal makings involved more than active support in the campaign.  Already a lucrative McGraw-Hill book contract is in the offing despite the conflict of interest engendered in Standard and Poors  (along with some of the really bad apples of Wall Street) getting only a small pat on the wrist for its role in disrupting the US economy.  Don't be surprised if there are high paying speeches too lecturing to those let off easily.  [So, those of you wanting to create an Obama dynasty through Michelle, hold on!]

The voters on the Democratic side overwhelmingly trivialized the election.  The focus was not on the major challenges of climate change and an ascending China and others threatening the world and the real economic issues of the ordinary American, but more driven by issues of gender and an unfounded fear that America is not ready for a liberal who had the true  audacity of hope to call himself a socialist.  They succumbed to the successful brainwashing over decades by the rich capitalist and could not see that change that comes from above can be peaceful and orderly, but that the one coming from disgruntled masses can become chaotic and even dangerous.

Amidst this backdrop, it is not a surprise that Trump, despite being vilified in the wildest terms such as ‘wretched, ignorant, dangerous part-time clown, and full-time sociopath’  (by Michael Moore) could get elected as an ‘outsider’ based on a platform fanning much bigotry and xenophobia reminiscent of Nazism.  While his campaign debased the process enormously by the sludge smeared on all opponents and institutions and women in general, it also focused on trivia, and mutual accusations and drama instead of substantive dialogue on important issues. There is little doubt that his Presidency will set the clock back in the progress made by America and the world in many areas: race relations, international cooperation, world peace, stemming climate change and global warming, etc.  America certainly finds itself in the position of the macho man who has cut his nose just to spite his face.  The only remaining silver lining is the strong likelihood that this may mostly be a one term Presidency whose powers to do harm may be curbed somewhat by an interim Congressional election.  But with Trump, not even the Gods can predict anything, and two years are enough to do very much harm.

As noted by Noam Chomsky in his interview with Truthout (http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/38360-trump-in-the-white-house-an-interview-with-noam-chomsky) , what is endangered now is not just the USA but the entire world and humanity.  The failure to alter climate change and its disastrous consequences, pushing the country to the verge of civil unrest to levels unknown, and goading the world towards more wars can quite well be the signature effects of the colossal mistake called the 2016 Elections in America.

The political class needs to understand that voter loyalties are fickle, and that the true sustenance of power lies in really taking care of all the people, and national security lies in political stability and mutual respect within and without.  Secondly, there is a need to focus on issues and solutions (as opposed to the current focus on personalities and parties).  The elite has no choice but to meet the major needs and demands of the downtrodden many, but it must do it without perpetuating an inefficient economy marked by entitlement.  The  economic pie has to be made bigger and, even more importantly, shared equitably.  Resources must be unleashed towards productive economic growth instead of being idled as corrupt, unaccounted loots, or  frittered away in fighting endless wars of attrition. 

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Postscript: A silver lining has been that the Obamas still remain untarnished by any post-WH scandal. But, America is in much worse shape with 170K dead due mainly to the stupid obstinacy of one man.  And, at this time, we are becoming the laughing stock of the world.  Having complained about elections elsewhere many times and claiming to be the right ones to oversee them, we now appear incapable of running one of our own in a credible manner.  The real question today is whether November 2020 will de ja vu, or a new beginning?  Be that as it may, achieving true democracy as envisaged in its ideal form is no less difficult than achieving Socialism, and the price tag for trying to hoodwink is indeed high.  We humans are still an evolving species with perfection still a distant ideal.

V. Ramaswami is the author of the recent book, "Innovation by India for India, the Need and the Challenge."