Grand Old Contradictions: Obama and the GOP
by Dalitso Njolinjo
I have always been fascinated with American popular culture from an early age. The mythical promise of the American dream found me at an early age, while I still roamed my birth place of Blantyre, Malawi. Whether it was the dream of drinking an ice cold bottle of Coca Cola while watching Jordon fly to dunk a basket, or the thought of replacing my African reality in place of the white picket fence seen on numerous American picture books, I admired the endless stream of optimism and opportunity.
It wasn’t until much later on in life, swapping my dream of America for the realities of British life where I discovered politics and came to the conclusion that I was not fascinated with the allure of the attainment of the American dream, but the unavailability of it. They say the dream is possible if you work hard enough, that all men are created equal, well that was before I ever watched or read Roots, studied the Civil Rights movement and more recently, witnessed the passage of Prop 8. But the romance and the innocent idea that America is ever changing still appeals to me till this very day.
This appetite for contradictory ideas maybe explains my fascination of the Grand Old Party, even though my politics align with the Democrats (you know, being a European Socialist and all that).
While I have admired leaders such as Lincoln and Reagan, I have always been fascinated with ‘fringes’ of the GOP such as Pat Buchannan, Lee Atwater, Rush Limbaugh and most recently George Bush. I admired these men and others like them for three main reasons; their unshakable political (religious and social) convictions, their media/ communicative savvy and their utter awareness and acknowledged disregard for their own contradictions.
They all believe(d) in freedom; smaller government, less tax, tough on crime, strong military and the right to carry fire arms. They also believed in a larger role of religion, diminished rights for the gay community, women and interracial couples, defended gun ownership in the face of mass shootings and lowered taxes only for the top bracket earners in the country. They did all of this with a straight face, sold the message to the country and managed, in their small way to succeed, thus shaping the American dream.
I say all of this with all the respect and admiration in the world because I believe that these ‘fringe’ players have shaped the political landscape that Obama walks on today. He may not accept it but he plays under the terms that these fringe players created.
Take for example Obama’s efforts to lower the taxes for 90% (its more like 88%, but lets go with the campaign rhetoric for a moment) of working Americans. By doing this he is labelled as socialist and a Marxist. This to me is incredible because the same people who throw the socialism label, statistically may benefit from his tax code, rather then that of the GOP’s, but the message of lower taxes equals more freedom is so persuasive that voters will disregard their own personal circumstances to hold on to that message.
He can’t touch the subject of the Second Amendment for the fear of being labeled a gun grabber, but ask yourself when children walk into a school and their safety can not be guaranteed, isn’t that the time to discuss the issue of gun control in America? No, because gun control equals less freedom. The message still endures.
He is said also to try and tackle the ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ law, where gays can serve within the military without being, well, overly gay. I wonder, when a man or a woman dies in the service of the protection his or hers country does it really matter whether they are gay or not? Doe it make them any less effective as a soldier? Does it make them any less of a patriot? Yes, because it makes them less part of what Pat Buchanan calls ‘Gods Country’.
For Obama to be a truly transformative president he has to realise how the arguments within American politics are framed, who has framed and how they have done it. He will not be successful playing by the rules set out by his political adversaries. The ‘fringes’ of the Republican Party have shaped America with a total disregard for any contradictions that may surface of their political views and I feel Obama has to take on the task of fixing America in the same vein.
Dalitso Njolinjo lives in Northamptonshire, England. He is an aspiring writer and communications consultant. He writes that he “enjoys all things politics, sports and French. The ungodly trinity.” He also writes on his own blog.