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January 22, 2004
Conservative America: snake oil
It would seem that President Bush's latest State of the Union (SOU) speech was rather low on statesmanship and high on political partisanship. It launches his election campaign.
David Rowe
The messianism in Bush's SOU speech made me uncomfortable. I have in mind phrases such as "America is a nation with a mission – and that mission comes from our most basic beliefs"; that mission being underwritten by God who "planted in every heart the desire to live in freedom."
I'm also uncomfortable with the denial of US hegemony by an imperial presidency that is hollowing out the old republic behind the rhetoric of Bush as the rugged individualist taking on terrorists. I was dismayed by the illusions in the sentence that "We have no desire to dominate, no ambitions of empire. Our aim is a democratic peace democratic peace – a peace founded upon the dignity and rights of every man and woman." Hegemonic power and strategic interest has evaporated. There was no awareness that the US is seen as besotted with power and unnerved by terror and increasingly overbearing, jingoistic and rash.
And privatised American health care is the best in the world? Whose kidding who?
Then there was all the strong America valuing the sacred institution of marriage---- heterosexual only, none of that activist gay nonsense; and abstinence being the only solution for sexually transmitted diseases. No doubt we can see God's hand in this moral law, which teaches that each (non-gay) individual has dignity and value in God's sight.
All that God talk disappeared when it came to the economy. Of course it was pro-growth economic agenda coupled to spending more. There were promises about job growth, even through the US growth is based on shredding jobs. And lots of promises about spending on education and health. So where is the money coming from? Doessnoteh US run a hugh budget deficit? Oh, I forgot. There a Bush promise to cut the deficit in half over 5 years. No doubt Bush's taxcuts will play the role of dux ex machina as they are sold as the drivers of the strong American economy.
As I said it's about its all about election politics. Lots of hype that basically says Bush is a divider in its appeal to conservative and middle America. It's little more than political magic with is tax less and spend more trick.
And the free traders want us to integrate Australia with the US and embrace this snake oil from Washington?
Posted by Gary Sauer-Thompson at January 22, 2004 07:44 AM
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