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The American Revolution (1776-1783) was one of the most important events of the beginning of the modern era. Along with the French Revolution, it shaped a form of government that had not been in existence for a very long time: a republic. But from the start, the new nation of the United States of America was full of contradictions and contradictory forces.
The new nation and its constitution brought forth some of the hopes of the era of enlightenment. A secular republic was formed where the head of the government was elected. This was a far cry from despotic monarchies that ruled Europe where kings and emperors wielded absolute power, claimed to be God’s representative on Earth, and where the church had tremendous influence. The separation of church and state was enshrined in the new constitution.
A parliament (congress) was formed and representatives were elected and not selected. The Revolution produced giants such as Thomas Jefferson, and Thomas Paine, and important leaders such as George Washington, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin.
But, the more conservative forces, represented by such figures as Adams and Hamilton, who feared real people’s power, were able to marginalize radical tendencies, represented by leaders such as Paine. This marginalization produced the Electoral College, and property, gender, and race qualifications for voting: obstacles to real, genuine, and popular democracy. The new nation was also formed on an economic system, although more progressive than feudalism in Europe, that constantly produced inequality by pursuing profit and its need for expansion and cheap labor, rather than the ideals of the Revolution. This in turn brought forth the two great evils: First, the almost complete extermination of the native peoples and the expropriation of their lands for white settlement; second, slavery (which was enshrined in the constitution) as the cheapest form of labor. Thus, the above mentioned obstacles and institutions caused the words of the Declaration of Independence to be almost unattainable.
"If we look at the 20th century history of American politics, there is truth to the assertion that there is not much difference in the policies of the two major parties, especially in foreign policy matters"
This society is still plagued by what happened more than two hundred years ago. The Electoral College undermines the will of the majority as it was shown in the 2000 Presidential election. In that year, Al Gore won the popular vote, but did not become President. The existence of a winner take all system, lack of proportional representation, and the lack of public financing of elections has produced the two party monopoly that is primarily beholden to big corporations, the military-industrial complex, and the super rich. The candidates for Presidency, or the Senate must be able to raise and spend millions of dollars, otherwise their chance of election is almost non-existent. In this atmosphere the people are deprived of a diversity of opinions and choices.
The debates, (especially since the 1992 election when Ross Perot was able to participate) have been restricted to only Republicans and Democrats and the mainstream media only reports on the candidates of these two ruling parties. It is very difficult for smaller parties to participate in the national elections and some say that a vote for these parties is a waste. Many people are forced to vote against their conscience and for the “lesser of the two evils.” Many, especially on the left, say that there is no difference between the two parties and have given up on voting altogether, or they vote for smaller parties, such as the Green Party, which for the first time in US history has an African-American woman running for President and a Latino woman running for Vice-President.
If we look at the 20th century history of American politics, there is truth to the assertion that there is not much difference in the policies of the two major parties, especially in foreign policy matters. But, this should not keep us from participating in the voting process, especially, in this year’s historic election. For the first time in US history, a woman and an African-American man are contending for the top positions of a ticket for a major party. One can easily see differences between Obama, and McCain. The former is for a break from the disastrous, dangerous, and deadly policies of the past eight years, and the latter is for their continuation. Obama is in support of less confrontation and war and more dialogue with other countries and McCain is in support of continuing the war in Iraq and even expanding it into Iran.
Obama is in support of sound Green policies that combat global warming and McCain and his running mate are for drilling more for oil and giving tax breaks for the oil companies and the super rich instead of the middle and working classes. McCain has continuously opposed regulation and accountability in the financial industry and now everyone is suffering the effects of these policies. On the other hand Obama is in support of regulating this industry and Wall Street.
Of course, we cannot harbor any illusions about the Democratic and the Republican Parties. In the final analysis both parties want to preserve the status quo, both internationally and domestically, but electing Senator Obama will create the space necessary to push for change in the interest of the majority of American people and international peace. Also, it will become a historic event in the fight against racism and bigotry and it will increase American prestige around the world. Thus, it is very crucial to vote and defeat the ultra right forces represented by the McCain-Palin ticket. Ultimately, if we want to have a truly democratic country, we must push for One Citizen, One Vote and for the elimination of the Electoral College. We must push for proportional representation and a multi-party system (the type that the US government always condemns other countries for not having) so we can have a more diverse political landscape. We must work for open debates and free airtime for all candidates, and public financing of elections so the corrupting influence of money is removed.
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