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Domestic Intervention

15/10/2013

3 Comments

 

Power, Politics and the Presidency

As we stand amazed, bemused and befuddled at the latest Washington soft shoe shuffle that is being danced to the tune of the debt ceiling what becomes increasingly apparent is the inability of the federal government to run a washing machine let alone the most 'powerful' nation-state in the World.  Who or what is to blame if anyone, if any one thing for this latest farrago ? What does it tell us about the contemporary condition of this pre-eminent nation-state ?  What does it tell us about the power of the presidency?

Primarily, this political impasse has little to do with money but everything to do with power, recognition and identity. The Republicans are, seemingly, holding the nation to ransom over the implementation of Obamacare by stopping the government from borrowing more money - they have already managed to halt further government spending. However, these radical conservatives(the Tea Party) who are at the heart of this latest dispute are playing for high stakes, they are in essence fighting for the survival of their understanding of what the US stands for and what to be an American actual means. Paradoxically, they trying to keep hold of a vision of the US that has already passed by if it ever existed in the first place; a United States that practised as well as preached a sense of freedom and justice that promoted and protected the assumed benefits and 'natural rights' of Anglo Saxon superiority. This sense of racist elitism that continues to be smuggled via a narrative of traditional values, histories and declared destinies is a ideological distortion of a contemporary society that continues to draw its imagination, innovation and reinvigoration from immigration.

The gradual growth of Hispanic and Asian influences in American society is undoubtedly altering, adjusting and reconfiguring the United States as this ability for the nation to reinvent itself has always been one of their real sources of power. So, if these so called traditionalists really want 'their nation-state' to remain pre-eminent -a community that continues to offer fresh and just ideals - they should embrace this latest series of societal developments and stop trying to relive a history of their na that only survives in the minds of insulationists and bigots.                      

KK
3 Comments
Galine
16/10/2013 07:27:24 pm

According to the New York Times, the Republicans backed down. It doesn't mean they agree, but I hope it means that they put the well-being of their country before "winning" their fight. The contradiction of the Republican view; on one hand-believing that America is the innovative, leading worldpower-, and on the other hand-afraid of change, holding on to outdated social laws, still strikes me. It seems like they are the only ones who fail to see their own contradiction. Mr. McConnell, a Republican, said "the deal is far less than many of us hoped for, quite frankly, but it’s far better than what some had sought.” “Now it’s time for Republicans to unite behind other crucial goals,” he added.
However I was happy to hear that the shutdown had ended, the Republicans will focus on other problems and hold on to their beliefs. But step by step, they might change.

Reply
Valérie
19/10/2013 05:12:26 am

First of all, I think the last governmental debacle has clearly demonstrated the fragility of the two-party system in the United States. Second of all, I find it very frustrating to see to what extent the Republicans (and in particular the Tea Party) are opposed to change, especially in a situation were change is fundamental to the development of the nation. In 2008, Obama campaigned on the theme of ‘Change we can believe in’, which included a drastic change as for health care. Yet even though the majority of the American population backed Obama (and his political positions), a minority of opponents still tries to undermine the program. In this case, I believe, the Republican or Tea Party has no right to subvert the will of the people. The white Anglo-Saxon elite has to understand and more importantly accept the cultural diversity that makes up the United States. To me, it is striking that they do not seem to realize that the impoverishment of the lower classes in the end will also prove to be detrimental for the nation as a whole.

Reply
V
19/10/2013 05:14:04 am

*detrimental to the nation as a whole.

Reply



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    Dr J Ken Kennard Professor of Politics and History - Master Program in American Studies - Universiteit Gent

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