{"id":22906,"date":"2012-11-08T14:40:28","date_gmt":"2012-11-08T14:40:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=22906"},"modified":"2012-11-09T11:25:13","modified_gmt":"2012-11-09T11:25:13","slug":"a-change-in-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2012\/11\/a-change-in-washington\/","title":{"rendered":"A Change in Washington?"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Washington, DC on Election Night<\/em><\/p>\n

OK, one of them won even if the real winners as usual were the non-voters, for whatever reason; men more than women.\u00a0 About 2315 Obama passed the magic 50 percent mark, not of popular votes but of electoral colleges, with 302-206, well above 270; it turned into a landslide. Net result:\u00a0 status quo, no change.<\/p>\n

The media did their best to make the presidential election look important, being the pinnacle, the altar on which democracy is built.\u00a0 Some democracy.\u00a0 Bad enough with a Supreme Court washing the process in six billion dollars as one more freedom of expression like talking words; any kind of words, libelous, often neither true nor relevant.\u00a0 Stupid TV spots.\u00a0 But many issues were somehow articulated, there were real disagreements, there was some kind of rhetorical left-right.<\/p>\n

However, the real problem lies somewhere else, not in what was said but in what was not said.\u00a0 The list is long.\u00a0 Washington Post<\/em> on election day (Manuel Roig-Fanza): “A tough day for causes without a candidate”.\u00a0 The article mentions climate change, gun control, immigration as issues not picked up either by the party conventions or in the debates.\u00a0 But there are many more issues; and they are among the most pressing problems confronting the country.<\/p>\n

Two major lobbies advocating use of force were left untouched; the National Rifle Associatio-NRA, for violence in the USA, and the American-Israeli Political Action Committee-AIPAC, for violence abroad.\u00a0 They both exercise power through their impact on the media, denying critical politicians access to political power, thereby removing obstacles to violence.\u00a0 Press campaigns and gerrymandering (as in the case of Dennis J. Kucinich) reduce fatally the political spectrum in Congress and elsewhere.\u00a0 Both candidates knew that to take on these two would be as suicidal for themselves as the lobbies are inside the country, through massive murders at home and anti-Muslim wars abroad.<\/p>\n

Foreign policy regarding economic relations with China was actually twisted in the debates, trying to sound tough.\u00a0 The fact of the matter is that the majority in the US cannot live without affordable Chinese goods with adequate quality\/price ratios.\u00a0 Unless–a big unless–the USA restructures its economy from below, with cooperatives and self-employment, activating the countryside and the local communities with numerous small enterprises focused on basic needs, food above all, housing and clothing, health and education; direct from producers to consumers.\u00a0 Almost no country in the world has a population so creative and cooperative; but the blossoming Occupy Movement has so far limited itself to occupation and critique, not to constructive discourse and action.<\/p>\n

They left untouched the basic change happening in the world: the US grip on the elites of other countries is loosening in Latin America and even in Africa following the Arab awakening.\u00a0 Instead, they recite the mantras “the world\u2019s largest economy” (EU, not only the euro zone, is larger, and China will overtake the US soon) and \u201cthe strongest military power in the world” (losing Vietnam-Afghanistan-Pakistan-Iraq-Yemen-Somalia-Sudan is a strange concept of “strongest”).\u00a0 Truth might have liberated the USA rather than catching up in disagreeable, repressive ways.<\/p>\n

Climate change: The USA is dragging their feet, delaying action everywhere in international fora.\u00a0 Not the candidates but Nature, in the shape of Sandy, talked; a brutal reminder of climate reality, another one taking shape.\u00a0 How much of it is man-made is uncertain; but the change is certain enough.\u00a0 And the self-proclaimed world leader country does not lead.<\/p>\n

Then, incredible: the issues of 16 percent of the population being in misery and hunger whereas the 1 percent lives in opulence and feeding on speculation were drowned in glib talk about the “middle class”.\u00a0 Yes, they are large; but stagnant.\u00a0 And far from representing 100 percent of the population.<\/p>\n

Neither candidate had answers, possibly agreeing to be silent.\u00a0 The USA needs desperately more parties that are less afraid of truths. They will not win anyhow but are indispensable for democratic transparency and open dialogue.<\/p>\n

Does the election make a difference?\u00a0 What newness will the second Obama term bring?\u00a0 Obama said in his victory speech that he will focus on the deficit, the taxation system, and immigration.\u00a0 None of the above.\u00a0 In foreign policy Romney, like Bush, might have been more reckless, accelerating the fall of the empire.\u00a0 But Obama, like Clinton, is better informed, more sophisticated, holding up the fall a little longer.\u00a0 And democrats are more inclined to do what Israel wants; Christian Zionists, who wish to accelerate the return of the Messiah, playing a role.<\/p>\n

Obamacare will continue whatever its worth, given the rise in costs for any medical care–possibly because \u201cthe state will pay”.<\/p>\n

On January 1, 2013 the budget deficit reduction will strike, according to a Congressional consensus, with major “austerity” for those who can least afford it but touching the military very gently.\u00a0 Misery will accelerate as will too the military deployments and wars the Obama way, drones and SEALs, extrajudicial executions–Obama repeatedly boasted killing Osama (with no evidence that he masterminded 9\/11).\u00a0 Imagine a Politburo committee in China studying portfolios, briefs and photos to decide whom to kill abroad for anti-Chinese activity and\/or threat to China’s security.\u00a0 Or China\u2019s arming Cuba and Haiti to the teeth at the same time that a Chinese fleet cruises the Caribbean, being those countries as close to the US as Taiwan is to China. Too asymmetric to stand.<\/p>\n

But Obama will play “I am above the parties, uniting the country”. In his first term he was leaning over to the Republicans, backwards, and was badly punished in mid-term elections; this time, that makes Romney a de facto co-president.\u00a0 The Dodd-Frank finance economy reforms will be very bland as Wall Street will by and large continue their credit swaps and other lethal games.\u00a0 The rich may be taxed but may find further loopholes, including settling abroad.\u00a0 Much like the French super-rich in London?<\/p>\n

Is the US democracy a two-party system becoming a one-party state? If so, other countries beware!\u00a0 Do not imitate.\u00a0 Democracy is more than just elections.\u00a0 It is also transparency and dialogue.\u00a0 For real change.<\/p>\n

______________________<\/p>\n

\u00a0Johan Galtung, a professor of peace studies, dr hc mult, is rector of the TRANSCEND Peace University-TPU<\/a>. He is author of over 150 books on peace and related issues, including \u2018<\/em>50 Years-100 Peace and Conflict Perspectives,\u2019 published by the TRANSCEND University Press-TUP<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Editorials and articles originated on TMS may be freely reprinted, disseminated, translated and used as background material, provided an acknowledgment and link to the source, TRANSCEND Media Service-TMS, is included. Thank you.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Is the US democracy a two-party system becoming a one-party state? If so, other countries beware! Do not imitate. Democracy is more than just elections. It is also transparency and dialogue. For real change.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-editorial"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22906\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}