Ryan Hadeed
As the sole superpower, the United States of America dominates the international stage. With a military that is second to none and an economy to match, hard and soft power are often projected for the purpose of furthering its own interests. The world therefore pays close attention to its internal political wranglings, for whichever direction “Uncle Sam” turns, the line tends to form behind him.
Being an election year, the month of February marks the start of the “primaries,” the first leg in the race to the White House. Candidates will be hard at work in the battleground states as they continue the fight to secure their party’s nomination. For Republicans especially, it’s a coveted opportunity to reclaim the presidency after eight years of having a Democrat in the Oval Office.
But in touting a return to conservative values, they have agitated deep partisan sentiments, revealing that some Americans no longer see their country as the “land of the free and the home of the brave.”
Having just suffered a severe bout of election fever, we know all too well what our northerly neighbour is experiencing. The exercise of the democratic process, while healthy, can also bring out the worst in all of us. It creates a climate in which fear can override reason, and if left unchecked may even turn into hate. Even now, almost six months after the results of the September polls, tensions are still evident on online message threads as Trinbagonians debate national issues.
Then again we’ve come to expect and even accept such things; this is T&T after all, a place where politics is intrinsically tied to ethnicity. And whether we want to admit it or not, this divisiveness will only continue to hinder our progress, because whatever goals we aspire to, we can’t expect to get there if we are “together separately.”
When it comes to election practices, the example set by the US is surely one to be emulated by the developing world. The procedure runs like clockwork: votes are cast on the “first Tuesday after the first Monday in November,” and inauguration day is the following January 20. Then its four years of “business as usual” before the routine repeats itself.
Already its citizens have begun to align themselves into their opposing political camps. And though things can get heated as the stumping wears on, they could usually be counted on to put aside those differences once it’s over. What’s troubling this time around is the apparent emergence of a sizable segment of the population that is embracing an ultra-conservative ideology, one that could even be described as radical.
For the outsider paying attention to the spectacle, it would be wrong to assume that these are simply the voices of the under-educated class, the iconic “red necks” who live in the Bible-belt and drive around in pick-up trucks.
In actuality they are average Americans who are not happy with the direction “their” country is heading, resulting in the opinion that their social and religious traditions are being threatened. And having a black man with a “Muslim-sounding” name residing in the White House only proves to them that the changing demographics, from a predominantly-white Christian nation to a more diverse one, will eventually make them a minority.
These are the irrational fears that the Republican populist candidates are capitalising on, telling the people what’s to blame and who’s responsible for their troubles. And the tragedy here is that they are being taken seriously.
Governments will change, so real progress will only be made when ordinary citizens work together. The truth is that politicians want to win elections, so they’ll say whatever it takes to get our votes, even if it means turning us against one another. Any mistrust and animosity that is harboured during that period should be abandoned the moment the ballot is cast.
This is important with respect to the US because the world can ill afford its foreign policy to reflect the current feeling of xenophobia. But for us, it’s high time to move past our domestic pettiness because when we remain the “land of the biased and the home of the stupid” we’re only hurting ourselves.
