America’s Presidential Primaries Begin, Along with Ideological Battle Beyond Opposing Trump

Published in Mainichi Shimbun
(Japan) on 4 February 2020
by (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Eric Stimson. Edited by Helaine Schweitzer.
The American presidential primaries begin with the Iowa caucuses. The key issue is whether President Donald Trump, who has shaken the world with his “America First” mantra, will be reelected.

America’s social divisions are deepening because of inequality and populism. America is pulling back from its role of upholding the international order, and Trump has encouraged these developments over the past three years.

How should we fill a prescription for addressing inequality? Are there plans to stabilize the world order? Will bonds with allied countries be repaired?

The November vote is a long way off (nine months). It will be a contest not only of policies but also of human nature and values.

The focus of the campaign’s first half will be the minority Democratic Party's choice for its presidential nominee as it aspires to retake control of the administration. The candidates include the moderate former Vice President Joseph Biden and the left-leaning Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.

However, currently the campaign is a melee without a front runner, and no core opposition has emerged against the Republican Party’s Trump.

There is agreement about economic policy, to improve education and social security through a tax hike on big corporations and the wealthy. Yet moderates are being cautious compared to the left-leaning candidates, who are proposing to introduce universal insurance and free public universities.

In international issues, there is also a noticeable difference between the moderates, who refuse to swear off the American military’s deployment, and the disapproving left wing. If internal party strife deepens and it takes time to unite behind a candidate, won’t this just benefit Trump?

The term “rigged system” gets tossed around in America. While upper class income increases, working class wages stagnate. The phrase “rigged system” was born from a suspicion that the elite are manipulating things so that they can monopolize profits.

The widening wealth gap is not all Trump’s fault. Successive administrations have refrained from regulating big corporations while neglecting workers. The growing dissatisfaction across party lines speaks to this.

It does not look as if distrust in politics as usual has improved since the last presidential election, in which Trump was caught up in the whirlwind. Trump may also run using this distrust as a fulcrum on which to curry favor with his base.

As partisan confrontation becomes more radical, it will probably not be easy to bring a divided society together despite the expectations placed on moderates to do so. Nevertheless, substantial inequality and nationalism are issues of global concern that should be overcome.

Beyond the merits and shortcomings of Trumpian politics, we hope that the beginnings of a solution through the wider ideological struggle will be found.


米大統領選がアイオワ州の党員集会を皮切りに始まる。「米国第一」を掲げ世界を揺るがすトランプ大統領が再選されるかどうかが焦点だ。

 米国では、格差やポピュリズム政治によって社会の分断が深まる。国際秩序の担い手としての役割から身を引こうとしている。この3年間でトランプ氏が助長した面もある。

 格差是正の処方箋をどう書くか。国際秩序を安定させる策はあるか。同盟国との絆を固め直せるのか。

 11月の投票まで9カ月におよぶ長丁場だ。政策だけでなく、人間性や価値観も問われる論戦になる。

 前半戦の注目は政権奪還を目指す野党・民主党の対抗馬選びだ。中道派のバイデン前副大統領や、左派のサンダース、ウォーレン両上院議員らが競り合っている。

 しかし、現状は本命候補がいない混戦状態で、共和党のトランプ氏を相手に対抗軸を打ち出せていない。

 経済政策では大企業や富裕者への増税で教育や社会保障を充実させる政策では一致する。ただし、国民皆保険の導入や公立大学の無償化を訴える左派に対し、中道派は慎重だ。

 国際問題でも米軍の軍事介入を辞さない中道派と、否定的な左派との違いが目立つ。党内対立が深まり候補者の一本化に時間がかかれば、トランプ氏を利するだけではないか。

 米国では「不正なシステム」という言葉が飛び交う。富裕層の所得は増える一方なのに労働者層の賃金は上がらない。支配階級が利益を独り占めできるよう操作をしているのでは、という疑念から生まれた。

 格差の拡大はトランプ氏だけの責任ではない。歴代政権は大企業への規制をためらう一方、労働者への目配りを怠ってきた。党派を超えて不満が広がる現状が、それを物語る。

 既成政治への不信は「トランプ旋風」を巻き起こした前回大統領選から改善したようには見えない。これをてこにトランプ氏が支持基盤の人気とりに走ることも考えられる。

 与野党の対立が先鋭化し、中道派への期待もあるが、分断した社会をまとめるのは容易ではないだろう。それでも著しい格差や自国第一主義は克服すべき世界共通の課題だ。

 トランプ政治の是非にとどまらず、それを超えた論戦を通じて解決の糸口を見つけてほしい。
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