Americans believe that governance can only be legitimate if it goes through a rigorous electoral process. Elections must be free, fair, credible and transparent.
This is why Americans spend an awful of money to sustain their democracy. The last elections were stupendously costly. In the end, everyone attested to the veracity of the electoral process.
I must say that Barack Obama won, not because of the mundane reasons given by some hare-brained commentators, who lament that Romney lost, but most it depended on the changing nature of American socio-economic conditions. They now look at life from both sides. Racial considerations now play a minimal role in social consciousness.
The social media promotes intellectual discourses and not race issues. Also, a young generation is now actively engaged in societal struggles, unencumbered by the ugly side of American history.
In spite of post-electoral lamentations of some Americans, the situation of America is not as dire as the eloquent commentators are making it to look.
The newly trumped up theory of “cliff=hanging America” is convicted of error.
There will be cooperation between the Democrats and the Republicans, in their own interests.
The sworn affidavit by Republicans that they would work for the non re-election of Barack Obama has ended in the wilderness.
American electoral processes are “a restless run of locusts ”Femi Osofisan. The movement of people and money was interesting to watch. There was tempo, rhetorics, half-truths and untruths, which were put out to get votes from the unwary and gullible.
America’s dollarized democracy excludes the other political parties and formations. This disenfranchises quite a lot of Americans. How far does the electoral process lead to the attainment of personal political freedom? The will of the people legitimizes governance, not the will of the privileged.
Equal suffrage is short-changed inexorably. The inner caucuses of the two dominant parties operate like the Old Boy network, letting only the initiates into party secrets.
The last US election saw the use of posters, insults and bitter words unprecedented in US politics. Also, money spoke. The quality of political dialogue was marred by unsubstantiated statements, innuendos and false claims.
Some American political commentators, mostly immigrants, who sing their masters’ songs seem to lack the ability for informed and in-depth political analyses, but repeat over-flogged clichés and propaganda stunts.
Time was when commentary on American politics was in the domain of intellectuals.
Last week, I re-read Karl Deutsche’s “Politics and Government”, 2nd edition, 1974; R.K Carr, M.H Bernstein and D.H Morrison “American Democracy in Theory and Practice”, 1981; A. Schick and A Pfister, American Government: Continuity and Change; Boston, 1972. Samuel P Huntington, Soldier and State. The Theory and Practice of Civil-Military Relations- Harvard University Press, 1957.
Though these learned writings helped me to frame my opinion on the changing nature of American politics, they seem understandably out-dated.
The irony of American democracy is that the President has to be sold to the electorate through the heavy investment in the media, as if the people are incapable of choosing the right person by their own intuitive or accumulated intelligence.
Now that Obama has been massively re-elected as I correctly predicted in an article I published in FOCUS ON NIGERIA, on January 4, 2012, entitled “ Why and How Obama Will Win the 2012 Presidential Elections: Obama is a Winner,” he will have to preside over American political and social life with “ audacity and hope”.
Unknown to some people, the mighty hand of God is on Obama and his God acceptance, reverence and adoration, will shine the LIGHT on America.
