Sunday 28 February 2016

trump's and america's moment of truth...

At this moment it looks like Donald is going to trumpet his way to glory and the White House. There is a sense of disbelief in most of the things he says. But ironically these seem sound common sense by redneck American standards. He has lashed out against Muslims and Mexicans. He is almost like Hitler reborn. Hitler too was born phoenix like from the ashes of the Great Depression of the 1930s. America too stands totteringly close to the abyss of financial bubbles which are forever morphing into larger bubbles...lending credence to the hypothesis too big to fail... Hence most middle of the road Americans are confused by the gradual decline of America in terms of a world power, economic scenario, wealth, increase in mindless gun violence, police atrocities, climate change, rising inequalities, joblessness, healthcare travails, rise of China, ...the great american dream seems to be in shambles..
Obama had risen like a great black hope who would undo the nightmare which had engulfed the nation for over 25 years. Here was one the best ever presidents to enter the White House….supra intelligent, highly educated, great orator, without no backing of large industry nexus, honest, upright, principled...he had risen like the black knight who would rescue america from all the evil dragons.  But Obama tried his best to set right the behemoth and mammoth beast which was america. However much he tried to put right the morass through his charismatic intelligence…. he was confronted by deeply entrenched vested interests who would let no one upset the status quo. after the financial meltdown, the banks had the bailouts in the way they wanted it. it was indeed business as usual after the loans were repaid and the CEOs were soon rewarded with obscene bonuses.  
Obama also faced blocks in both the senate and house of representatives...both from republicans and his own democrats...indeed navigating through the elected representatives was a nightmare for him or for that matter anyone...the house of cards neatly summarises american politics...the conniving muck...only obama was too classy and principled to side with muck….
obama failed to pass the anti gun laws in spite of all his best efforts….in spite of all the mounting violence… shootings …there were @ 1 point of time 355 shootings of min 4 deaths during a period of 335 days... he had to face insane opposition while trying to push obamacare...his climate fossil fuel proposals have been stalled...ironically by the supreme court...the litany goes on and on…
with all the prevailing confusion in the country...the greater part of the country is fed up of the establishment which they feel has failed them in rescuing the country from the perils which have beset it from all sides….suddenly in the midst of all this there comes round the presidential election...and what are they confronted with? … a melee of mediocre presidential aspirants … none of which looks like lifting the country out of the depression… all the candidates look vapid and sound hollow...like in a puppet show...hilary is increasing looking like an also ran..a loser..a manipulator...sanders bit better..but doesn't look like a winner on his own steam...all the other republicans appear puny and puerile incapable of holding their own…
at this juncture trump appears like a heavyweight champion of yore...another era...another time...cassius clay...aka...muhammad ali...larger than life….pulling sucker punches at the kids rubio and cruz...he has uttered what no one had dared to earlier...the m word...keeping out muslims and mexicans out of US...suddenly people realised here was a man who did not mince his words..was not afraid to speak out what most had secretly harboured in their hearts...since 9/11 there had been growing divide globally against terrorists who in the name of jihad had been taking innocent lives…
here was a  person like superman or batman who dared to speak the unutterables and promised to take action on terror...the other thing which americans had been suffering from was the invasion of the mexicans across a porous border in search of a better life in the land of milk and honey...along with the mexicans poured in drugs from the cartels in mexico, colombia, magic realism and beyond...the story of drugs and mind expansion is another one for another day...suffice it to say...many americans needed these drugs to face life…
at long last...the great white hope...shining knight in white armour who will deliver americans from all vicissitudes… full of bravado..who has rallied all with his anti-m warcry.. the broad middle class is clinging on to him as a saviour from all ails affecting the world’s most advanced and powerful nation..
even though trump himself ….a flamboyant real estate multi billionaire...has so many failings… taxes...using illegal immigrant labour...and so on...still the populace at large are in no mood to listen to these innuendos against him thrown by the flailing opponents at the much publicised eye ball catching debates… like a juggernaut he is rolling from state to state winning caucuses and primaries...looks unstoppable…he is gradually building an aura around him...people feel he can deliver them from all the ills plaguing american society..a blind faith in him since he alone has the courage to name the unnameable...
in a sense he could be better than reagan or bush jr...since he has been a successful businessman…  the moment of truth will be in november… if he wins...will he be able to fix the economy...the ballooning debt..rising inequalities..a demagogue in the white house after … the great obama...perhaps a sign of the despair of the times...the polarisation of society...nemesis…
redeeming part of him...he has ridiculed bush for the war he started in search of elusive weapons of mass destruction...a chimera in the desert...but being the brash person he is he will no doubt get drawn to other wars...even obama could not keep america out of wars...perhaps the world has become a theatre for armaments bashing so the the military industrial complexes can keep on chugging….few of the wars bush sr and jr fought were for oil...perhaps this triggered of a strong dislike for americans by the arabs.
wonder if any american president really has a say in deciding upon these wars. the military industrial complex is just too powerful. the presidents are figureheads...who        are under the thumbs of the powerful lobbies of armaments, finance, etc. these lobbyists operate their machiavellian moves through the members of the two houses of government. hence we see the peculiar combinations of senators and members of the HOR who vote for different bills. the house of cards really portrays this mess so wonderfully.

so at the end does it really matter who is at the helm. the major issues drive themselves. the vested interests ensure their agendas are smoothly passed. so whoever wins will have to toe the lines of the power brokers...but if trump triumphs...he will certainly add lot of colour and interest in these bleak times..

Swami Sarvapriyanda

https://youtu.be/Fi-XTOIxSPo