Diario Economico, Portugal

The Europeanization of America

In place of Aznar and Berlusconi, find Obama and Huckabee, whose recent rise expresses a desire for a powerful new way of doing politics.

By Bruno Maçães

January 09, 2007

Portugal - Diario Economico - Original Article (Portugal)

Much is made, in our weakness, of the question of whether and to what extent European politics and society should be americanized. Surprisingly, the corresponding issue, the other way around, is emerging in the election campaign in America, although so far no one has put it in these terms, because interest in European ideas is very low on the other side of the Atlantic. In place of Aznar and Berlusconi, are the two politicians whose recent rise expresses a desire for a powerful new way of doing politics.

 On the right, it is increasingly difficult to counter the trend toward a social policy based on religious virtues. Huckabee has moral positions that are perfectly aligned with the evangelical churches, but attacks the greed of Wall Street, is against free trade and, as governor of Arkansas, nearly tripled the state budget. According to this candidate, all taxes are justified if they help make children happy. His victory would announce the end of the conservative coalition, separating the defense of traditional moral values from the promotion of a small government and low taxes. What would emerge in their place is nothing but the old European Christian democracy.

The other candidate of change speaks for the great value of the European left: dialogue. Barack Obama began by criticizing the fierce partisanship of American politics, the taste for conflict and the destruction of enemies - exactly what has made me lose three hours a day monitoring this campaign. He stresses a foreign policy dominated as little as possible by national interest. Above all, he threatens to disassemble all economic institutions whose quest for profit conflicts with dialogue and rational argument. These ideas are foreign and potentially dangerous. It will be important that this requirement for argument is applied to this philosophically radical program.

 I don’t think I’m deceiving myself when I say that, as the voters come to know these new programs better, they will reject them, primarily because they are at odds with American political culture. Obama and Huckabee defend a set of ideas so radically different from American political ideas that, for some time, no one knew how to criticize them effectively. The other side of the coin is that these ideas have not had time to convince anyone, beyond their seduction of novelty, and are therefore extremely vulnerable.

Where do I put my money? General Election between Obama and McCain: victory for McCain.

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