America is being beset by increasingly difficult and large challenges. The U.S.’s status as the world’s foremost policeman and hegemon is being challenged by an ascendant China, and its internal finances are prone to recurrent crisis. Yet, amidst these problems, America’s political system seems to be performing more as a joke than as a purveyor of strong leadership.
Donald Trump, an egotistical demagogue with no governmental experience, whose political philosophy resolves around building a massive wall on the Southern US border and being a tough negotiator, is leading the Republican race now. Kanye West, in an admittedly drug induced rant, announced his plans to run for president in 2020. The contest for the executive branch is thus becoming increasingly populated with demagogues and opportunists, instead of the skilled statesmen that America needs.
It isn’t in just the executive branch, however, that America’s lack of effective leadership, so crucially needed now, is being manifested. Congress routinely runs into gridlock, polarization is rife, and when bills are passed, tascension can only be achieved by essentially bribing individual congressmen with promises of increased privileges to their home constituencies. Despite multiple attempts at resolving America’s fiscal mismanagement, congress has been too divisive to come to an accord. America’s lack of effective leadership has pervaded its entire governmental structure.
The U.S. wasn’t always strongly paralyzed by a lack of governance and leadership. Strong presidents, with well-regulated and unified congresses, were able to pass significant bills and reforge the nationa when needed. Teddy Roosevelt reigned in the power of business in the early 20th Century. His distant cousin, Franklin Delano Roosevelt brought the modern welfare state to genesis. Truman brought the U.S. both out of war and out of an inefficient wartime economy. Eisenhower authorized the construction of most of America’s modern infrastructure. The Johnston and Nixon administrations witnessed the expansion of welfare, social programs, and environmental regulation.
When America’s political system produced these accomplishments, it had a fairly united congress, had little polarization, and, for the most part, had presidential candidates chosen by party elites rather than democratic primaries. The system of united, fairly unpolarized congress was held in place by a strong party elite that ensured congressmen voted uniformly. A strong committee system also encouraged uniformity by being able to punish dissenting congressmen from important committee positions.
While effective in producing vast policy changes, the centralized and elite-driven model of American politics was decried by critics. America’s congressmen were perceived to be in the interests of a national elite, rather than serving their local constituencies. Political scientists bemoaned the cooperative congress that strong leadership provided, and wished for a more divisive, yet invigorating and engaging democracy.
Thus, starting in the 1960s, the process of dismantling the elite-driven machine politics of the USA was undertaken seriously. The Democrats and Republicans began to introduce primaries to ensure presidential candidates were elected. Stricter campaign finance was introduced to reduce central party control and to encourage more local constituent influence. The old committee system was dismantled by successive Legislature Reorganization Acts, allowing congressmen to serve on important legislative positions without the support of their party elites.
The reforms accomplished their goals, congressmen were more accountable to their local constituents—more direct democratic action was involved in the choosing of presidential candidates.
However, the increased populism incumbent with the reforms decimated the leadership role of party elites, enabling more demagoguery and partisanship. Congressmen, instead of working in a national party, were almost only accountable to their local district, making them mercenaries for their constituency’s interests instead of guardians of the national good. These trends all but ensured congressional gridlock.
The movement towards electing presidential candidates ensured a platform for demagogues and opportunists as opposed to serious, professional politicians. Candidates with fierce rhetoric, but little experience or policy ideas, like Trump, are rewarded with popularity and success.
The American political environment that will welcome Kanye West in 2020 will thus be favorable to inexperienced opportunists such as West. Stripped of the leadership of party bosses and elites, the American political system encourages unrefined populism and candidates the remainder of the world will perceive as jokes.
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The Ontarion publishes independent, student-produced news, opinion, and commentary for University of Guelph students so that they can make informed decisions in their lives. To do this, The Ontarion provides learning opportunities and training in journalism, media production, leadership, board governance, and other aspects of nonprofit news.
The Ontarion is the University of Guelph’s independent student newspaper. It began in 1951 as part of the Ontario Agricultural College and then began to represent the entire University of Guelph once it amalgamated in 1964. The Ontarion incorporated in May 1970 as The Ontarion, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation registered with the province of Ontario.