The Obama Effect

My memories drifted back to the last US presidential campaign that had caught the attention of the world, where as a 16 year old, I watched a man called John F Kennedy win an election that confronted prejudice and arrogance in the USA. I used to believe that it was his charisma that carried him through. I now realize that the strength of even limited internal democracy is that it gives the greater common good, a chance to assert itself.

The US has had a varied and controversial public image in the rest of the world, Between Kennedy’s and Obama’s obvious charisma, has come a trail of opinions, images and Presidents where the USA has steadily lost moral ground. Despite the brain drain from countries like India, and desperation to get the green card, the US has not been seen as a paradise for democracy. It continues to have the dubious position of a Big Brother, The Bush administration reduced it to an all time low, where acts of terror have been answered by attempting to terrorise entire nations and their people into submission. The “Bushisms” that have accompanied this raw use of force, left a distasteful cynicism in the world that all that matters is money and bombs. Now, even the beneficiaries are under threat. The bombs have only made the rulers more insecure, and the Wall Street collapse has raised fundamental questions about get rich quick market capitalism.

Suddenly the arrogance appears to have gone. The recent elections and its discourse have brought in a tonal and attitudinal change, and a hope of what could be, if the disadvantaged have a voice. The presidential campaign had ample opportunities to use personal incidents for attrition and scandals. Both Obama and McCain at least helped bring in a more tempered tone into the debate. That Bush was kept far away from the campaign, even by the Republicans is a clear indication of how fed up even the American people are with all that Bush represents. That Obama overcame ingrained and inbuilt prejudice to obtain a landslide victory is a tribute to his campaign, but also to the hope that given a chance, ordinary people will overcome injustice to create an imperfect, but more humane world.

What does this US election mean to us in India? Some Indians, seem to have developed a penchant to let the USA lead the way. In India, as in the US, corporate financial interest has connived with state power to destroy basic political values. Scores are sought to be settled through the use of force. Now, will we also draw from the positives? The inspiration from the US elections is not of an unlikely and radical change in the world order, but in the message of the US voter to other ordinary people around the world, that we all have a potential role in creating a better world.

Somewhere, we must also nurture the hope, that someone who has broken through the barrier of prejudice, will retain his links with the human yearning for dignity and equality. The fact that Obama says he will listen, and particularly to people who dissent, has a déjà vu, reminding us of Gandhi and an ambience familiar to those who fought for independence in India. Maybe success without necessarily becoming self righteous and arrogant, also has a message for those who want to break through prejudice in India.

The dream of an Afro-American President of the USA, dismissed by many of us as an impossibility has become a reality. A Black President in the White house is a dramatic and powerful political visual. Whether he will also become a statesman remains to be seen. For now, that visual is cause enough for allowing ourselves a moment of celebration. 

Aruna Roy, MKSS

arunaroy@gmail.com