Just as Kellogg's, Fairy Liquid and Mars Bar projected on our small screens with annoying jingles in the background, we see the United States' would-be President commodified and objectified, wrapped in colourful paper or tinned up even, and branded to the general public. The US presidential race has become like vying for a product, where policies and objectives are pushed into the shadows, taking Capitalism to the next level. They don't need policies or direction; as long as they are carefully angled, propped up, glossed over, and they come across well, that's what matters most. And as long as they can read what garbage is written for them on the teleprompter and hum their one-liners 'bring it on', they can face their flock. One-line slogans will do instead of manifestos; "Lock her up" became part of the election lexicon not long ago and achieved a great following.
Raising donations is like budgeting for advertising and projecting an appearance. In the morning, afternoon, and evening, America's PR machine has a module for each session that suits the day's audience. Mud-slinging and Racist slurs are Republican infantry weapons, their firepower easily strafing their opponents as one does in happy-gun-carrying America.
Talking about the American take on Republicanism brings me to the party's politically and economically divisive ideas, which find legitimacy mainly in its ideology of laissez-faire economics. State welfare is taboo; a helping hand or creating a safety net for the disadvantaged is a misnomer. Instead, they look at military spending as a means of waging war worldwide while keeping a Capitalist ideology, lacking a human face, at a high point.
Military engagement is never far from its ideology. Dehumanising the foreign is a Republican attribute not unlike the proxy war engaging Israel against the civilian population of Gaza, actions mostly borne out of nationalist tendencies. Republican interventionist policies are often taken against the weak, and the proliferation of sanctions is attempted against the stronger.
The Republican slogan adapted from the Trump campaign, 'Make America White Again', is another take on MAGA (make America Great Again), is no more than identity politics, implying American identity based on white blood. To a large degree, this has come to identify the divergent views that create tensions and even segregation within American society. Polarised ideas are encouraged top-down, cascading from the Supreme Court's partisan directives emanating from Republican-voting US justices who sit on the Supreme Court, implicitly lending a hand to such divisions in society. The present status quo is arguably a creation of the Republican Party under ex-president Trump, which the party have come to accept and enjoy.
The Supreme Court, identified by its Republican majority on the bench, has since gone further in rulings recently to cloak the President of the United States with infallibility. Under this circumstance, an almost certain return of Trump again as President, we could see the abuse of Democracy, turning Congress and the idea of a Bicameral legislature on its head. An authoritarian one-person rule in America, where its President is King and can do no wrong, is on the horizon. Indeed, Trump has become synonymous with Authoritarianism. The forefathers of American Democracy must be spinning in their graves- in unison.
But let's see what values their idol holds, what some people say about the man's values and, by association, the Republican Party's edifices:
He is a 'moral disaster ', 'America's Hitler '. He is a 'total fraud '. He is a 'cynical asshole' - JD Vance, Trump's running mate.
As I write this post, Trump is said to have lacked good judgment in choosing Vance and is about to drop him in favour of Nikki Haley. Yes, from bad to worse.
On his moral standing:
Since the 1970s, at least 26 women have publicly accused Trump of rape, kissing, and groping without consent; looking under women's skirts; and walking in on naked teenage pageant contestants. Of course, he issued denials on all charges, calling his accusers liars.
"And when you're a star, they let you do it. You can do anything." "Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything."That was in a BBC-published video.
The Pope, he said, was 'a pawn of Mexico'.
"A con man," said. Sen. Marco Rubio. "Utterly amoral," said Sen. Ted Cruz.
Trump is indifferent to conventional notions of morality and is surprised by people motivated by them. Therefore, by definition, those aligned with Trump must hold similar values.
Republicans claim to be keepers of the Truth, which is an identity trap and is no more than identity politics based on historical legacy. The conservative campaign is built around opposition to immigration, especially from Mexico and the Muslim world. Preaching diversity of thought and action as foreign, even anti-American, where DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) is given a racist slant. Their narrow definition of American identity is based on shared religion (Protestantism), ethnicity (descent from the English), common language (English), and belief in the same republican principles of government. The anti-immigrant demons that have been summoned are often deeply illiberal and could undermine the open political order on which America's prosperity has been based, rather than take steps to shape national identities in ways that promote a sense of democratic and open community.
They claim exclusive rights to justice with no effort towards a compromise to at least avoid a sectarian and divided society. Imposing their terms in setting out political arrangements to gain a social and territorial advantage in a non-aligned state of affairs seems to increase the division between social and political nationalism and social and political pluralism.
A conservative worldview that scaffolds society on its own nuts and bolts is a camouflage for state control, which includes:
- Caging drug addicts.
- Massive military spending
- They are happy to incarcerate drug addicts instead of opening up state-sponsored institutions to treat the symptoms.
- Interference in family planning.
- Saying no to immigrants, no to Muslims.
- Muzzling free speech and identifying liberalism with leftist radical organisations, classifying liberal ideology of freedom as coming from a bunch of lunatics.
In a world of extreme diversity, we can no longer impose a particular conception of how we should all live and which goals we should all pursue without trampling others' legitimate liberty.
Reciprocal terms of cooperation should be the imperative, refraining from using political power to favour their worldview or repress the views of other reasonable people. They seem oblivious to a changed world in which a pluralist society needs diverse opinions acceptable to the majority. By definition, this is what democracy stands on. And whereas Democrats have not claimed to be gatekeepers of this ideology, they try to be reasonable in achieving a stage of overlapping consensus based on reasonableness.
These days, we all claim to hold Truth, and as individuals with a multitude of diverse views and ideas, we tend to tear away the fabric of Democracy in arriving at our definition of truth. The irony is that the Democrats try to avoid these dichotomies and prevent Democratic ideology from cannibalising itself but allow room for fairness to prevail to arrive at a liberal institutional framework.
In this era of increasing diversity, imposing a singular worldview undermines others' fundamental liberty. Embracing pluralism and embracing diverse viewpoints is the path to building a truly inclusive and cohesive society. The Republican Party must recognise the need for dialogue and cooperation and adapt to a changing world that values and respects diverse opinions.
By contrast, especially under a forthcoming authoritarianism, the Republicans monopolise religious as well as moral pseudo-ideas of Truth while embedding their own principles to that end. Such polarisation needs tempering; we need to be respectful and inclusive of all, rather than seeking to dominate and suppress alternative perspectives. Encouraging dialogue and understanding, and emphasising the value of different viewpoints, would help foster a cohesive society.
Additionally, acknowledging the need to adapt to social and cultural changes over time is crucial for progress and harmony within a diverse community. Unfortunately, I see contrasting views going into the future; as long as Trump is in the White House, I cannot see any such fusion within a polarised American society, but rather a highly volatile, unstable, and increasingly divided American nation.
1 comment:
A lot of waffle. Which politician proved to be a saint!
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