USA: A GREAT NATION ON ROAD TO DECLINE – THIRD RATE POLITICIANS AND ASCENDANCY OF MEDIOCRITY PRIMARY CAUSES (PART-II)

Mediocrity in general amongst America’s two main parities – Democrats and Republicans – is also turning out to be a major undoing of the stature United States had. The Republicans want to wrest the White House in 2016 and the Senate in Nov 2014. There are number of Republicans who can be seen in the news jostling for prominence and, therefore, trying to be front runners for 2016 elections.

However, two types of Republicans seem to be trying to court their mass base:

-      One by trying to be ultra-conservative (the ‘tea party’ brand)

-      Others just by way of opposing Democrats – the level of vehemence in their opposition differentiating one from the other (within this bunch)

If one looks at the prominent Republicans and their public pronouncements, sadly, one does not find anyone who is really outstanding. On foreign policy, they are being presented on a platter host of issues to criticize Obama, but no one seems to be coming out on those issues in real statesmanlike manner. Most of them do not seem to have thought through the lines of action they are proposing – their strategies, lines of action sound so over-simplified, brash, jingoistic, gung-ho type.

On domestic topics, again, the public stand of these Republican politicians seem amateurish, some of them even childish, and, in general, lacking deep thought and depth. The pronouncements are just anti of anything Obama is trying to do, for example, on the immigration reform (and dealing with the illegal immigrant children issue/crisis).

To be honest, Obama has created such situations at the moment that if there was any one top class Republican politician at the present time, that person would very likely hit the ball out of the political park, could become a towering figure under whose leadership the Republicans could hand the Democrats a decisive defeat in 2014 congressional elections and set the scene for a repeat performance in 2016.

Sadly for the US, all this is due to debilitating mediocrity in the top political layer that is currently seen to people at large.

Over to the Democrats’, the situation is no better. Hillary Clinton is approaching the 2016 presidential bid very cautiously. She has the advantage of advice and guidance of a very wily political figure, namely, her husband, Bill. Hillary is maintaining a carefully calibrated distance from the 2014 congressional elections – only her husband is pitching in 2014 campaign, wherever he thinks expedient.

Other than Hillary, the rest of the Democrats’ field is also full of mediocre political practitioners – same old names, nothing noteworthy or outstanding about them.

With so much mediocrity pervading American politics, it is not surprising that the leadership, the dynamism, the vision, the statesmanship – the necessary ingredients for a nation’s all round development – are all missing and United States is finding itself floundering miserably on various fronts. Others are exploiting it – whether it is Putin in Ukraine, or, the radical Islamic insurgents in Middle East, or, the Chinese in the South China Sea, or, the illegals surging to enter US and so on. 

The industrial base also does not seem fired up. The corporates seem concentrating far more on how to avoid taxation. The technological edge that US at one time possessed so uniquely is all but gone – there does not seem any burning desire within the spectrum of industrial polity to come up with cutting edge discoveries. If at all there is anything discernible, it is all in the notional world of software related products, services.

If today, UK appears to be taking lead on ISIS (though Cameron’s timing is suspiciously close to Scotland’s independence referendum), Germany is taking the lead in arming the Kurds in Iraq, the Canadians are willing to provide troops for a stronger NATO deterrent force, it is all because there is vacuum at the international stage caused by apoplectic dithering on the part of the United States – and the genesis of all of this is mediocrity (and incompetence).

On the domestic front, the virtual paralysis at the Capitol Hill, the canine-like fighting between the two parties on almost all issues and inability to come to consensus is costing US directly and indirectly both. These continual recriminations can be said to be a major reason for creation/prevalence of an atmosphere which is not at all conducive for harmony, hope, optimism, development and prosperity.

It is sad to see that a super-power which could bring about higher levels of prosperity, strength, technological and military superiority domestically and at the same time ‘lead’ the world toward a safer and better place to be in, is potentially slipping in to a vortex of decline – sadly, due to overwhelming mediocrity pervading amongst the current political practitioners straddling the political scene of the United States.

"TEAM OF RIVALS' MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST RECIPE FOR OBAMA

It is interesting to read that people are finding similarities in names of rumoured appointees to President-elect Obama's cabinet and what former President Abraham Lincoln did during his cabinet formation process. Induction of some of Lincoln's rivals in his team has been called "team of rivals".

In Obama's case his Democrat race rival Hillary Clinton's name is doing rounds for Secretary of State's position. In fact, Mr. Obama has already chosen one of his rivals - Democrat nomination race rival Joe Biden - as his running mate.

It seems Mr. Obama derives lots of inspiration from former President Abraham Lincoln and it is possible that he may be thinking seriously about co-opting some of his 'rivals' in his cabinet or for some important position in his administration.

However, one hopes that the similarities between Mr. Obama and Mr. Lincoln would end at team formation level only.

What I am alluding to is that Dei Gratia there would be no similarity between the two with regard to end of their political careers. Media reports indicate that a certain section of American society is not able to reconcile to Obama's victory for American presidency.

Let me illustrate this point. MSNBC ran a report on Nov 15 titled "Obama election spurs race threats, crimes - From California to Maine, 'hundreds' of incidents reveal racism in America". Two sections of the report particularly caused some unease and concern. One stated - "One (incident) was in Snellville, Ga., where Denene Millner said a boy on the school bus told her 9-year-old daughter the day after the election: "I hope Obama gets assassinated."

The other stated - "Potok (Mark Potok, director of the Intelligence Project at the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate crimes), who is white, said he believes there is "a large subset of white people in this country who feel that they are losing everything they know, that the country their forefathers built has somehow been stolen from them."

One hopes that Mr. Obama will be provided impregnable protection by the concerned security agencies and he will be able to usher in the 'change' that he wants to bring in the country.

Back to his "team of rivals". Mrs. Clinton for Secy of State is in my opinion not a good strategy for simply the following reasons: Did Senator Clinton really do something notable in foreign policy matters? What is her claim to fame in terms of diplomatic achievement, and what did she do in her career, including when she was First Lady, to justify that she has some special acumen for full-time diplomatic assignment?

Media reports say that John Kerry of Massachusetts and Republican Chuck Hagel of Nebraska, also are thought to be under consideration for Secy of State position. John Kerry?!! Does he have the necessary rapier-like sharpness and the grasp to justify even shortlisting? In 2008 he appears too dull and out of depth to merit any consideration.

Of all the names, Bill Richardson seems to be the best candidate of them all. He has undertaken 'real' diplomatic assignments; he has good grasp of energy issues too. He seems to be slightly less sharper though than he used to be 8 years ago.

I wonder, is there no one else in whole of US who could be talent scouted for this position, say, someone like Condi Rice? If the eventual appointee has to be from someone who endorsed and/or campaigned for Obama, in that case Richardson seems to be the best bet.

If at all, Mrs. Clinton could be assigned to overhaul the health care system because the campaign rhetoric of both Clinton and Obama on health care issues were almost same. For this assignment any baggage of Bill Clinton will most likely not be an impediment for Hillary - neither during the cabinet nomination process, nor during discharge of her job. To be honest, Bill can be a real nuisance. He is too shrewd to be corralled.

Let us hope Obama's well wishers and able advisers will guide him to zero in on most appropriate choices to fill his cabinet positions. As well, President-elect Obama and his family will be suitably protected from all potential dangers and hazards. The world is waiting with bated breath for Mr. Obama to step in to White House and help usher in changes the world desperately needs.