Author’s Note: This article shall seek to analyse the division between Republicans and Democrats in the US government vis-a-vis the evolution of political dysfunction in the US Congress in addition to examining the truth behind suggestions that America is “entering an age of political paralysis”.
Obama and the Great Political Divide: The American political experiment and experience always had and continues to have novelties. The first and most consistent, its actions and its laws have been unprecedented. Take for example the Monroe doctrine in the 19th century, or Woodrow Wilson’s peace plans (which although succeeded internationally, failed domestically), or the massive embargoes enacted by the Kennedy administration, or the impeachment of Richard Nixon, or the implementation of Reaganomics, or the unprecedented wars initiated and fought by George W. Bush’s administration. In retrospect, the impact of Presidential actions in each of the above cases are less conclusive than were initially believed at the time of implementation.
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Nevertheless, Barack Obama’s two-term presidency has witnessed levels of political polarization unseen since the Great Depression in the late 1920’s. In fact, political polarization before the Great Depression was in my opinion, exacerbated and perhaps caused by the massive wealth gap, where a small minority of people were benefiting excessively and unfairly by President Hoover’s economic policies. The wealth gap at the brink of 2007’s Great Recession was nearing that of the Great Depression – and over President Obama’s tenure, it has only grown. These economic pitfalls are today reaching unprecedented heights, with the top 0.1% of the American populous holding almost the same amount of wealth as the bottom 90%. Inequality, in fact, is rising despite massive economic reforms enacted in order to regulate big banks (like the Dodd-Frank Act and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau), or the increase in the minimum wage, or the improvement in environmental protection laws, or the creation of the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), or the recent action on immigration reform.
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Part of the problem is that the economic reforms that have taken place have been watered down, unlike the New Deal, which had sweeping reforms (like the creation of Social Security) that went unopposed by Republicans, given the immense Democratic majority in the executive and legislative branches of the Senate. Obama’s policies in recent times to rectify the economy have been forced towards compromise owing to the overbearing influence of social media that can over a few hours swing the populous against the President and televised political advertisements that exaggerate the loopholes aided by the overtly racist responses to Obama’s approach to Presidency. Notwithstanding technological and political advancements, the existence of Citizens United, which opened the door to near-unlimited political financing by corporations and people, has prevented politics from becoming cleaner and more equitable. Thus, those with more money can make more contributions to political campaigns, and can exercise greater sway over Congressmen and Senators.
The problem then, is neither Obama nor his policies. Rather, the US populace have their voices stifled by the louder voices and demands of richer people and corporations – the very people getting richer at the expense of people earning minimum wage, or struggling to afford education or healthcare. Academia too, has posited that a strong correlation exists between political polarization and income inequality.
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Since the Great Depression, economic equality rose, stagnated, and then fell – but never to the levels seen today. The presence of extreme ideologies like the Tea Party or the growth of the Birther Movement or the fact that policies made in Congress are a product of compromise and politics, akin to sausage making, are far from a viable solution. With the growth of economic inequality and the presence of overflowing amounts of money in American politics, accountability of elected officials to the American public falls dangerously low. Obama himself therefore, cannot take unilateral action to fix a systemic problem. The solution is a combination of citizens who must become more politically active and speak out against Citizens United, Congressmen whose values are being compromised, and stand in solidarity with Obama against money in politics.
Obama cannot neither reduce political polarization himself nor single handedly overturn the increasing reach of Citizens United. Growing frustration with the Congress has forced him to take more executive actions, thus furthering the political divide. Given the lack of education and awareness about money in politics, and the fact that government officials have their own money-based agenda, it is ultimately going to be the actions of a few, alongside the private, pro-bono education of the many whose voices have been suppressed, that the impact of money in politics will be mitigated. And so we must stand, become more informed, and exercise our freedom of speech.
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