That US Presidential Sweepstakes

Not unsurprisingly, the US is held up as a model for democracy and democratic practices here in Guyana. As the first colony in the Western Hemisphere to break free from the shackles of colonialism to chart a course for the improvement of the lives of its own citizens, she leads where we have to follow, in so many ways. The US focus on political democracy had been trenchantly criticised during the last century for its supposed neglect of economic democracy, but the alternatives offered by the critics have not fared too well and have largely been abandoned.

Recently, the undoubted economic gains have been exposed as so concentrated in the hands of a few as to make Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette look like radical egalitarians. By 2011, one per cent of Americans possessed 40 per cent of their nation’s wealth and were accruing 95 per cent of the income stream since 2009. Interestingly, the latter development came after the economic collapse of 2008   under Barack Obama, a President, who was widely expected to initiate and implement policies friendlier to the poor.

These developments have precipitated questions about the US political order which permitted such deep levels of inequality, which go against the grain of everything the US republic was supposed to represent. President Obama, admitting that as an individual, there is only so much even the President can accomplish, raised questions as to whether there might need to be more far-reaching change of the political system. This possibility was brought out very starkly in the positions of several contenders for the presidential candidacy of both the Democratic and Republican parties.

These two major American parties have distinguished themselves generally with the Democrats being to the “left” of the Republicans around a central core of issues that gave a wide consensus to American politics up to now. For instance, according to Wiki, “The contemporary centre-left usually defines itself as promoting government regulation of business, commerce and industry; protection of fundamental rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of religion; and government intervention on behalf of racial, ethnic, and sexual minorities and the working class.” These would usually be positions of persons identifying with the Democratic Party. The Republicans would generally be “contemporary centre-right… promoting deregulation of banking, commerce, and industry.” In other words, more “pro-business”.

Against the background of increasing economic and social inequality which led to pressures from both the upper and lower strata, one candidate from the Democratic Party, Bernie Sanders has staked out a position even further left than his major rival Hillary Clinton, who is more in the traditional Democratic mainstream. Defining himself as “socialist”, Sanders radically suggests he is even left of the “left wing” elements in the Democratic Party, who would have a broad commitment to egalitarianism and the ordinary workers. This is a rather anomalous position in American politics and most pundits initially dismissed his chances of success against Hillary Clinton.

Over in the Republican Party, non-politician billionaire real estate mogul Donald Trump seized its conservative right wing agenda, including support of the status quo in the economic system and “family values”. But he tapped into conservative fears by making populist appeals against immigrants in general and Muslims in particular. Trump represents the concerns expressed by philosophers and political theorists against democracy as a mechanism to choose governments: using demagoguery rather than reason to polarise the society and raise fears so as to capture votes.

In the first caucuses of Iowa – where only the parties’ hard core participate – Bernie Sanders came out in a virtual dead heat with Hillary Clinton. His expected win in the upcoming New Hampshire primary – where regular Democratic members vote – should give him the momentum to give the Democratic establishment a shakeup.

Donald Trump lost to a more mainstream Republican Ted Cruz in Iowa by four points, so he is still in the race. Whatever are the eventual outcomes of the selection process, US politics has changed.